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Rob Ford's Toronto

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While I might understand the police officer making the first call under the impression of bowing to the presence of the mayor (maybe not directed to), its when the mayor makes a direct call to the CEO of the TTC to get a second bus (because the first bus took too long when the driver got lost) as soon as possible that irritates me more. And during the rush hour as well, when the buses are most needed.
 
Plus the mayor's mythology has been that he's the one man that is attuned to and vigilant about ending these kind of wasteful abuses. You know, bunny suits, $12.000 retirement parties, and on and on. It's difficult for me to believe that one cop assigned to standing in the rain at a high school football game has the power to redirect TTC buses without approval from someone higher up, but if that officer did make the decision, then Ford the Respect For Taxpayers superhero would have said, "no, this is wrong, this is costing taxpayers money while not benefiting taxpayers". Right?
 
Given everything, it's a wonder that Don Bosco hasn't been hit by a doping scandal, football being what it is and Rob Ford being who he is...

Wait--for all we know, that might be next.
 
Any possibility that the Don Bosco team arrived at the game venue and was scheduled to return in a paid charter TTC bus and the actual or purported phone calls were made to request a change in schedule due to the game being shortened by an unforseen circumstance?

While I have my typing fingers warmed up I would like to ask why Mr. Ford is being branded as a bigot when many of the members of his team are obviously not white? Yes, I know only one poster is screaming bigot again, but everyone who doesn't contest the charge can be rightfully judged to be in agreement with it.

Just say'ng.
 
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Any possibility that the Don Bosco team arrived at the game venue and was scheduled to return in a paid charter TTC bus and the actual or purported phone calls were made to request a change in schedule due to the game being shortened by an unforseen circumstance?
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Why would the police involves themselves and request a TTC bus (which is not request for a change in a schedule) in that case? And why would the mayor intervene and call up Andy Byford personally on this matter? And is paying attention to this worthy of Andy Byford time? It isn't like issues affecting TTC is lacking during rush hour, ever.

While I have my typing fingers warmed up I would like to ask why Mr. Ford is being branded as a bigot when many of the members of his team are obviously not white? Yes, I know only one poster is screaming bigot again, but everyone who doesn't contest the charge can be rightfully judged to be in agreement with it.
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You don't need to be wearing a pointy headdress to be a bigot, which by Merriam Webster is defined as: person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot

And frankly, if one is in the mood to judge, they should be focusing his attention on the recent slate of behaviour on the part of his worship, vis-a-vis his stated values. Perhaps everyone knows that the issue isn't what one forumer calls his worship - but his worship himself.
Interesting how bigot stems from the French word for hypocrite - learn something new everyday!

AoD
 
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spider said:
Any possibility that the Don Bosco team arrived at the game venue and was scheduled to return in a paid charter TTC bus and the actual or purported phone calls were made to request a change in schedule due to the game being shortened by an unforseen circumstance?

While I have my typing fingers warmed up I would like to ask why Mr. Ford is being branded as a bigot when many of the members of his team are obviously not white? Yes, I know only one poster is screaming bigot again, but everyone who doesn't contest the charge can be rightfully judged to be in agreement with it.

Just say'ng.
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grasping at anything to justify your choice for Frod aren't you ?!?
 
I may be wrong, but I thought the most recent episode of "bigot" accusations in this thread was nfitz calling someone out for a perceived bigoted remark again enza the supermodel, whose name had only come up in speculation about which of the 45 other 2010 mayoral candidates would have done a better job than ford. Or did ford's anti-gay comments also come up?
 
Oh, re that OT Enza discussion--to put it simply, when it comes to addressing or referring to a transgendered person, proper etiquette is to refer to him/her by his/her "chosen" gender--even when the transition is incomplete. That's right; it's an etiquette thing. Now, on once again with the Ford discussion...

Oh, re the "bigot" issue re Ford's team: some may argue that it's a bit demeaning to compress nonwhite people into a football-meathead pigeonhole. Or white people, for that matter.

Now, for the inevitable doping scandal. (Has doping ever emerged as a headline-worthy issue when it comes to high school sports in Toronto?)
 
spider said:
Any possibility that the Don Bosco team arrived at the game venue and was scheduled to return in a paid charter TTC bus and the actual or purported phone calls were made to request a change in schedule due to the game being shortened by an unforseen circumstance?
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You're forgetting the 4:30 yellow bus, which was scheduled and I'm pretty sure it was paid for. There's no way they could've chartered an extra TTC bus on TOP of their existing yellow bus.
 
Who pays for the TTC bus(es) that were called to the school field when the football game ended early?

The school board? Who already paid or will pay for the school buses that may arrive at the scheduled time, unless called off.

The police? Who called for the first TTC bus.

Rob Ford? Who called the TTC CEO directly for the second TTC bus.

The TTC? What is the rate the TTC for chartering buses? I can see the TTC absorbing the cost for any bus called on account of fire or a propane explosion, but can't see them absorbing the cost because some people were wet at a school field, but leaving paying customers behind at a bus stop.

Or the team players? Unlikely.

Or the City? Maybe it will be added to Rob's expense account.
 
In today's Star Andy Byford is quoted and says:

TTC head Andy Byford says he is “not happy” after learning fare-paying riders were taken off two buses so they could be dispatched to pick up high school football players coached by Mayor Rob Ford.

In an email to transit commissioners Saturday, the CEO said he planned to follow up with Toronto police and the mayor’s office about the incident.

“For the record: I had no idea that two buses were used nor that customers were inconvenienced,” Byford wrote.

“The most unfortunate thing about this episode is the damage done to our reputation after more than a year of careful, painstaking steps to improve it,” he added in the email. “I am not happy about that and I am certainly not happy that fare paying customers were inconvenienced under these circumstances.”

It would be interesting to know who pays for TTC buses called to real emergencies (fires etc). The City, the TTC, the police, those sheltered? I suspect this Fordian Moment may result in a better general policy about how TTC buses are used and who pays for this 'non-transit' use.
 
W. K. Lis said:
Who pays for the TTC bus(es) that were called to the school field when the football game ended early?

The school board? Who already paid or will pay for the school buses that may arrive at the scheduled time, unless called off.

The police? Who called for the first TTC bus.

Rob Ford? Who called the TTC CEO directly for the second TTC bus.

The TTC? What is the rate the TTC for chartering buses? I can see the TTC absorbing the cost for any bus called on account of fire or a propane explosion, but can't see them absorbing the cost because some people were wet at a school field, but leaving paying customers behind at a bus stop.

Or the team players? Unlikely.

Or the City? Maybe it will be added to Rob's expense account.
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I would guess that the TTC pays. If anyone else pays, it is just an exercise of shifting money between city departments.

I would also say that I do not want the TTC deciding if the police were correct in ordering a bus. If the police ask for one, the TTC should provide one. The police should dictate the urgency and the TTC should comply as best they can. The main issue here is why the police asked for a bus for what did not appear to be an emergency. Maybe they were worried about a riot breaking out - they probably should have moved the football team to a secure location (i.e. the gym, ghange room, a classroom, etc.) until the regular bus arrives.

It is also an issue of concern that the TTC can not respond properly to an emergency - for whatever reason, the police seemed to identify it as an emergency. It appears that Ford may have been checking up on the police ordered bus, and nothing more. It is also interesting that the TTC can contact the bus to advise them to offload the passengers, but they could not contact the missing first bus to give them proper directions.

I would say this incident highlights problems with both the police and TTC, but somehow Ford always seems to be around when other screw up.
 
BurlOak said:
I would say this incident highlights problems with both the police and TTC, but somehow Ford always seems to be around when other screw up.
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There does seem to be a protocol issue, if the police think they can abuse the emergency shelter policy like this. Though I'd like to know what Rob Ford said to the police office before he called for the bus.

All that aside - perhaps Rob Ford had nothing to do with it. Phoning the cell phone of the CEO of the TTC because your bus is late on matters that were personal rather than city-related doesn't seem right to me. Unless this cell phone number is available to all, then this seems like yet another example of gross mis-use of power and corruption by Rob Ford.

As for the comments that Rob Ford isn't a bigot because some of the football players are black. Really? Is is the 1970s again, and I missed the temporal shift?
 
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