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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Could this be Ford's first relization that things like, well maintained fountains, monuments, trees, gardens, parks and god forbid public art, actually enhance a city and aren't a waste of taxpapers dollars? Nah, I think he likes the fountains in Edmonton because they're in Edmonton. If they were in Toronto, he'd probably be bitching about how much they cost to turn on.
 
To me, the reflecting pool/fountain at Nathan Phillips Square is a piece of civic art, akin to the (much larger) reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Or like the reflecting pool in front of the Seagram Building in NYC.

Edmonton seems to treat their city hall fountain like a public swimming/wading pool (not that there's anything wrong with that), a place where kids can splash in a pool of chlorinated water to cool off in the summer. That's something completely different, though. (I wonder if they have a lifeguard on duty.)

And if Ford wants fountains, what about the Centre Island fountains? Are they still operating? (Although those are decorative and not meant for swimming, either. They seem to be chlorinated, as I recall.)
 
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malvern2 said:
I find Toronto lacks a nice fountain....i'm sure if anyone else proposed this the board would be fawning over the idea, i think at this point all the Ford haters on this board would jump on him for anything he says or does.
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again, you completely miss the point; or as typical of Fraud Nation, you see and hear what you want to see and hear.

RF argues that NPS renos are a waste of money, yet he sounds more than will to do a pet project !
 
And besides, the NPS project did add an additional water feature (i.e. jet fountain) to the Square.

malvern:

Everyone can offer an opinion - not everyone can remain engaged enough, put it to action and see it through way before the shovel even hit the ground. For him to quib about this when the contracts for renovating the rink has already begun (that happened during his watch, BTW) is patently pointless - what is one going to do, rip it all up mid-contract?

AoD
 
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Alvino, all Ford said was he wanted to look into the idea, he never said anything about ripping any contract up. This project has gone way over both in terms of time and budget yet somehow the previous administration and his cronies seem to get a pass on this board for its utter mismanagement, the fact Ford is looking for inexpensive ways to add fun and interesting features to NPS should be applauded.
 
malvern:

all Ford said was he wanted to look into the idea, he never said anything about ripping any contract up.
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You don't need to look into the idea - the rink is ripped up as of right now, adding new features of the magnitude of fountains at this point would be going above and beyond what the current contract, and that means added cost and delay. It certainly won't be "cheap".

This project has gone way over both in terms of time and budget yet somehow the previous administration and his cronies seem to get a pass on this board for its utter mismanagement
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First of all, the previous administration didn't directly manage this project - just as the current administration doesn't do so either. If you insist otherwise, lest I remind you that other than the greenroof, most of the construction occurred during the current administration - are you saying that the mismanagement occurred under Ford's watch then? Where is his worship insistence that deadlines are adhered to "or else"? We've heard nary a peep of this sort.

the fact Ford is looking for inexpensive ways to add fun and interesting features to NPS should be applauded.
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Sorry, everyone else doing that, yes - but his worship is the one who promised subways without public funding. Why should anyone have any shred of confidence in his credibility, much less his sense of what's appropriate for a space that transcend him?

AoD
 
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Ford has no problem finding time for a photo op with American celebrities, Chappelle today, Ferrell & Galifianakis last month, but is too busy to meet with any local artists or groups. Talk about selective association.
 
Globe and Mail: U.S. comic Dave Chappelle pays surprise visit to Toronto Mayor Ford

Toronto’s mayor is a fan of Mr. Chappelle’s comedy, Mr. Ransom said.

“They just met briefly, said ‘hi’ to each other. The mayor was on his way out to a meeting,†he said. “I think the mayor was excited. Mr. Chappelle is here in Toronto performing a number of shows, so it should be good.â€
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So the mayor knows who Dave Chappelle is, but not Mary Walsh?
 
The current city hall opened in 1965. The old city hall opened in 1899. The old, old city (see St. Lawrence Hall and Market) opened in 1850.

Seems that a new city hall is built around every 50 years, plus or minus. Rob Ford should be happy that we are not building a new city hall, just renovating. Then again, maybe he's not in the office most of the time because he does not want to be around the construction noise and dust.
 
canmark said:
And if Ford wants fountains, what about the Centre Island fountains? Are they still operating? (Although those are decorative and not meant for swimming, either. They seem to be chlorinated, as I recall.)
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Or when it comes to something kids can frolic in, there's already something quite close at hand to NPS: the water sprays in Yonge-Dundas Square.

But between his extolling the Edmonton fountain and his cameo at the Underpass Park unveiling, it strikes me that at heart, Rob Ford's civic visioning is utterly arrested-development infantile; almost like he, himself, is a nine-year-old at heart, and would rather rule a city of fellow nine-year-olds. Then again, maybe that's part of his political appeal: his child's-eye view, and how can a bunch of frolicking children in a fountain not warm anyone's heart...
 
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