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New Year's wishes for the GTA
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January 01, 2007
Kevin Garland
executive director,
National Ballet
of Canada
"My dream is to have a huge, wonderful outdoor performance space on our waterfront ... as delightful as the Pritzker Pavilion (which Frank Gehry designed as part of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago).
"To my mind, the perfect site is the foot of Yonge St. (across from the Star building) on the parking lot acquired by the Waterfront Corp.
"Imagine how fabulous it would be if we had a first-class facility with the best possible sound and lighting effects – a place where 10,000 people could enjoy free performances every summer featuring ballet, opera, symphony and jazz.
"It would be an amazing leap forward for Toronto if we could have such a magical place ... there is no reason why we shouldn't."
William Thorsell
ceo, Royal
Ontario Museum
"For years, we have heard people complain that when you arrive in Toronto there is no sense that this is a city on a lake, like Chicago and Geneva.
"In order to change that perception, what we need is a spectacular attraction showcasing Lake Ontario and dramatizing the city's important relationship with it.
"My proposal is to create a wonderful and incredible water fountain in the middle of Humber Bay which would loom very dramatically to drivers coming onto the Gardiner Expressway on their way downtown.
"It would be spectacularly lit up.
"Aglow at night, it would offer a beautiful visual link from the waterfront to the downtown towers."
Adam Giambrone
TTC chair
Wants a cleaner, less congested, more user-friendly transit agency in 2007.
"I'm hoping for service improvements. More buses on the roads easing crowding at stations."
The delivery of 100 new buses starting in fall 2007 should help.
"(I want) a cleaner system. We get a lot of complaints that it's dirtier. We'll probably hire a few more people so the system looks a little more polished.
Of the Spadina subway extension that awaits funding: "We've got to get the shovel in the ground on the Spadina subway and on some (bus) rapid transit initiatives, such as from Finch to Steeles on Yonge St.," which should be a curbed, separate lane.
Also, a new "trip planning" system so riders can go online to plan their journey.
Mike 'Pinball' Clemons
Argonauts coach
"If there was one thing about Toronto I would change in 2007 it would be Torontonians' appreciation for what they have and realizing the greatness of our city.
"Toronto is not second fiddle to any other city in the world.
"We are not a little New York because Toronto is better than New York.
"We are not Hollywood North because we are better than Los Angeles.
"Toronto is the finest city and I hope Torontonians can finally realize that they live in the best place on Earth in 2007."
Sam Mitchell
Raptors coach
Considers himself something of a homebody but wants to make sure all the cyclists he sees on his infrequent forays are safe from cars.
"I would say put in more (dedicated bike lanes). I almost hit those guys on the bikes some times."
Otherwise, the Georgia native is pretty happy with Toronto, his home from October to May each of the past three years.
"I really don't know it well enough, I got to two or three restaurants, I go to the same movie theatre. I really don't go a lot of places. It's fine with me."
David McKeown
Toronto's chief medical officer of health
Says one pressing problem must be solved to make 2007 shine for Torontonians: Close the growing poverty gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Income has a profound effect on health and well-being and, unless we address these large inequalities, the health of the entire city is undermined.
"Toronto has some of the healthiest and some of the least healthy communities in Canada. The incidence of common health problems can vary twofold from one neighbourhood to another as a result of differences in basic determiners of health, such as income, housing, employment and education."
He would specifically like to see policies put in place that protect children from the harmful health effects of poverty.
New Year's wishes for the GTA
Email Story Email story
PrintPrint
Text Size Text Size Text SizeChoose text Size
Report Typo Report typo or correction
Email the author Email the author
Tag and Save Tag and save
Powered by Delicious
January 01, 2007
Kevin Garland
executive director,
National Ballet
of Canada
"My dream is to have a huge, wonderful outdoor performance space on our waterfront ... as delightful as the Pritzker Pavilion (which Frank Gehry designed as part of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago).
"To my mind, the perfect site is the foot of Yonge St. (across from the Star building) on the parking lot acquired by the Waterfront Corp.
"Imagine how fabulous it would be if we had a first-class facility with the best possible sound and lighting effects – a place where 10,000 people could enjoy free performances every summer featuring ballet, opera, symphony and jazz.
"It would be an amazing leap forward for Toronto if we could have such a magical place ... there is no reason why we shouldn't."
William Thorsell
ceo, Royal
Ontario Museum
"For years, we have heard people complain that when you arrive in Toronto there is no sense that this is a city on a lake, like Chicago and Geneva.
"In order to change that perception, what we need is a spectacular attraction showcasing Lake Ontario and dramatizing the city's important relationship with it.
"My proposal is to create a wonderful and incredible water fountain in the middle of Humber Bay which would loom very dramatically to drivers coming onto the Gardiner Expressway on their way downtown.
"It would be spectacularly lit up.
"Aglow at night, it would offer a beautiful visual link from the waterfront to the downtown towers."
Adam Giambrone
TTC chair
Wants a cleaner, less congested, more user-friendly transit agency in 2007.
"I'm hoping for service improvements. More buses on the roads easing crowding at stations."
The delivery of 100 new buses starting in fall 2007 should help.
"(I want) a cleaner system. We get a lot of complaints that it's dirtier. We'll probably hire a few more people so the system looks a little more polished.
Of the Spadina subway extension that awaits funding: "We've got to get the shovel in the ground on the Spadina subway and on some (bus) rapid transit initiatives, such as from Finch to Steeles on Yonge St.," which should be a curbed, separate lane.
Also, a new "trip planning" system so riders can go online to plan their journey.
Mike 'Pinball' Clemons
Argonauts coach
"If there was one thing about Toronto I would change in 2007 it would be Torontonians' appreciation for what they have and realizing the greatness of our city.
"Toronto is not second fiddle to any other city in the world.
"We are not a little New York because Toronto is better than New York.
"We are not Hollywood North because we are better than Los Angeles.
"Toronto is the finest city and I hope Torontonians can finally realize that they live in the best place on Earth in 2007."
Sam Mitchell
Raptors coach
Considers himself something of a homebody but wants to make sure all the cyclists he sees on his infrequent forays are safe from cars.
"I would say put in more (dedicated bike lanes). I almost hit those guys on the bikes some times."
Otherwise, the Georgia native is pretty happy with Toronto, his home from October to May each of the past three years.
"I really don't know it well enough, I got to two or three restaurants, I go to the same movie theatre. I really don't go a lot of places. It's fine with me."
David McKeown
Toronto's chief medical officer of health
Says one pressing problem must be solved to make 2007 shine for Torontonians: Close the growing poverty gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Income has a profound effect on health and well-being and, unless we address these large inequalities, the health of the entire city is undermined.
"Toronto has some of the healthiest and some of the least healthy communities in Canada. The incidence of common health problems can vary twofold from one neighbourhood to another as a result of differences in basic determiners of health, such as income, housing, employment and education."
He would specifically like to see policies put in place that protect children from the harmful health effects of poverty.
