Riverdale Rink Rat
Senior Member
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2008
- Messages
- 2,775
- Reaction score
- 273
- Location
- Back to East York... Alas!
Where do you draw your 'closed door' line in the sand?
IMHO, if Ford wanted to talk with Westfield(sp?), he should have made it public that he was having talks with a developer. He had a architect draw up plans, changed the mandate of a city corporation, and changed the way the City and Mayor deal with the tripartite organization that was put in charge of the Port Lands. If that isn't 'behind closed doors', what is it? John Campbell should NEVER have been surprised by ANY of this, if it wasn't 'behind closed doors'.
And, as for your casting aspersions on WT -- how in hell do they get reputable developers for East Bayfront and Parliament Quay? Obviously, by talking to them. But talking to them in an OPEN and RESPONSIBLE manner.
Marko, you're killing me trying to defend this end-around by the Fords...
First off - simply meeting and discussing ideas is not the same as making backroom deals. I agree with you that Mr. Campbell's answers were largely professional and well reasoned, but the following quote concerns me:
Again - having discussions with developers is not doing deals behind closed doors. It's the responsibility of WT to have these discussions and if something viable becomes possible, you bring the discussion to the other stakeholders and put the actual deal together in an open, inclusive manner. That they have been spurning developers while at the same time saying they have no means to get things done means that they have been at least someone disingenuous in their responsibilities to the stakeholders. It's not unlike the Fords rejecting the Olympic bid without first gaining consensus from council, which also should not have happened the way it did.
IMHO, if Ford wanted to talk with Westfield(sp?), he should have made it public that he was having talks with a developer. He had a architect draw up plans, changed the mandate of a city corporation, and changed the way the City and Mayor deal with the tripartite organization that was put in charge of the Port Lands. If that isn't 'behind closed doors', what is it? John Campbell should NEVER have been surprised by ANY of this, if it wasn't 'behind closed doors'.
And, as for your casting aspersions on WT -- how in hell do they get reputable developers for East Bayfront and Parliament Quay? Obviously, by talking to them. But talking to them in an OPEN and RESPONSIBLE manner.
Marko, you're killing me trying to defend this end-around by the Fords...