Ford vs. Thomson: An International Woman’s Day Nightmare. 2 Weeks Later.

Mayoral candidates from 2010. From left to right: (front row) Rob Ford, Rocco Achampong, Sarah Thomson, John Pantalone, George Mammoliti, (back row) Keith Cole, Rocco Rossi, George Smitherman. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

International Woman’s Day (previous called International Working Woman’s Day, originating in 1909) was March 8th this year and the focus of the day ranged from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to celebrations for women’s economic, political and social achievements.  This day began as a Socialist political event, and in some countries it has morphed into a day for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, while in many countries, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner.

In Toronto, a very odd event came to light on this day, which may or may not have occurred, the previous night at an event for CJPAC.

Sarah Thomson, the editor of the Woman’s Post and who ran for the mayor’s office in 2010, claimed on both social media and in several interviews that Mayor Rob Ford grabbed her buttocks (“Grabbed my ass” were her exact words on the radio) while taking a photo with Ford at the event.  Ms. Thomson also said in an interview that Ford suggested to her that evening that she should have been in Florida with him because his wife was not there.

Ms. Thomson also posted a very unflattering picture of the Mayor on her Facebook page –  his eyes were closed and there was either a stain on his shirt or he was sweating a lot.

In a radio interview, she continued to pile on the accusations by suggesting that Ford was high on cocaine that night.  Apparently she Googled cocaine use and concluded that “…it’s, you know, sweaty, talking quickly, out of it, arrogant. Like all these things were on there.”

While Thomson has continued to stand by her allegations, she has also thrown her own allegation into doubt because she said, “I looked up the symptoms and it looked like it was cocaine use, it could have been anything like that, I’m not sure what it is. I’ve also read that diabetes could have some odd effects. I’m not sure what was wrong with him, but there was definitely something wrong with him that night.”  Oops.  Cocaine, diabetes… Well, he was “erratic” and “arrogant” that night so it might have been one of those.

When Thomson was asked if she’d ever taken cocaine herself, she said she didn’t know, as she spent time on the street in her youth.

But it gets even more odd from here…

Two councillors from Richmond Hill, who were at the event, were part of a crowd when Thomson allegedly was devising a plot to get a photo of the mayor’s hand on her assistant’s rear end.  She planned on using this ”evidence” to corroborate her story and she told the group it would be put to good use when she ran for Mayor again in 2014.

Thomson has ruled out pressing sexual assault charges against Ford; “It’s a big waste of time to go through the legal procedures,” Thomson said. “Now, I looked at it and I realized I had no proof.”

Thomson put herself at risk of being sued by making the public allegations against Ford.

The mayor had responded to her accusations on Friday in a written statement calling them “absolutely, completely false.”

Thomson responded to the mayor’s comments by saying that HE was trying to discredit HER.  “Decades ago powerful men who sexually assaulted women would call them ‘hysterical,’ or ‘crazy’ to debase their credibility,” Thomson said. “It pushed many assaulted women into silence…. He will not push me into silence and I hope his accusations do not re-ignite the old fears that once silenced women.”

Thomson went on to say, “I did not make these accusations lightly.”  And as for her hopes of one day being Mayor, she said the approach she took may not have been the best one; “I admit I did not handle the press perfectly.”

The problem here is not about he said vs she said, or is drawn along political lines.  It’s about a very serious allegation, made on a very important day and what the implications are if one of these parties is not telling the truth.  Since Ms. Thomson has in fact announced in public that she was sexually ‘assaulted’ by the Mayor of Toronto (in front of dozens of people no less) then I would think the police are duty-bound to investigate it to see if there are sufficient grounds for charges against the Mayor.

If it turns out however that this was just a politically motivated, vexatious, stunt by the publisher of a women’s-only magazine made purposely on the eve of International Women’s Day then of course SHE should be criminally charged with public mischief and making false accusations.

Criminal sexual assault is a very serious crime. Making public, false, allegations about it are equally so.

At the end of the day, this is very sad because either Sarah Thomson was assaulted by Rob Ford on the eve of International Woman’s Day, or Sarah Thomson was playing the victim and trying to set up the Mayor in order to further ruin his reputation and ultimately for her political gain.

Given the recent troubles Ford has had publicly under the attack of the left, a situation like this certainly causes people to question Ford’s ability to lead and make many people wonder if he is promoting a good image of Toronto for the rest of the world to see.  In light of the recent information revealed by Georgio Mammoliti we know the left have been targeting the reputations of right-wing politicians.

One of these two people made a horrible decision on the eve of International Woman’s Day.

Shame on him if it’s true and shame on her if it’s not.

Toronto City Council’s Secret Left-Wing Agenda Revealed!

Giorgio Mammoliti speaks to reporters (Photo credit: hyfen)

When Toronto City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti alleged he, Mayor Rob Ford and other “right-wing” councillors at Toronto City Hall have been victims of a “left-wing conspiracy”, everybody laughed.  When Mammoliti said that a preliminary investigation he has conducted has pointed to a group of people “out to do some damage, personal damage” to the right-wing councillors on City Council, people again laughed and thought Mammoliti was going crazy.

A former member of Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee, Mammoliti claimed that he has been followed by private citizens here in Toronto and that his home and office phones have been tapped.  He raised the question about just how badly do the left-wing councillors really want him, Ford and the other right-of-centre councillors out of office, replaced with the free-spending, union-loving, tax-the-rich, left-leaning council which almost brought Toronto into bankruptcy.  (Insert Olivia Chow here).

Mammoliti revealed that an investigation has pointed to a number of key suspects; city councillors, private citizens, lawyers in this city, who have united together to ruin the reputation of the right-wing candidates, force the public to sour on them and run them right out of office and we need to look no closer than the legal actions brought against Mayor Rob Ford by a private citizen – a very pro-NDP citizen, no less – which was handled pro-bono by another pro-left-wing lawyer in Toronto, Clayton Ruby.  This legal action resulted in the temporary removal of the Mayor from office and tarnished his reputation.  The citizen who was the front-man of this lawsuit and his lawyer were eagerly expecting the Mayor to cover the court costs, around $150,000.00, however, upon winning the appeal Ford had gone to the court to ask his costs be covered by this duo.  They in turn have asked Ford to cover the costs by taking the money from the taxpayers of Toronto, stating the individual who brought the case against Ford does not have those kinds of funds.

Oops.

We’re also waiting to see if lawyer Clayton Ruby is going to follow through on his pledge to waste more taxpayers money and take the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.  This case is that important but it’s not going to challenge the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is it??

So what do you make of this conspiracy?

Following this failed attempt to remove Ford from office, came an audit of his 2010 election funding in which Ford over-spent by $40,000.00.  Yes, he kept very detailed books and records and the auditor was impressed by that, and yes there was no further action against him, but I’m sure every single Councillor would be in contravention of the Elections Act if scrutinized by audit.  Where are the other audits of team lefty?  Oh, yeah.  Not in Toronto.

Did you know Mammoliti is also up against the same audit?

What about the audit of George Smitherman when he ran for Mayor?  He promised to reveal who donated to him campaign but never did.  Something to hide, maybe?

So let’s move on to the conspiracy…

When Mayor Ford announced (for probably the 50th time) that he was seeking right-leaning (fiscally Conservative) citizens to run in the next election, in order to get better traction on some of his ideas to reel in spending, cut costs and reduce duplication of services, the cries from the left were deafening.  I think the most critical of them all, Adam Vaughan, wanted to haul Ford before some panel or committee or something, yet again, to be slapped on the wrist.  Apparently it’s in bad taste to say it, but it’s okay to skulk around with your left-wing colleagues to find ways to overthrow the Mayor.

Mammoliti mentioned specific knowledge of secret meetings of left-wing councillors and their “inner circle” with their plans to run the “righties” out of City Hall and that… Well, that is okay.

So as the crack researcher that I pretend to be, I have uncovered their plans and compiled a list of the top thirteen items on the secret agenda of these left-wing councillors.

13. Hire unionized workers at $85.00/hour to remove all the doors at City Hall which open to the right and re-hang them so they open on the left.

12. Re-name any streets in the Greater Toronto Area which bear the name “Ford” to “Fraud”.

11. Create their own newspaper aimed at reporting items supported by the left and trashing any thoughts or suggestions by the right. Oops, that one was done already in triplicate; Toronto Star, NOW magazine and the Grid.

10.  Move to teach children left-wing socialist views at schools and institutions of higher-learning.  Oops.  That already happens too…

9.   Remove the term “Right of Way” from the Highway Traffic Act and replace it with “Wrong Way”.

8.   Pressure Ford Canada to rename its Canadian operations and to give its unionized workforce the credit they deserve, so all cars coming from their factories will cost $350,000.00 each, but a wealth tax on the rich will bring the price down to $45,000.00.

7.   Bringing in a fat tax aimed to penalize fat people, especially ones who take office and do not lose weight like David Miller did.

6.   Ban football in Toronto.

5.   After sending that CBC “comic” Marg whatever her name is to harass Ford on his driveway, the lefties are lining up more characters to disrupt Ford’s personal life including; Doink the Clown, David Suziki, ummm, other famous left-wing Canadiens like Brandon Prust, Max Pacioretty and Travis Moen, and the gravy train and a few others…  If they’re smart, however, they will stay out of Ford’s backyard.

4.    Toronto will implement a new wealth tax on all citizens making more than $65,000.00 a year (politicians exempted) and the new tax will be call the “Open your Wallet” tax whereby those rich bastards – damn them for getting educated and working hard to earn money and pay taxes – will pay to ensure that Toronto’s lowest class are able to move into Forest Hill or the Bridle Path like everyone else.

3.   Shows like AM640, SunTV and the like will come with disclaimers warning the risks associated with their dangerous, fiscally conservative views.

2.   Left-wing media will post unflattering pictures of Ford everywhere, including putting his head on top of a naked body in order to… Well, I don’t know why they did that actually…

1.   The number one thing that the secret left-wing group will do is to continue to pester and harass all the right-wing candidates in Toronto, in Ontario and in Canada and turn all the moderates into fiscally Conservatives resulting in right-wing political leaders at all three levels of government for a long time.  This secret operative will forever be known as Operation backfire.

In addition, there will be many new jokes as a result of this secret plan, such as; “How many socialist, left-wing people does it to take down Mayor Rob Ford?”  Answer:  We’re not sure yet.

Related articles

• Did Toronto Star reporter Royson James just call me a Simpleton?!? (urbandaddy.wordpress.com)
• Councillor calls for investigation into Rob Ford’s football charity, again (macleans.ca)
• Councillor Mammoliti probing secret plot (thestar.com)

Did Toronto Star reporter Royson James just call me a Simpleton?!?

Whenever I see articles that come from the Toronto Star which relate to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, I cannot resist the temptation to read through them – not to see what the Star has to say, but more to see how the Star spins it to show the Mayor in a negative light.  Clearly still upset that Ford will not speak with them because of their pro-George Smitherman, anti-Rob Ford stance in which they tried to promote Smitherman for teh top post in the city even though the Pronvicial Ministry he oversaw wasted a BILLION dollars of taxpayer’s money.  Since that time, The Star just keeps finding ways to alienate readers through their opinions on Toronto City Council and the Mayor.

But, the article that came out on February 14th was a classic, even for the Star!

In this article (and I noticed there was nowhere to leave comments), author Royson James takes three pot shots.  One at Mayor Ford, one at voters in the City of Toronto and one at those of us who are fiscally conservative.  I could not believe my eyes.  I actually reread the article 3 times.

The Title of this article is; “Ford’s ‘mandate’ not what it appears – Most voters neither expect nor want Rob Ford’s campaign pledges to be fully fulfilled.”

How could I not read on…

Shot number one comes in the first paragraph, here; “Torontonians left no doubt that they wanted Rob Ford as their mayor when 383,501 of them — 47 per cent of those who voted — chose him to lead the city in 2010.”  47%, eh?  So 53% didn’t want Ford is what I am reading here and why that is important to point out, I don’t know other than to make the point that there was not a clear mandate from the citizens in Toronto to have Ford there, or to point out to voters that if 53% vote for a certain candidate in the next election, Ford will not be re-elected.  Either way, not so important in this article but worth noting.

Shot number two comes in this sentence; “Except for a few simpletons and wilfully blind acolytes who consider grants to cultural and community groups a waste of tax dollars, few drank the Kool-Aid. Most citizens liked the rhetoric. Few expected he could carry out his threats. City council wouldn’t allow it.”

I’m sure Royson didn’t mean to imply that by “drinking the Kool-Aid” that people were just following a leader blindly to death as referenced in the Urban Dictionary; A reference to the 1978 cult mass-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.  Jim Jones, the leader of the group, convinced his followers to move to Jonestown and then late in the year ordered his flock to commit suicide by drinking grape-flavoured Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide.  In what is now commonly called “the Jonestown Massacre”, 913 of the 1100 Jonestown residents drank the Kool-Aid and died.  One lasting legacy of the Jonestown tragedy is the saying, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”  This has come to mean, “Don’t trust any group you find to be a little on the kooky side.” or “Whatever they tell you, don’t believe it too strongly”.

Even more interesting is the use of the term “Simpleton”, because only a “simpleton” would consider grants to cultural and community groups a waste of tax dollars – well, I guess we need to re-define simpleton for Mr. James, because this simpleton (armed with a MBA) - and probably many of the 47% who voted for a stop to the “Gravy-train” have plenty of issues dismissing that any funding – even to community groups and cultural organizations –  is not being duplicated through another part of government or to assume that 100% of any funding – no matter to whom and for what - is used for what it was requested for, or that these organization need to be funded by the taxpayers of Toronto at all.

To wave a hand and insult any fiscally conservative person in the Greater Toronto Area is not only insulting but a little short-sighted unless Mr. James knows for a fact where each dollar of grant money goes and that each and every cent is being used according to plan.  Or maybe Mr. James prefers that those in the city who earn the most money simply keep their wallets open for the local government to use as their bank account whenever they need money or want to sue someone to prove a point.  This narrow-minded left-wing attitude in the City has to be stopped.  If the City spent more time performing checks and balances on where the money goes when it leaves City Hall and less time looking to see how it comes in (ahem: $3500 donation to a football team), our taxes would not be so high, our streets and infrastructure would not be crumbling and City Council might work better.

I mean when you write this; “For one, the mayor’s promises of cuts to government spending rested on the shaky ground of no service cuts. Ford has cut some services, so the foundation of the promise and mandate is fractured” and don’t or cannot name the service cuts (if there were any at all), then you are eluding to something which may not be there, maybe so the “simpletons” who read your articles will think Ford is a fraud.

So no matter how much the Toronto Star tries to justify the agenda of the left, or promote their own agenda at City Hall, they have to realize that by making comments like this, “If citizens expect the mayor to do the best he can to achieve his campaign promises — not necessarily achieve them 100 per cent — then the same citizens expect city councillors to save the mayor from doing outrageous things.  Apparently, at city hall, the mayor’s mandate is not sacrosanct; it’s as flexible as the mayor’s ability to convince and win over city council with sound arguments and compromise.”  When in actual fact, citizens want the councillors to not “save” Ford, but “Support” Ford.  The Mayor will not be able to work with Council not because he’s a brute, or a bully, but because the majority of Councillors on Council have fundamental differences in opinion as to how they personally feel about the role of government and are unable (or unwilling) to cast that aside and work on a truly non-partisan council.

Did you know, Mr. James that before the election, I reached out to my City Councillor, Joe Mihevc and asked him on the phone and then again in an email if he would support Rob Ford as Mayor of Toronto, if Ford was elected, because if he said yes, he would get my vote as councillor.  If Mr. Mihevc said no, then my vote would be directed elsewhere.  Mr. Mihevc was adamant that he would support Ford as Mayor and work with whomever was chosen to represent us, his constituents, blah, blah, blah.  Then the moment Ford was elected, there is Mr. Mihevc blathering about what a poor choice it was and how he would need to keep Ford in check and now 2-years later, each newsletter.

Here was Mihevc even before the election; “it is absolutely imperative that I/we do everything possible to stop Rob Ford from becoming mayor. This is a powerful driver for me. Rob Ford and his associates would destroy so much that we value about our city – its diversity, animated neighbourhoods, care for the newcomers and the poor, our quality of life. Very simply, and without getting too personal, I have watched him for the last 10 years as a colleague on Council, and Rob does not have the skill set required to lead a complex city hall and its agencies. Simple one-liners, an angry persona, a divisive disposition is not leadership and will only hurt Toronto.  Under Rob Ford, City Council will not function, our city agencies will be in disarray, economic development will be hurt and our city will suffer in many ways.”

Short of predicting that a Ford win would topple the CN Tower, maybe Mihevc was worried that a right-wing council would question how a $42-million dollar St.Clair traffic right-of-way turns into $142 million dollar driving disaster.  Say what you will about St. Clair – pro or con – but to drive it is a fiasco and with parking already at a premium they’ve done a great job to ensure that those outside the strip find other streets to shop along because of the headaches involved in waiting in long-lines or making left-turns.  Expecting residents to use public transit because you think they should is not the mandate of Council, and if they really cared about moving people quickly in cars, on foot, through transit and on bikes, they would build subways already, open up the road and add dedicated bike lanes and enforce rules for cyclists.

I’ve called him on it and will continue to call him on it because my ward does not deserve to be represented by someone who will tell you one thing to get elected, then another once in power.  All along, Ford said what he was going to do, and every day in office, the left find ways to hold up council, make Ford look bad and slow down the proceedings at City Hall.  Hello… Bag tax?!?

I digress.

So before the Star calls out the citizens of Toronto for their support of Ford keep in mind that the 47% who voted for Ford want AND expect him to cut waste in government, and reduce the red tape, and where red tape should not exist, make that go away too.  If City Council does not want to get in line and follow – if they want to go more than 3-times over budget and try to explain it away on additional hidden repairs – then that tells me that they either have no idea how to plan through a project from start to finish or that they just don’t give a damn about taxpayers money and they will continue to spend, then raise taxes and blame it away on Ford’s inability to run council, or on his weight, either one.

I’m sorry, Mr. James, but I cannot and will not support a councillor, or council, who disrespects and takes for granted my tax dollars, any longer.  I trust you understand this simpleton and understand that for all the negatives that come with Mayor Ford, the positives far outweigh them (pun intended).

P.S. I have actually used big words like ”Sacrosanct” before (Regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.  Holy.)

Shucks.

I’m such a simpleton.

Related articles

• James: Toronto politics ramp up some more as Smitherman and Thomson reappear (thestar.com)

Keep the Champagne on Ice, lefties, The Rob Ford Saga is not over yet.

Toronto City Council Chambers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As soon as I heard that a judge had ruled that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was found guilty of violating the Municipal Conflict Of Interest Act and ordered to be removed from office in 14 days, I knew that lefties in Toronto and on Toronto Council were in celebration mode.  I also knew that my Facebook page and blog were going to be quite popular with the “I told you so” comments.

I was correct.  Not only were there plenty of comments about the situation and questions about what happens next, but thrown in were the regular attacks on Ford for being; fat, boorish, dumb, uncultured, uneducated, balding and ignorant.  Whew.  Such attacks for a man who was voted in as Mayor or Toronto and was removed over $3100 which he never received but which went to an organization which helps children.  I guarantee no-one in Toronto would have ever done this to previous Mayor David Miller.  Never.

Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler, the man who brought Paul Magder and Clayton Ruby together to bring down Ford in this conflict-of-interest court battle is a labour relations specialist for the association representing Ontario civil servants claims.  On his Twitter feed he states that he is a “non-profit exec” and “an advocate for strong communities and accountable government”.

Chaleff-Freudenthaler was a regular fixture around City Hall when David Miller was in power and he was a part of Olivia Chow’s Toronto Youth Cabinet.  As a union-employee and given Ford’s anti-union attitudes in Toronto (TTC, garbage collection, employees, etc) it’s no surprise that this played out the way it did.

You can read the entirety of the judge’s decision here.

The decision created an uncertain situation at Toronto City Hall.  Next steps will depend on the success of the Ford’s appeal and, if successful, the length of the ensuing court process.  If his appeal is not granted or is unsuccessful, Toronto City Council will either call a by-election or name someone as the interim Mayor for the duration of the term.  Already posturing for this interim role is the left-wing hope, Adam Vaughan, who speaks very well, rarely raises his voice, asks great questions and is slowly selling out the downtown core that is his ward to developers.

Even my left-leaning City Councillor, Joe Mihevc couldn’t hold back the giggles as he stated “Justice was done. There is not a law for people with power and those who don’t have power–it’s the same law. If you are the mayor of this city you have to respect conflict of interest legislation.”  Bad for Toronto, but great for the left-wing block in a non-partisan municipal government.

As Mayor, Ford provided the city with much less leadership than many had expected from him, instead finding him caught up in left vs. right politics and picking fights with anyone who dared to question or delay his clear vision on how Toronto should be run.  Granted, there were many on council like my own councillor Joe Mihevc who were ready for fighting from the day Ford was named Mayor.  With a council stacked with left-wing councillors, and the Toronto Star peeking in his backyard, Ford could do not right and the lefties attacked like never before.  Ford is too fat, he didn’t lose enough weight, he was not smart enough, he spent too much time on football, he was too tight with his brother… The list is seemingly endless and the public attacks on Ford were justified again and again by folks in downtown Toronto who Ford called “Commie Pinkos” and they felt that Ford discredited the city by being mayor, something I never understood.

Look at the alternative in the past election, George Smitherman.  Fresh off blowing $1 billion dollars of taxpayers money as deputy premier and former Minister of Health, the eHealth fiasco was the tip of the iceberg for the Ontario Liberal Party, yet somehow those in downtown Toronto felt Smitherman would be a better choice that Ford.  Maybe they could look past the horrid fiscal mismanagement and lack of apparent leadership but most Torontonians could not.  Smitherman as Mayor would mean tax, upon tax, upon tax.  Toronto would be bankrupt, but Smitherman would look good, eh?

Personally, I never found Ford to be the Mayor-type.  I recall his drunken outburst at a Leafs game quite a while back and I know he’s had some issues both personally and professionally, but Toronto was facing a major cash-crunch, property tax increases of 3% a year were the easy solution for the previous Mayor David Miller and a fiscal conservative was needed to get the books in order.   With no other choices, Toronto selected the one who pledged to “respect taxpayers” and Ford was brought to power.

Rough, crude, abrasive and brutish, Ford fought with everyone not because his views were unpopular, but because every decision he made was so heavily scrutinized in the left-leaning media that he was forced to defend each issue which he did a poor job of.  It got so out of control that even author Margaret Atwood was brought into the fray when Ford said that he was looking for “gravy” – or areas where he could reduce expenses by closing or selling off assets that the City owned or operated that he felt the City should not be responsible for.

Was it wrong to look at parts of the City where there were libraries very close to each other and suggest that one be closed and the other used instead?  Absolutely not, unless you’re a right-wing politician, then you are deemed to be anti-literature and next thing you know there are polls showing that Ms. Atwood would be a better choice for mayor.  That public outcry on this issue was embarrassing to the City.  The thought that a professional author could run a city was as asinine as suggesting that a councillor could write best-selling novels, yet the downtown Toronto folks lapped it up.

Was it wrong for Ford to contract out garbage pick-up in order to save money?  Not at all, and because this has also turned into a major service upgrade, no one complains.  How about contracting out the cleaning of TTC buses?  Another Ford suggestion which was faced with fire from unions only because they know that if taxpayers knew the TTC paid their unionized workers upwards of $80.00 and hour to clean only 2-buses on their shift, there would be an outcry.  Contracting this out may go against the unions but the cost-savings would be huge.

And was Ford wrong to suggest that Toronto needs subways, not LRT’s?  Again, no.  Toronto wants to be a world-class city but at the current pace and costs we’ll never see coverage of this expanding city in our lifetime.  Unionized workers are too expensive and take too long and Toronto cannot afford it, and Ontario blew all their money on stupid decisions not called eHealth but might be related to powerplants and buying elections so they cannot contribute.  Things were moving forward until Karen Stintz stepped in the way, drawing the ire of the Ford brothers and forcing on Toronto what they do not want.

It’s been a challenge for Ford, that’s no lie, and he’s played right into the hands of those who don’t want him there.  Instead of hiring people to act as buffers he preferred to lead as he always had as a long-serving councillor and that meant some bumps in the road, gaffs, and lots of photo-ops of him with a double chin and naked in a Toronto magazine that I will not mention here.

At the end of the day, no matter who the mayor of Toronto is, the left vs. right conflict has to come to an end.  Councillors are supposed to be non-partisan and should be serving their constituents and finding ways to expand transit, reduce gridlock, keep neighbourhoods safe, while preserving the history of the city and not wasting the taxpayers hard-earned money.  Our city should not be divided for political purposes between left-wing and right-wing or by downtown vs the suburbs.  We are all residents of Toronto and no matter where you live you should be able to receive answers to your questions and see progress in making this city more accessible and not wasting your tax dollars.

As an aside, see what punishment other Canadian Mayors in conflicts of interest situations received, here;

Related articles

• CHARLES ADLER – Dark day for democracy in Toronto (sunnewsnetwork.ca)
• Why Toronto’s left shouldn’t over-celebrate Mayor Rob Ford’s removal (o.canada.com)
• Blatchford: Behind the people who brought down Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (canada.com)

So how then, do we clean up this mess?

Boy, am I frustrated. I see tweets, status updates and posts on Facebook from all these really smart people – much smarter than me – who have all the solutions for how to handle Toronto’s almost $800 million dollar budget shortfall.

The common theme: Ignore it. David Miller ignored it and he’s a lawyer. He’s smart. He probably even goes into libraries. GASP. Rob Ford is fat. Him and his brother don’t use libraries. Therefore they don’t know what they are talking about.

David Miller was a New Democrat in every sense of the word. Rob Ford is (shame) Conservative. Ford runs a business and wants to run Toronto like a business. Toronto is NOT a business cries the left. Toronto is our city. Toronto is also our city that is going bankrupt because it does not have enough money to meet its current obligations.

Toronto needs to balance its books. Most in this city would agree. However the way to balance the books differs greatly across the spectrum. The view from the left is to not touch social programs and keep that spending set, but make up the difference by taxing the “wealthy”. Let those SOB’s pay! Good for nothing rich folks. The right, however, want to look at what the City is really responsible for, and trim some of the fat associated with the city’s duties. Do we need 32 librarians making over $100,000/year? Probably not.

I feel the biggest issue here is that people from the left think that Mayor Ford wants to cut, cut, cut and that once all the social programs are cut there will be nothing left for the poor, but that could not be further from the truth. What the Mayor as said repeatedly – however maybe not clear enough – is that the City needs to look at what the city offers first and foremost to see if the city needs to be in that line of business.

Should the city be funding parades? Should the city be contributing money for festivals? How about checking into city run organizations to make sure that there is enough work for the staff to do and that all the positions are needed. Not only is that fiscally responsible but it is morally responsible for this Mayor’s office and city council to do these checks and balances since the majority of the funding they get is from taxes of you and of me.

And as for the fact that there seems to be some sort of tie in between the “rich” and “conservatism”, it might have something to do with the fact that those who have more money pay more taxes. End of story. Sure they may pay less income tax than others, but property taxes are huge and growing and then there are all the additional consumption taxes that are being gathered from this class of Torontonian. To piss them off could mean a sudden mass move from Toronto to surrounding areas and their tax dollars too.

Surely even those on the left who want equality among all citizens even can admit that having wealthy and ultra-wealthy in the city is a boon for the rest of us as their taxes go a long way to keeping this city moving.

So I have clearly given a lot of thought to the predicament the City of Toronto is in, and I look around the world at countries in deep financial hardship like Greece – due to their unions and retirement at 52 years old – and Iceland, and all the countries seeking bailouts, then I look south of our border to the US where there is a deep divide between the democrats and republicans over how to get the US out of trouble and I worry.

I worry that in Toronto we are going to get caught up in the troubles they have in the US and that is going to delay out way out of this crisis and eventually push it on to our children and their children.

I think socialists, liberals and conservatives alike can all agree that there are few viable options aside from either cutting spending or increasing revenues.

Every time Toronto’s mayor, Rob Ford announces he is looking at ways to cut expenditures, he has always said that; “Toronto does not have a revenue problem”, at which point, up pop the socialists who demand that he not cut anything that they like. They say no to libraries, zoo’s, farms, the TTC, programs, grants… the whole lot. As a matter of fact, I have not heard one viable way to get out of this mess from any of my friends on the left.

I wonder if in 1974 when Riverdale Farm was closed for almost 5 years, if residents blamed the mayor and said that the local government was chasing away tourism or taking the “culture out of Toronto”. I happen to think that the 1.8 million visitors to Riverdale might be better to turn their tourism dollars over to the Toronto Zoo which desperately needs funds too, or is that thinking too far forward? Does the City even need to run the Toronto Zoo? Does the City of Vaughan run Canada’s Wonderland? No, it’s run by private interests. Paramount Canada’s Wonderland, I believe.

Yes there are more Tim Horton’s than Libraries in Councillor Doug Ford’s ward, but there are 3 within a few blocks of each other and that seems like a waste. I know on Avenue Road, there were 3 TD Banks within 3 blocks of each other and fast forward a year later, now there is one amazing state of the art branch and the other 2 locations were sold off and taken as a huge profit to the bank. Why can’t the city do this without getting flack for wanting to destroy the culture of the city. He’s not closing ALL the libraries… He’s consolidating them and putting the city in a better position to upgrade the remaining ones.

My point… Even though some things are done a certain way, it doesn’t make it right. Would you consider moving to a new house without selling your old one? No, because it doesn’t make sense, so keeping old outdated libraries just because Margaret Atwood thinks it is important – as an author – doesn’t mean it makes sense.

I think it’s time we, as Torontonians take her words and the words of others for what they are… Opinions of interest groups. Atwood has an interest in libraries as an author – probably not the same interest she has in selling her books, but she has a cause. As a staunch supporter of the NDP and their policies, it is her requirement to stir the pot at City Hall in order to make the Ford’s look goofy. Much in the same way other interest groups have stepped forward to gain support for their causes. I would never consider Atwood for the mayor of this city, much in the same way I would not look to the Ford’s to write children’s books.

Can anyone truly stand back and watch something they believe in or like be cut for the betterment of all of society? Heck no. I think if Atwood took a step back and realized the dire straights the city’s financial records are in she would give a second thought to all options for reducing expenses and if she has a better solution that cutting waste, then let’s hear it.

I, for one, as a conservative, think that putting our head in the sand and hoping this goes away is the worst approach to take and I do object to increased taxes because I already pay a lot, but if after exhausting all means for cutting expenses, increasing my taxes for a short-term to make ends meet is the only way to balance the books, then sign me up and fast.

As a citizen of Toronto who has participated in this process by being involved in residents groups, considered running for city councilor and helps my community in any way needed, I just want to know that the current mayor has looked under every rock for ways to save money before coming to me for more taxes. Yes, I do pay more because I choose to live in a bigger house in a nicer neighbourhood, and that is my choice. Paying additional taxes to keep 3 libraries open 3 blocks from each other is wasteful and I wouldn’t waste that kind of money personally, nor would I expect my staff or my employer to accept that kind of waste, so why would I tolerate that from the City that I live in.

So my message to you, mayor Ford, is to keep finding ways to save the city money, keep those programs open and keep helping others. If after all your work you still need some additional tax money from me, I will gladly pay it and consider it money well spent, helping those less fortunate.

It’s a welcome change from the previous left-leaning governments who spend, spend and spend without a substantial plan on how to pay for everything.

The last thing we need right now are special interest groups gathering resources to protect their own interests and not look at the big picture. We are one city. One large city in deep financial crisis. If we take the Atwood approach: She had this to say in the Toronto Star; “Expressing contempt for creative people turns people away from Toronto as a venue, and that’s a pretty serious consideration. If you’re thinking of having a convention, you’re thinking of having a concert, you’re thinking of going to a festival, and that’s the attitude? Why wouldn’t you spend your dollars somewhere else.” So she takes the attitude that if getting finances in order means touching anything “cultural” then stay away from Toronto. So she really does not like Toronto if she is that closed minded to want to damage the city she weeks ago cared so deeply for.

“You start with tossing off latte drinkers, gay Pride and bicycle riders and me, what’s the message? The message is: ‘We don’t want you people here.’ I’m sure Hamilton or Burlington or Oshawa would be very happy if some of those festivals and conventions moved there. Why shouldn’t I spend my creative dollar in New York if I’m not welcome in Toronto?” Does she really take herself that seriously that she thinks people are going to stop spending their money in Toronto because a Councillor doesn’t know who she is? Really, Margaret? Does she also think that all the large corporations and organizations in Toronto are going to pick up their people and ship them to Oshawa or Guelph because the City of Toronto wants to cut waste? That has to be the dumbest comment I have ever heard. No wonder the Star carried this story.

Maybe there is a bit of irony in the fact that Ford, as Toronto mayor wants to stop funding non-core items, yet Atwood who has become an opponent to the mayor’s office was busy writing, “in the woods, without electricity,” last week when this all stated. She wasn’t even in the city! So who is she speaking for? The downtown elite, or herself?

I think every time I see someone criticize the mayor’s office for being thorough investigating ways to save money in the city and for looking at core business services they are cutting off their noses in spite of their faces. Is it really so bad that they want to balance the books now… For good, so that your children and your children’s children won’t be saddled with your debt and our parents debt wondering why we didn’t do anything when we had the chance.

I suspect if this was left to fester again, in Miller-like fashion, future generations will be calling us the greedy generation – too caught up in our own self interests to help others.

Where are the Rob Ford haters now?

As 2011 rolls along (project 365, as someone called it) I’m wondering where all the Rob Ford haters are right now. They sure have been quiet since the kerfuffle over Don Cherry calling them “pinkos”. I hope they were not actually offended?!?

I gather they are quiet because since Ford took power he has;

Made the TTC an essential service.
Put Councillor (future mayor and my old City Councillor) Karen Stintz in charge of the TTC
Removed the $60.00 “fee” (I prefer to call it a tax) on registering a vehicle in Toronto
Moving to remove the Land Transfer Tax
Announced he is moving to remove the bag tax of $0.05 for plastic bags purchased in Toronto (if council wants to)
Stopped sending our garbage to Michigan.
Cut Councillors expense accounts from $52,000 a year to $30,000 a year(the taxpayers money councillors spend on stuff)

And he announced that he is not anti-bike and will be unveiling more and safer bike routes for the biking community in Toronto.
He is not done considering a light-rail / subway for Eglinton connecting Scarborough to the airport
and his resolution for 2011 is to lose sme weight.

Not bad.
Saving us taxpayers some money and removing stupid hidden taxes put in place by David Miller.
How awful of him…
I remember the night of his election people tweeting that they were going to move out of Toronto because this was going to destroy the city… Yup.

So I’m going to take a moment and put on my left-wing hat, and figure out how I would reply to this post.
I would probably reply with this comment, saving you all the time to have to type it for yourself;

“Yes Urban Daddy, you right-wing capitalist bastard, he’s cutting taxes but how is he going to pay for services? I’ll tell you… He’s going to cut services and apply userfees!”

Well, Lefties (and I am left-handed so do be offended) I would like present this case in my defense of not wanting to tax the rich to give to the poor… Your hero, David Miller put in place all these taxes and fees because he wanted to point out how poorly the previous mayor treated the city and to pay for all his giving to make every Torontonion equal… Then upon stepping down from being mayor, in order to preserve his “legacy” he announced that he left the city better than it was when he took over, with a surplus! Pardon me.
surplus would mean his additional taxes needed to run the city were either a cruel joke or a huge miscalculation of the debits and credits at City Hall.

That’s like me running a free swimming pool, then suddenly charging users $10.00 a visit because without it the pool will have to close, then after doing this for 5 years saying, Look everyone, I have $2 million extra dollars in the bank”… Not nice!

So I for one am happy that for dinner last night there was no gravy. Staying away from that stuff can help me shed some pounds… That and not wearing pink!

BEAUTY!

Say it aint so, Joe. City Councillor Joe Mihevc Tells me who NOT to Vote For.

Not too long ago we moved.

We moved into a better area – for us – with younger families, lots of parks and programs, and mainly to be within walking distance to my son’s school (this year, and both boys school next year). We moved to our 15 year house.

An important part of this move, for me, included finding some new volunteer activities within my community to take part in.  My new City Councillor, Joe Mihevc, from all that I could see and heard, had been doing an awesome job. There is plenty to like in this ward – at least in my part.

So with an election coming, voting for Joe really was the only choice.  I looked at all the good in this ward, and that there appeared to be an acceptable, qualified candidate, and Joe was a shoe-in.

But not every Councillor is perfect, so I started asking my neighbours what they thought about Joe’s work in our community and I was hearing things about delays in getting things done, that he pays too much attention to the south side of the ward, that the streetcar right-of-way cost $100 million istead of $20 million, and I was able to make a determination.  Joe was good for my ward.   I reached out to Joe and was overwhelmed with the response time and information I received from him and from his office, and I look around my piece of the ward and it looks pretty special to me, so I’m not sure where the negative buzz is coming from.

In the back of my mind, I really wanted to reach out to Joe and find out if he would work with Rob Ford, who I will be supporting as Mayor of Toronto, but I also did not for fear of what Mihevc might have to say.

So I decided to not ask that question, and vote for Joe in a couple weeks…

That was until today…

Today, I received this email from Mihevc.

Please read it.

 To me, it says that if Rob Ford is Mayor I (Joe) will not be able to work with him.

This disappoints me greatly.  Now I want to ask Joe if he intends on stepping down if he wins as does Ford?  or will he continue to support us, the constituents in his ward who also voted for a right-wing, get stuff done, stop wasting my money mayor. Aside from advising everyone to not vote for Joe Pantalone (David Miller II) I get a negative feel from this email – intended or not – and that is going to make me reconsider my position.

Say it ain’t so Joe… Why? Why? Why?

So here is what he sent…

“Dear friends and neighbours,

Over the past several months, I have had countless conversations in various settings with folks around the issue of the next mayor of the City of Toronto. I can tell you that I have struggled deeply with this question. I have committed to residents in Ward 21 that I would make a decision around who I will be endorsing for mayor before Thanksgiving. Now that the advance polls are open, I feel today is an appropriate time to announce my decision. I hope my decision will provide some food for thought for those of you who are also struggling with this question.

From my point of view, it is absolutely imperative that I/we do everything possible to stop Rob Ford from becoming mayor. This is a powerful driver for me. Rob Ford and his associates would destroy so much that we value about our city – its diversity, animated neighbourhoods, care for the newcomers and the poor, our quality of life. Very simply, and without getting too personal, I have watched him for the last 10 years as a colleague on Council, and Rob does not have the skill set required to lead a complex city hall and its agencies. Simple one-liners, an angry persona, a divisive disposition is not leadership and will only hurt Toronto. Under Rob Ford, City Council will not function, our city agencies will be in disarray, economic development will be hurt and our city will suffer in many ways.

I know some residents are supporting Joe Pantalone. I do feel that Joe would make a fine mayor and that he has the skills, smarts, and experience to lead the city. The stars, however, have not aligned for Joe as revealed in the polls. Given the strength of Rob Ford in the same polls, and given the need to have all hands on deck to defeat him, I believe that this is a time for Torontonians to rally around a single candidate who has the best chance of defeating Ford. Joe Pantalone’s standing in the polls requires us to look elsewhere. To say this frankly is very difficult for me as I have known and worked with Joe for 20 years and can affirm that he is a person of integrity and that his work has really built the city. It is not Joe’s moment right now and he is not in a position to defeat Ford. Thus people of good will who are committed to community values have to speak up and act in a very pragmatic way.

I have known George Smitherman for over a decade and do believe that he has the skill set needed to make a good mayor. Further and key to my position, he is in the best position to win. In endorsing George, I am not endorsing everything in his platform, though there are many pieces of his platform (around public transit expansion, commitment to the arts, commitment to neighbourhoods, support for community groups, economic development and support for environmental initiatives) that I find attractive. I believe that Council will be able to work with George, agreeing on many issues and disagreeing where appropriate. He will need a good Council to work with him, and an active citizenry to build the city. I am open to that work. I have spoken to George personally in preparation for my endorsement and am convinced that he has the city’s best interests at heart.

I make this endorsement with the best interests of our community, Ward 21, and of our city in my heart and mind.
Sincerely,

Joe Mihevc
http://www.joemihevc.ca”;

Well there is always Beth Mclellan;

https://kscheuer.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/beth-mclellan-ward-21-candidate/

Or, Peter Nolan is the Rob Ford endorsed candidate.  http://votepeternolan.ca/my-issues

Or even Shimmy Posen…

Basically Joe, everyone can be replaced…

Why Joe, Why?

Still on politics: 10 Reasons to Vote for Rob Ford for Mayor of Toronto

I’ve been challenged by those leaning to the left (maybe a little too far to the left to make a difference) and those standing in the centre to give them 10 good reasons why I am voting for the right-leaning Fiscally Conservative, Rob Ford, for Mayor of Toronto on October 25, 2010. 

Here is my list: 

10. Once elected, Ford pledges to cut waste at City Hall, and that means no councillors will be given free passes to anything, or free parking or free TTC passes…  I know even those on the left can feel my frustration when reports come out that councillors without cars were passing off their free parking pass to others. 

9.  Reduce spending – It makes sense after cutting waste, to reduce spending.  This goes right in the face of George Smitherman’s campaign promises as this is a big part of Ford’s campaign.  He’s going to reduce spending on salaries, on unionized garbage workers, on building middle of the road streetcar only lanes that mess up streets.   

8. Eliminate the hated city vehicle registration tax – Toronto residents have to pay $60 every year to register their vehicle. It’s a cash grab that hits families hard.  Rob Ford will push to eliminate the Vehicle Registration Tax at the first City Council meeting after becoming Mayor.  Too bad I just renewed my vehicle for 2 years and paid $120.00 extra.   

7. Eliminate the land-transfer tax – This tax almost killed us when we bought and sold our house.  The land transfer tax on a million dollar house in Toronto costs the seller over $10,000.00.   

6. Garbage and other solid wastes must be collected on schedule, without fail. The strike during the summer of 2009 put the health of people and families in Toronto at risk.  Etobicoke, for example, uses contracted providers and saves the city $2 million each year. By adopting the same approach for the whole city, taxpayers will save about $20 million each year and can have the confidence their garbage collectors won’t go on unnecessary strikes. 

5. People and businesses in Toronto depend on the TTC to get them from home to work, or school. When the TTC isn’t running, the city grinds to a halt and commuters and businesses suffer. TTC service is essential and it must be designated this way in order to prevent costly strikes. 

4. For seven years, City Hall has tackled Gridlock by declaring war on cars in Toronto. Toronto has eliminated lanes from busy roadways, increased parking charges, ignored roadway repairs and generally made life miserable for drivers  

3. I often wondered why it takes my 20 minutes during rush hour to go north on Bathurst street considering all the lights should be synchronized, right  Well they’re not.  I no sooner leave on light and the next one is red… Very frustrating.  Once elected, Ford, will synchronize the city’s traffic signals to improve traffic flow.

2. We will keep and maintain our Expressways.  The Gardiner Expressway, Don Valley Parkway and Allen Road/Expressway will be maintained, without tolls, as key components of our transportation infrastructure. 

1. Build a comprehensive network of off-road paved, illuminated, bicycle trails with street lamps across the city.  In addition, 100 km of pedestrian paths alongside the bicycle trails.

 Not bad, eh?  But in case you are still not convinced, I have more reasons…

• Introduction of Smart Card technology for fare payment on TTC
• Streetcars are not the answer to Toronto’s transit needs – To attract drivers into transit, it must be comfortable, convenient, affordable, reliable and rapid. Streetcars are none of these things. Streetcars are slow (average speed: 17km/h) and take hours to travel across town. This limits your ability to live in one part of the city and work in another. Streetcar construction destroys streets and interrupts businesses. Streetcar lines down the centre of arterial roads increase gridlock and create pollution.
•  Hiring of 100 additional frontline police officers giving Toronto Police enough new officers to
  • Protect Children in Schools. 30 additional School Resource Officers will double the number of schools protected by this successful program. By introducing police officers to youth in a positive environment, students are less likely to take a negative view of police and more likely to seek help for issues before they reach a violent stage
  • Target Gangs, Guns & Violence in More Communities. 70 additional frontline officers will support an expansion of the successful Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) targeting gangs and violence in priority neighborhoods year-round.

Still not convinced?  Still can’t move past the way Ford looks?

Then let’s look at the very poor #2 choice, George Smitherman and his “plan” for Toronto.  

 George has a three-point plan to get Toronto working again:

1. Get City Hall’s books in order.  How?  Freeze taxes and hiring for one year.  Freeze spending for 100 days so he can review “every dollar the city spends”
2. Get Toronto moving again by expanding transit to every corner of our city, ensuring faster, round-the-clock road repairs and separating bikes from cars to improve safety for both.  How?  Where is this money going to come from?
3. Create jobs – especially for young people – by telling the world we’re open for business.  Really?  LOL.  Yikes!!! 

Even though George will not talk about the eHealth scandal – he has walked out of a debate when it came up – stating that he had nothing to do with that scandal.   So I guess as a deputy premier for the province of Ontario, he had no power to stop this from happening.  He does, however, say this; “I have the experience of being a senior cabinet minister – and have the scars to prove it. I know what it takes to run an organization as complex as the City of Toronto”. 

So how is George going to pay for all this?  It’s on his website.  Go see it for yourself.  But I have taken these figures right from his sight and made it nice and clear.

Revenue: 

$100 million from the province 

$100 million from the sale of Enwave 

$65 million from selling off “unused city land” 

$33 million from growth in property tax payers. 

So he’s going to sell of city assets and use property taxes to pay for his plan.  Hope you like paying $20,000 a year on property tax.

But George is going to find cost savings too… So what are in his plan?!?

Well, George is going to save $61 million by only re-hiring 2/3rds of city staff that  retire 

Save $50 million by spending less and;

Save $150 million by being smarter and buying all of Toronto’s items together, a la Rob Ford… 

So there are some might big assumptions here… One that the province is going to give the city $100 million dollars, and that there will be enough city assets left for George to sell to pay for his plan.  Once an asset is sold, it’s gone forever.

By this rate he’ll burn through the 1 billion that was wasted while he was deputy premier of Ontario in 4 years as Mayor of Toronto. 

But what about the re-hiring of only 2/3rds of retiring city staffers.  Well anyone involved in city politics knows that retiring city workers are at the top of their pay-scales and a majority of them are probably pulling in over $100K/year.   Basically Smitherman is going to rely on attrition and not rehire the 6% that retire each year, but he’ll re-hire the fat cats with their pensions and seniority.  Nice…

So what is this $100 million dollars Smitherman is going to net by selling Enwave?!?  Well the city of Toronto has a 43% stake in Enwave Energy Corp. and after 7 years of spend-first, tax the rich leadership, the city faces a budget shortfall of as much as $500 million.

“I am the only one that can stop Ford”

That was the quote from Toronto Mayoral candidate George Smitherman yesterday.

I stared at the headline, blinked a few times, then snapped back to reality.

Personally… I’d rather look at Rocco Rossi or Sarah Thompson or whatever her name is, than Smitherman. Nothing against the fact that he is gay – which I just found out yesterday (because last time I checked one’s sexual preference had zero to do with whether or not they could lead a city) but the ego this man has astounds me. I make that comment about him being gay to bring to light what I have noticed this campaign that I do not like at all. For some reason it is acceptable for all the candidates not names Rob Ford to comment on Rob’s weight, hairline, business (Deco Labels and Tags which I used to buy from out of University when I started my own promotional products business. That company was top notch and the service was incredible. I see where Ford gets it from. But back to my point. Each and every attack on Ford is person and seems to be accepted and encouraged. Why not stick to the facts? Transit, economy, budget, services… I think the more the “left” attack Ford, the more his legend grows.

I actually had a conversation with a friend who referred to Ford as a “fat slob”. My response was, “So? Since when do we elect representatives based on how they look, or who they sleep with?” This election in Toronto is about the facts. It’s about reducing wasteful spending of hard-earned tax dollars, both yours and mine.

And speaking about wasteful spending… Let’s go back to Smitherman…

I feel like shouting out loud to anyone who lives in Toronto and has a vote in this city.

GEORGE SMITHERMAN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 1 BILLION DOLLARS BEING WASTED IN THE eHEALTH SCANDAL.

I’m sorry. I cannot, and will not vote for this man. Rob Ford is winning because he vows to reel in the out-of-control spending of the left and try to bring the city back from the brink of bankruptcy. I cannot and will not elect someone who allowed 1 billion dollars, not 1 million, but 1 billion dollars of TAXPAYERS money to be wasted – yet he distances himself from it and refuses to acknowledge it.

Are we idiots, George?

Yet I hear this anti-Ford sentiment from people on the left who don’t like the way he looks or that he has had issues in the past at a hockey game, or with his wife and that is all true and on the record, but none of that affects his ability to lead the city, cut unnecessary spending and waste.

Here is the article from the Globe and Mail in which Smitherman essentially tells the candidates to step down so he can get all the vote and “stop” common sense from Toronto City Council.

Please…

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/city-votes/smitherman-vows-to-lead-anybody-but-ford-charge-in-toronto-mayoral-race/article1721005/

I just heard Smitherman on the radio talking about developing Toronto’s waterfront – how Rob Ford doesn’t want to – but Smitherman feels as Torontonians we need to… He just doesn’t get it, does he? I don’t want to pay $10,000.00 in property tax so that Cherry Beach will be a viable option for anyone and everyone to come swim at. I want fiscal restraint and once outlandish spending is under control, let’s talk about revamping Ontario Place, Exhibition grounds, and the waterfront…

George… In case you failed to notice, we’re in a recession and to tax residents more because you think Ontario Place is outdated is out of touch and irresponsible. It’s akin to, I don’t know, being on guard while 1 BILLION dollars gets wasted on eHealth, which for some unknown reason you refuse to discuss.

I’m glad the unions supported you today, George… Then I won’t feel bad when Mayor Ford outsources a lot of their work at 1/2 the cost.

I like public transit in the City – I take it and really feel that we missed the boat on building a world class system like they have in France, England, Spain, etc. But I also feel that the wages required to be paid to unionized workers is the reason it would cost billions of dollars to build and would take 3 years to complete.

I also think that they has to be some sacrifices before transit is to be built. I don’t care if there is a TTC museum @ York Mills and Yonge Street, but I do want to see more subways all over the city to move people. I think St.Clair’s centre streetcar right-of-way was a huge mistake and I hope they have somewhere to move all the concrete when they rip it up and build a St. Clair subway line.

I just hope people vote with their brains and not with their eyes come the election. And please do not be afraid to send a message to all the current city councillors who have allowed this stagnation to occur under their watch. They are just as bad as Smitherman…

Hey Rocco Rossi… You stole my idea for Allen Road!

Well, well, well…

Toronto Mayoral candidate Rocco Rossi has an idea… A GREAT idea, a BOLD idea, which he expects the City of Toronto to embrace and vault him to be the next mayor of this city.

Well, Mr. Rossi, I think the “boldest move of the mayor campaign” was actually my idea and I have plenty of passengers, friends and family that I have shared my idea with since I started driving south on Allen Road for the past 2-3 months.

Allen Road, you see, has always had a soft spot in my heart.  When my father was a child his family live on Everden which is the first street directly south of Eglinton - where Allen Road abruptly ends – and the government at that time expropriated the land for the “Spadina Expressway”, or continuation of Allen Road all the way down to Lake Ontario.

My Dad had always claimed that the decision to remove his family, especially his ill mother contributed to her death as she “loved” that house.  True or not (my dad was a die-hard Conservative), I had always wondered why the 7th largest City in North America has only one major highway down to the waterfront, but it was not until moving into the area that I wondered what, if anything could be done to prevent traffic from backing up at Lawrence as cars have to go East or West at Eglinton.  Plus, with all the side streets set at do not enter, cars must clog up Bathurst Street and Oakwood Avenue.  Makes for a LONG trek downtown…

So one day about 2 months ago, with my 2 carpool passengers in my hybrid, sitting for 45 minutes to get to Eglinton, I was staring at the subway which shoots underground at Eglinton going southbound and really began to consider whether it was possible or not to make the tunnel wider and have a giant express tunnel downtown to waterfront, or with a couple stops on the way to alleviate traffic congestion.  I also wondered about running ramps up from Allen to some of the side streets like Ridelle to allow for cars to get off of Allen Road should they need to feed through the side streets to get home.

Then alas, today, comes the report of Mr. Rossi’s brainchild.  (See article here).

http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/09/13/rocco-rossi-proposes-linking-the-allen-expressway-to-downtown-toronto-by-tunnel/

If he fires out the brilliant idea of installing ramps to the side streets next, you will know for sure that something is up.

Personally, I’d like to see something new – with little disruption to people or parks – to move traffic along, but this idea alone won’t put Rossi back in the race.  Not while Rob Ford is offering up cutbacks to the “spend now-tax later” NDP way of running this City.

Besides, Rocco, I have other great ideas too…  Give me a call, or drop me a comment.