2014 Municipal Election: Toronto Mayoral Race

[Electrify]

For those who don't know much about Ari Goldkind:

http://ariformayor.com/

Some highlights of his platform (found here):

- Asking the people who can most afford it to support our city by raising the land transfer tax on homes assessed by MPAC at over $1.1M. At the same time I will keep property taxes low for those in the lowest bracket of home ownership and for those whose homes have not been transferred in the last twenty years, to ensure seniors, pensioners and first-time buyers are not threatened or priced out of an already very difficult market.

- Immediately making police lapel cameras mandatory, protecting both citizens and police officers.

- Ensuring that all public sector wages and salaries are reflective of the private sector and realities in our city, yet doing everything possible to ensure that our city and workers are not “Walmartized”.

- Deprioritizing the car. I know the immediate kneejerk reaction of a driver (and I’m both a driver and TTC user) is that such a lack of balancing car/transit will make driving even more hopeless in the city. Yet every bit of evidence suggests that when we deprioritize the car, and choose to prioritize transit/biking/walking, it actually makes driving easier and faster for those who still choose to drive. Shocking, I know.

- Teaming up with high-tech firms to integrate smart-city technology that organizes and improves the way cars, buses and trucks flow through the city, including, but not limited to, traffic light synchronization (which is currently already in a pilot project). We can learn from cities around the world, such as Seoul, Barcelona and Amsterdam, which have successfully integrated new approaches to lane assignments, express bus rights-of-way, parking space identification and city/transit wide free wifi.

- Implementing time-based TTC transfers city-wide.

- Constantly demonstrating publicly and openly that the money from tolls is genuinely going to the roads. The money will not disappear or be reallocated elsewhere. Period.

- Modernizing the policies of infrastructure. Everyone knows that the city is horribly slow and usually overspent on construction. Projects such as the St. Clair West streetcar right of way, the Union Station renovation, Queen’s Quay and the docklands need to be thoroughly vetted for economic and practical feasibility. Although renovation and building are necessary investments in our future, and even though many of these projects precede and outlive any one mayoral term, I will do what I can to establish a better mind-set towards project management and spending. Every person involved in a construction project, including the engineering companies and political officials must protect every dollar spent. I would stop the current low ball tender process, and impose huge penalties for construction lateness. I would build a great team to advise me. The process would be made predictable and economically effective.

Just a small sample of the policies Goldkind is supporting.

 

[Greg Banks]

I discussed this at length elsewhere.

It's grossly manipulated. Their total isn't a true total, but it's rebalanced by age. If you look the 16-year gap of 18-34 year olds was near 50% for Tory - but there were only 88 respondents. But the smaller 35-44, 45-54, and 55-65 groups were in favour of Tory, and had hundreds of people in each group.

2 of the other 3 pollsters show Ford in last place among 18-34. One shows a tie. Clearly Forum's 18-34 sample is off ... but they've used this to rebalance and bias the entire result. And then they have erroneously calculated the % error.

It's grossly incompetent, and I have to wonder who has their fingers in this to manipulate the results so much.

Funny if you weight that poll by age and percentage of population (as the NHS survey 2011) the numbers still comes out 42% Tory 36% D Ford and I didn't even bother to take Statcan voter allocation figures into consideration (which in the would further weigh Tory's way)

 

[Admiral Beez]

Expect many more polls showing Doug closing the gap, as this is exactly what Tory and those that want him elected need. Your soft supporters have to be convinced that they hold the balance and that the enemy mob is at the gates.

You don't motivate your soft supporters by indicating you are clearly in the lead, as this then frees them to vote their conscious and support Chow or other fringe candidates, thus diluting Tory's chances.

 

[r937]

yup, i said right away the poll last week that showed dougie within a couple of points of tory ~had~ to have been commissioned by kouvalis (tory camp)

 

[Silence&Motion]

John Tory full statement: “White privilege? No, I don’t know that it does. I think there are people left behind, and what I think they need is a hand up from people of all skin colours and religions and backgrounds.â€

Translation of the FULL statement: I acknowledge inequality exists, but I won't admit that race has anything to do with it.

Indeed, is it not privilege that the tall men have an easier time finding female mates, or not privilege that beautiful people get better service and getter offers and opportunities. What of those with money, do they not carry privilege? I'm a tall, white, moderately well paid, England-born, modern dressing, straight male with all my hair, teeth and not fat.... do you not see the burden of privilege I must constantly carry, yet renounce?

So you're attempting to dismiss this enormous magnitude of racial inequality in this city by suggesting that it's no different than the fact that tall men have an easier time finding dates than short men? Thanks for illustrating how someone who benefits from white privilege might think about racial inequality.

This is one of the many reasons I'm critical of John Tory. He strikes me as someone who has benefited greatly from class, gender, and racial inequality, but is largely uncomfortable with discussing these issues. Even putting aside that "women should play golf" comment, his discussion of the pay gap was cringe worthy. Definitely illustrative of someone who wants to avoid bringing up the term "sexism" while still trying to sound like he cares.

 

[r937]

got a robocall this afternoon by "campaign for public education"

press 1/2/3 if you plan to vote for tory/chow/ford, press 4 if you are undecided -- so i hung up

i emailed them (got their email address from their web site) to complain

my email just bounced back --

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at new-toomuchfreespeech.com.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.

<news@campaignforpubliceducation.ca>:
Mail quota exceeded.

seems like a bit of a mickey mouse organization

 

[nfitz]

Expect many more polls showing Doug closing the gap ...

I wonder if this explains the lack of polls recently. Other than these bizarre Forum polls, and Mainstreet (which showed that Tory's lead had increased from 8% to 14%, we haven't had a poll out in over 2 weeks.

Mind you, we've had more polls that 2010. And there were several out in the week after Thanksgiving in 2010.

 

[Admiral Beez]

So you're attempting to dismiss this enormous magnitude of racial inequality in this city by suggesting that it's no different than the fact that tall men have an easier time finding dates than short men?

Was that a genuine question? I suspect not. I am suggesting that most of us has a level of privilige that we did not earn, but were born with, and gave some examples. Where I live I see women dressed like imperial snowtroopers while their brothers and sons are permitted to wear whatever they want. Many covet sons and disbain daughters, and unequally give opportunities based on gender. That's male gender privilege, for example.

Of course racial inequality and white privilige exists, but it's a global phenonemon, not the city's. Do you want the mayor and council to expend time and resources in an attempt to convert our minds and hearts to being blind to judgements on race? Not me, I want my city to focus on the transaction of service for tax collected, and to leave social engineering to the province, feds, hrc, and the supreme court.

Besides, how could the city enforce racial equality? How would these bureaucrats enforce it, without knowing our inner thoughts and minds at a level we are likely not aware of ourselves? Sure the city can pass rules that govt jobs and govt housing must go to what we refer to as racialized groups, while spending tax dollars on awareness campaigns to encourage the notion....but what is the measure of success? How do you stop the old Asian lady from feeling fearful when a group of black teens in hoodies walks past? Sure you can try to force the landlord from using race to choose tenants, but unless you've got thought police, the mission on a municipal level is hopeless.

The city should focus on building a better physical city, with better transit, better roads, improved infrastructure, improved tourism, and overall city services. Forget about trying to convert the minds of its citizens.

 

[rbt]

Translation of the FULL statement: I acknowledge inequality exists, but I won't admit that race has anything to do with it.

Which is largely true. The wealth of your parents has a much larger role than your race. Some groups have had more time to accumulate and distribute wealth than others but it doesn't change the driving variable.

There were in the 90's (probably still are but I'm not going to find out) lots of white poor folks, entire towns in fact, in Southern Ontario. Selby, Newburgh, Yarker, Tamworth all had large groups of downtrodden who relied on dumpster diving in Kingston for their next meal. I have no idea what those places are like now. Napanee has mostly gentrified.

In Toronto itself? Recent immigrants today face many of the same difficulties that immigrants (Italian, German, Irish, ...) faced decades ago though possibly to a lesser degree. It's not a race thing, although the immigrating races have changed, it's a "your new here" thing.

 

[Silence&Motion]

I want my city to focus on the transaction of service for tax collected, and to leave social engineering to the province, feds, hrc, and the supreme court.

I'm sure that black kids getting carded on the streets of Toronto wish they could be so blase about the city's role in fighting racial inequality.

If you think the city has no role to play in fighting inequality, then you've probably put zero thought into the issue. Just like John Tory!

It's not a race thing, although the immigrating races have changed, it's a "your new here" thing.

Before you start lecturing me on the causes inequality, you should probably do your research.

From http://www.thestar.com/opinion/edit...sistence_of_racial_inequality_in_canada.html:

First generation racialized male Canadians earn 68.7 per cent of what their white counterparts make, and second generation racialized males make 75.6 cents for every dollar earned by white men.

Social scientists continually find that racialized Canadians face multiple disadvantages even after controlling for other factors (e.g. income of parents, immigration status, age, gender, etc)

God, it's so depressing that people are so reluctant to even admit basic facts like the existence of racial inequality.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Quiet weekend for election survey polls. Probably this week, they'll quickly return with new polls on...

[video=youtube_share;LWxSBbBX4fs]http://youtu.be/LWxSBbBX4fs[/video]

 

[Admiral Beez]

God, it's so depressing that people are so reluctant to even admit basic facts like the existence of racial inequality.

I think you could have spared yourself a lot of typing by just opening with this. AFAICT, you won't be satisfied unless someone, anyone, posts that your position is the right one on the issue. Well, it's not going to be me. If the tps is carding unequally, then have the province and hrc force it it stop province wide, instead of each city making their own means.

It's not a case of blasee towards your pet issue, which I instead think is a hrc, prov and fed issue to address, but simply that I have a mostly transactional relationship with my city. I want good city services in exchange for tax dollars, full stop. To her credit, Chow is doing a good job explaining how she would fund her expanded city services.

 

[WislaHD]

John Tory endorsed by federal transport minister Lisa Raitt

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Looks like Olivia needs to at least finish this with some dignity if she won't drop out and allow John to dominate the city.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Looks like Olivia needs to at least finish this with some dignity if she won't drop out and allow John to dominate the city.

I still believe Chow will finish a healthy second place. Nothing wrong with that.

Question...why do so many refer to the candidate as Olivia while the men get their surnames used? You can see it in posts above, where it is Ford, Tory and Olivia.