2014 Municipal Election: Toronto Transit Plans

[salsa]

What you have here is basically all my reasons for opposing Tory.

Quite frankly I'm disappointed that I ever supported this man. He's by far the most pandering candidate of this race. He'll say and do anything that he thinks will get him elected. I feel like he stands for nothing at this point. This isn't the same thoughtful & logical John Tory that was on Newstalk 1010.

I think Stintz was the worst when it comes to pandering, but not by much. Now that she's out of the race, her supporters will switch to the next most pandering candidate which is Tory.

 

[gweed123]

What you have here is basically all my reasons for opposing Tory.

Quite frankly I'm disappointed that I ever supported this man. He's by far the most pandering candidate of this race. He'll say and do anything that he thinks will get him elected. I feel like he stands for nothing at this point. This isn't the same thoughtful & logical John Tory that was on Newstalk 1010.

What does it say about the state of Toronto politics when an obviously bright man needs to whittle himself down to a caricature of himself in order to become electable? Let's face it: in Toronto solid policies grounded in fact don't win elections, pandering and sloganeering do.

Soknacki is by far the best when it comes to solid policies grounded in fact, but he isn't even given a second (or a first) look by the bulk of the Toronto electorate. Rob Ford wasn't the aberration, he was the epitome. He's Mel Lastman 2.0 with some crack thrown in.

The reality is that politicians play to the level of the bulk of the electorate they're trying to attract. Nearly every candidate in this election (with one obvious exception) has the credentials and mental fortitude to create great, well thought-out policy and to engage in constructive debate. The fact that they aren't doing so should speak volumes about the electorate that they're trying to woo...

 

[ShonTron]

That being said, I will be voting for Soknacki. He speaks the truth, says the right things, and has never been inconsistent with his policies.

Great post!

I'll add pedestrian issues:

On Open Streets (where Chow and Soknacki were very supportive)
Characteristically unwilling to take a stand: "I am cautious about anything that closes down lanes of traffic and increases traffic congestion. The current Open Streets project is a pilot, and I look forward to reviewing the results of the traffic impact assessment to see if there is a major impact on congestion in the area."

 

[ShonTron]

Overall, John Tory is the best of 3 candidates who has a shot of winning this elections.

Tory will support the already funded Scarborough Subway (unlike Chow), and will co-operate with Metrolinx on the already funded Finch and Sheppard LRT lines (unlike Ford).

I have serious doubts about Tory's SmartTrack proposal; it is great in principle, but may not be doable within the scope, cost, and timeframe he promised. However, since this idea appears to be very popular, it makes sense to study it quickly, and then either correct and adopt it, or drop it altogether and return to the Relief Line plan.

Uh, the Scarborough LRT, which was also fully funded (and where funds were already sunk), would serve more people. You know that, right?

 

[ehlow]

To those who are planning to support Soknacki: Why not Chow?

She seems to have the same major positions as Soknacki with regards to transit.

My main issue with Tory was that he didn't support the TTC service improvements & Eglinton Connects.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

To those who are planning to support Soknacki: Why not Chow?

Back when I supported Soknacki, there honestly wasn't a whole lot of things that turned me off Chow. The things that I didn't like about her were:

1) She's a career politician while Sok is a policy nerd. I'd much rather have a policy nerd as mayor. But this isn't much of a problem for me anymore. During the campaign she's shown that unwilling to ruthlessly pander, unlike certain other politicians (ahem... Tory), and sticks to her principles, unlike certain other politicians.

2) Her call for a handgun ban really irked me. In fact it was the moment where she lost my support. Handgun bans are something that she knows she'd have no control over as mayor. It was an empty gesture; pure electioneering and pandering. I hate it when politicians pull these kind of stunts. This is also one of the major reasons that I'm upset at John Tory for his SmartTrack plan. Don't BS me, don't lie to me, don't make empty promises. I'm not an idiot.

3) Her plan to add 10% more busses on the streets also turned me off her. The plan was impossible and her pricing of it was completely wrong. It was completely irresponsible for her to come out with this plan. Chow and her campaign should have done their due diligence by doing proper research into the TTC's bus operations before releasing the plan. Instead Chow and her campaigners seemingly pulled the numbers from their backsides. This goes back to what I said in #2: don't BS me, don't lie to me, don't make empty promises. I'm not an idiot.. This is also another one of the reasons I remain upset at John Tory for his poorly researched SmartTrack plan and his promise to have the Scarborough Subway under construction within a year.

Chow kind of made up for her bus plan gaffe by endorsing the revival of the Transit City Bus Plan that the TTC voted on a few days ago.

After her endorsement of the TCBP, I'm confident that I'll be voting for her in October. She's 98% the same as Soknacki anyways.

 

[salsa]

Great post!

I'll add pedestrian issues:

On Open Streets (where Chow and Soknacki were very supportive)
Characteristically unwilling to take a stand: "I am cautious about anything that closes down lanes of traffic and increases traffic congestion. The current Open Streets project is a pilot, and I look forward to reviewing the results of the traffic impact assessment to see if there is a major impact on congestion in the area."

I could go on forever.

Business background: Tory often boasts about his business credentials, but doesn't really say much about what he actually did. For one, he was the CEO of Canada's most hated company (Rogers). It's something to keep in mind the next time you get ripped off on your monthly bill or experience poor customer service. Unfortunately he lacks experience at city hall, and it shows. For example, he doesn't seem to realize that as mayor, implementing smart track is out of his control because it's not his jurisdiction. Metrolinx owns the tracks, and they are in charge of regional transit and electrification.

Island airport expansion: In typical Tory fashion, his position on this one is inconclusive. But apparently his son is a registered lobbyist and has ties with Private Air, which operates at the island airport and may stand to benefit from the expansion. If Tory becomes mayor, he could be legally prohibited from weighing in on the Island airport under the conflict of interest act. So imagine a mayor that cannot provide leadership on one of the most important issues facing the new council. But given that Tory is pro-business and on the wrong side of everything, I suspect he would be in favour of expansion.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I could go on forever.

Business background: Tory often boasts about his business credentials, but doesn't really say much about what he actually did. For one, he was the CEO of Canada's most hated company (Rogers).

But how did he perform as CEO?

Island airport expansion: In typical Tory fashion, his position on this one is inconclusive.

That's another thing that really bugs me about Tory. I guess making a commitment to something would mean facing consequences if it doesn't work out.

 

[MrsNesbitt]

It better be "a few short sections" and it better be dirt cheap. Anything more and we'll have a second Sheppard Subway boondoggle on our hands.

If he's willing to use the Richview Corridor still for Eglinton West, and willing to put up the money to tunnel sections, it would be cheaper just to buy back the land sold to the developers, bulldoze their damn townhouses, and just build in the corridor at grade.

Bravo to Salsa on your thorough picking-apart of Tory's asinine policies. My message to all of you on this board who have a vote in Toronto in October: please, please, please don't be taken in by this man and his poor attempts at appearing a consensus-builder or even a rational politician and planner. At his core John Tory is still just that: a Tory, and an obstructive one insisting upon holding back infrastructure and transit progress in Toronto to pander to the lowest common denominator (Ford votes). That is not what Toronto needs now.

 

[salsa]

But how did he perform as CEO?

I couldn't find much information on that, although I'm sure the company made lots of money off the backs of their overpaying customers. Olivia Chow took a jab at his record back in June: "You know, the current CEO of Rogers released a strategic plan a few weeks ago to fix the poor customer service that occurred under his predecessors. Just saying."

 

[GenerationW]

My message to all of you on this board who have a vote in Toronto in October: please, please, please don't be taken in by this man and his poor attempts at appearing a consensus-builder or even a rational politician and planner. At his core John Tory is still just that: a Tory, and an obstructive one insisting upon holding back infrastructure and transit progress in Toronto to pander to the lowest common denominator (Ford votes). That is not what Toronto needs now.

Do I tell you how to vote in Durham?

Chow is promising things to pander to those same voters, but please, keep letting your ideological bias make Tory out to be the big villain here.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Do I tell you how to vote in Durham?

Chow is promising things to pander to those same voters, but please, keep letting your ideological bias make Tory out to be the big villain here.

I suppose it depends on what exactly we define as "pandering". Couldn't any promise be considered pandering?

Anyways what I can say for certain is that Chow hasn't been as colossally irresponsible with her pandering as Tory has been.

 

[GenerationW]

Anyways what I can say for certain is that Chow hasn't been as colossally irresponsible with her pandering as Tory has been.

Maybe she should to avoid the risk of disappearing into post-Labour Day thin air.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

My message to all of you on this board who have a vote in Toronto in October: please, please, please don't be taken in by this man and his poor attempts at appearing a consensus-builder or even a rational politician and planner. At his core John Tory is still just that: a Tory, and an obstructive one insisting upon holding back infrastructure and transit progress in Toronto ... That is not what Toronto needs now.

You know, John Tory's SmartTrack and Rob Ford's Sheppard Subway (circa 2010) proposals appear very similar to me. Neither has any chance of ever being built, neither has a legitimate funding model, both stand in the way of excellent transit improvements on their respective corridors. The only difference is that I'm convinced that Rob Ford's plan to build the Sheppard Subway comes from an genuine desire to improve transit in the Toronto... I can't say the same thing about John Tory and SmartTrack. Mr. Tory is a smart enough to know that SmartTrack won't ever be built. He knows that the province has a nearly identical proposal, that the funding model doesn't work and that the timeline is a lie. SmartTrack isn't about improving transit, it's about winning votes. Frankly it's all quite pathetic.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

Do I tell you how to vote in Durham?

Chow is promising things to pander to those same voters, but please, keep letting your ideological bias make Tory out to be the big villain here.

Maybe she should to avoid the risk of disappearing into post-Labour Day thin air.

You want to vote for a guy that can can't even do simple things like support expanded bus service? Don't say you weren't told. Go back and read Salsa's response to me again.

I suppose it depends on what exactly we define as "pandering". Couldn't any promise be considered pandering?

Anyways what I can say for certain is that Chow hasn't been as colossally irresponsible with her pandering as Tory has been.

Like I said before, he wants to be everything to everyone. Suburbanites love that. It will help him win because we all know Tory is not going to want to build the LRT's in his first term.

If he's willing to use the Richview Corridor still for Eglinton West, and willing to put up the money to tunnel sections, it would be cheaper just to buy back the land sold to the developers, bulldoze their damn townhouses, and just build in the corridor at grade.

Bravo to Salsa on your thorough picking-apart of Tory's asinine policies. My message to all of you on this board who have a vote in Toronto in October: please, please, please don't be taken in by this man and his poor attempts at appearing a consensus-builder or even a rational politician and planner. At his core John Tory is still just that: a Tory, and an obstructive one insisting upon holding back infrastructure and transit progress in Toronto to pander to the lowest common denominator (Ford votes). That is not what Toronto needs now.

They might charge a premium for Richview now. Otherwise, all I can say is, Tory is a nice guy who wants to bring consensus, in order for Olivia to win she has to do the same.