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Extending subway system driving force behind Thomson mayoral campaign

If the person she "borrowed" from is/was running for mayor I could see the concern...OR if she was saying "I came up with this all on my own and no one else has ever thought of it so I am really smart".

I don't think (I stand to be corrected) either of those is the case. Are they?

As an example, was David Miller the first (or only) person in Toronto that was opposed to the bridge to the island airport? No...but he ran with that as a key part of his campaign and it struck a chord with some and won him votes. Isn't that what politics is? Listening/observing/researching the ideas out in the public domain and finding the ones you can support and push forward?

Look, if she wants to come out and say "my map is a concept piece that is a derivative of one I saw on the web by "X" " no harm no foul but what would that achieve or accomplish?

What I don't get, frankly, is the political sense of posturing as the "subway candidate" then showing a plan that eliminates two stops that are already approved and funded (I think there are two north of Steeles West, aren't there?)


If she had made a map all by herself, probably no one would be complaining, even if her system is exactly the same as depicted by Miguel's map. But it is not her drawing, it is Miguel's, and she did not credit him.
 
As much as I favour road or congestion tolls, raising property and consumption taxes is a far more equitable and efficient way to raise the revenue needed for such a massive public works project. The administration for such tax collection is already in place whereas the operation for collecting tolls has yet to be developed and will require expensive set up and ongoing administration fees. In addition, everyone should pay for this transit system, not just a portion of commuters who are targeted because of where they happen to live and work.

I'm really not sure whether to take this candidate's proposal seriously or not. It seems like a quickly and somewhat casually manufactured ploy to get media attention (which worked) rather than a carefully thought out position resulting from extensive research and experience in the matter. I credit her for inserting public transit into the debate and offering a easily digestible contrast to Rossi's cynical and flippant auto-centric position. However, I think they're both drawing from the same well of PR flacks who favour divisive sound bytes over policy. And, as others have pointed out upthread the election of either one would offer the same immediate result: the cancellation of TC and another extended period of public transit stagnation.
 
Seriously: taking someone's work, slapping your own logo on it after spending two minutes in Photoshop, then calling it your own is not acceptable behaviour.

I'm willing to bet this was solely the work of a staff member and she's unaware how the map was produced, but I hope the situation gets cleared up.
 
Seriously: taking someone's work, slapping your own logo on it after spending two minutes in Photoshop, then calling it your own is not acceptable behaviour.

I'm willing to bet this was solely the work of a staff member and she's unaware how the map was produced, but I hope the situation gets cleared up.

Well, I must have missed where she said it was her work. Anyway, it may all be moot.

The Star has been running an online poll and it would appear the idea is not gonna gain her too many votes:

As of a few minutes ago:

TorontoStar said:
Do you think it's reasonable to charge a $5 toll on the Gardiner and DVP in order to pay for an expansion of Toronto's subway system?

Yes (39%)
No (61%)
Total Votes: 7387
 
I agree her stealing the map and then editing it to her own purposes (probably done by one of her staff) is somewhat dishonest and it is definitely stealing in every sense of the word, I still like her ideas. And she's opened up the debate. If anything, we should be encouraged that nearly 40% of the voters on TheStar.com supported her idea. It means road tolls aren't the big no-no they were before. And I'm sure when more people hear about this and realize what it's for, it'll gain more support. It's only logical.
 
It's so typical of somebody running a high-school project. Plagiarized graphics, unlicensed music, half-baked reasoning (90 years vs 30 years lifespan?), props, corny logos, glamour shots, talking to constituents as if they were toddlers.

I certainly applaud the affect this announcement will have on the whole campaign, but how anyone can take her seriously is beyond me.
 
It's true that her campaign could use some more professionalism and more accurate data. I must applaud her for bringing up the subway issue. It needs to be raised in a debate, and since she is a fringe candidate, at most she can do is to force the issues at debates, get attention and make the main candidates like Rossi and Smitherman listen to her ideas. Some may be wild (like $5 tolls) but others like subways expansion (DRL, finishing Sheppard) are right on the money. I may not agree with her plan entirely, but at least she has a position on the issue. Rossi just wants to cancel everything, but doesn't say what if anything he will do for transit (translation = little to nothing). Smitherman is deadly quiet on the issue.

Another point is that the mayor only has 1 vote, and Metrolinx/Province are already funding 4 lines, with construction about to begin on 3/4 this year. It is utter stupidity to cancel projects already under construction and go back to table and do more planning studies, EA's etc..
 
Assuming a 48 work week year....this would cost a daily commuter/driver $2,400 per year....assuming a 40% tax rate...that is $6,000 in pre-tax earnings.

That is, likely, the biggest flaw in her plan. An additional cost of that magnitude overlayed on other expenses already in-place for getting to work is unlikely to garner much support at all.

A fifty year old person is not likely going to support a candidate that wants to take $6k of their earnings to fund something that won't make their commute/life any better until they retire.....in fact, they might actively work against that candidate.

Simply put, this plan puts too much burden on one group of people while not touching others (some of whom do the same thing...drive to work....but they don't use the Gardiner or DVP)
 
Did I miss something here or will Rexdale not soon be within 10-15 minutes of a subway station from either Jane-Steeles or Keele-Finch? How greedy must we be to propose subway lines this far out of the urban core? Oh wait...

Still on crowded buses. If you are going to propose a network of subways, at least have the decency to service areas that would benefit. A 10-15min(longer actually) bus ride to two stations does not cut it.
Of course a ride that is much faster, and more predictable to a bus would be OK. Like an LRT line. Oh wait.....
 
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Still on crowded buses. If you are going to propose a network of subways, at least have the decency to service areas that would benefit. A 10-15min(longer actually) bus ride to two stations does not cut it.
Of course a ride that is much faster, and more predictable to a bus would be OK. Like an LRT line. Oh wait.....

No, the Spadina extension doesn't cut it, and neither does an Eglinton subway, and neither does improved service on all the GO lines. No, every pocket of people in the city, no matter how many people this is, needs their very own private rail transit line, because buses are just sooo icky and sooo horrible (and, often, so fast and reliable). Martin Grove & Steeles might be over 9 minutes from a subway station...what an injustice! Good thing Martin Grove and Steeles are both getting LRT lines!!! Oh, wait...
 
Here''s a great idea! Let's cut those subway lines in Scarborough, and instead build a network in Rexdale!! You love buses so much, YOU RIDE THEM!! YAY!!

Problem solved!:D

Let Scarberian take a 10-15 bus ride to a station!
 
How many of those Star voters are 416ers eligible to vote?

I am willing to bet that most 416ers would support road tolls. It's the 905ers voting against road tolls on thestar.
 
How many of those Star voters are 416ers eligible to vote?

I am willing to bet that most 416ers would support road tolls. It's the 905ers voting against road tolls on thestar.

It's always the same right-wing, anti-Toronto crowd on that site and most of them do not live in Toronto. As a matter of fact, many of them don't even live in Ontario. You can never assume that their views represent Torontonians.
 

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