Jennifer Keesmaat's Toronto

[Amare]

Keesmaat talking about the mayor: “John Tory is just not very good at his job – I know because I worked for him.“

Among many of the things she said about him tonight, the few the stuck in my head is when she said that he "dithers" a lot and he is "indecisive" when it comes to various things.

I'm not choosing sides here right now, but she's definitely not wrong when she says that.

 

[jje1000]

Well she ripped Tory big time tonight according to people at the rally.

Keesmaat talking about the mayor: “John Tory is just not very good at his job – I know because I worked for him.“

Among many of the things she said about him tonight, the few the stuck in my head is when she said that he "dithers" a lot and he is "indecisive" when it comes to various things.

I'm not choosing sides here right now, but she's definitely not wrong when she says that.

Good- now she must take that tone and message into the apolitical realms of Toronto to show people why Tory's been bad for Toronto.

Keesmaat's got to be aggressive- as Kouvalis will handle that for Tory.

 

[steveintoronto]

https://www.thestar.com/news/toront...aat-said-in-a-speech-targeting-john-tory.html

Article full of the quotes posters state above, plus more, but this one ripped me inside:

And when Keesmaat heard about the Toronto woman who was hit and killed recently on her bicycle at Bloor and St. George Sts, she said she called her husband and told him to put their son’s bike away.

“I did that because I was scared,”she said of a city more “dangerous”than it was before. “And it’s by design, my friends; it’s a series of choices that got us here. And we can make different choices …. These things do not need to happen by default. But those changes require leadership.”

So few Toronto politicians can do anything but 'rah, rah, rah, what good boys and girls are we' on Toronto's present cycling network. And I deal with it by being assertive, bordering on aggressive, and ready to react in an instant...it's almost military in form, to survive.

But if I had a teenager cycling...I just dunno...I've advised lady-friends not to do it, they are just too nice and forgiving. And motorists, many anyway, are voracious predators with their cars. Nice people get hurt.

It's one thing that it shouldn't be that way, it's quite another when Toronto politicos brag about 'how great it is', when Toronto is not only generations behind European cities, it's a generation behind other Cdn cities. Calgary, for Gawdsakes, is way ahead of Toronto.

Jennifer is no shrinking violet. And thank God for that...

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

https://www.thestar.com/news/toront...aat-said-in-a-speech-targeting-john-tory.html

Article full of the quotes posters state above, plus more, but this one ripped me inside:


So few Toronto politicians can do anything but 'rah, rah, rah, what good boys and girls are we' on Toronto's present cycling network. And I deal with it by being assertive, bordering on aggressive, and ready to react in an instant...it's almost military in form, to survive.

But if I had a teenager cycling...I just dunno...I've advised lady-friends not to do it, they are just too nice and forgiving. And motorists, many anyway, are voracious predators with their cars. Nice people get hurt.

It's one thing that it shouldn't be that way, it's quite another when Toronto politicos brag about 'how great it is', when Toronto is not only generations behind European cities, it's a generation behind other Cdn cities. Calgary, for Gawdsakes, is way ahead of Toronto.

Jennifer is no shrinking violet. And thank God for that...

I've frequently have said both on here and in person to friends, that cycling in Toronto terrifies me. I am a very fit and healthy 20-something male.

If we want to change that and bring in the 60% of people interested in cycling but concerned (see graph below) then we need to enact drastic changes to our cycling infrastructure.

 

[steveintoronto]

I've frequently have said both on here and in person to friends, that cycling in Toronto terrifies me. I am a very fit and healthy 20-something male.

If we want to change that and bring in the 60% of people interested in cycling but concerned (see graph below) then we need to enact drastic changes to our cycling infrastructure.

That's because your Sixth Sense is functioning and you want to survive. People mistake that sense for timidity. It isn't, it's just intuition plus logic. All it takes is one half ton vehicle straying into your lane for a life altering incident. And God knows we've all be brushed by one multiple times a day cycling in TO.

I did roughly 100 kms on rail trails yesterday (thank God Summer is back!), I too 'am in excellent shape, but the thought of cycling around town, even at a pedantic pace, scares the B-Jezzuz out of me some days. It shouldn't be this way, but I'm preaching to the converted. I'll post a note in the general cycling forum on the trail conditions, but Keesmaat is *absolutely right* to raise this issue. And it's so incredibly refreshing for someone who isn't a jaded councillor (some of them mean well, but their reality of the roads isn't shared by me and others) to speak so loudly about the blatantly obvious.

 

[tripwire]

That's bold talk, but will she really be able to do anything about it as mayor? It's not like we have a strong mayor system (thank goodness) for her to push all her agenda to fruition (even though I'm inclined to most of them).

 

[steveintoronto]

^It is ambitious, but look at what Tory promised, and how little he's delivered. I'd rather be sweet-talked with her visions than his.

 

[torontologist]

That's bold talk, but will she really be able to do anything about it as mayor? It's not like we have a strong mayor system (thank goodness) for her to push all her agenda to fruition (even though I'm inclined to most of them).

If the city was able to implement the Bloor bike lanes with the current cast on city council, I'm sure she could get the future council to agree to a few new lanes. City council is always sycophantic towards a new mayor (as we saw with Ford and Tory) while they are jockeying for committee appointments and favours for their ward. If Ford could sink an entire transit plan, and Tory could get them to go along with an imaginary one, I think Keesmaat could get them to agree to some bike lanes..... or if she's feeling ambitious, a pedestrianized Yonge street (fingers crossed).

 

[steveintoronto]

I've been reading a lot of coverage on today's Keesmaat Kosmology, and a lot of it doesn't make sense. Half of that may be due to her imperfect planning and presentation, (I highly favour her, but her gorgeous legs might be standing on a precarious Achilles Heel) and the other due to poor or inaccurate reporting. The map being shown is a rat's breakfast, to be honest. More on that later when the details become clearer, but contrary to Elliot's earlier tweets, Spurr's (not Heel Spurs!) headline piece opening paragraph adds logic where only murky mud existed before:

Jennifer Keesmaat would cancel parts of John Tory’s SmartTrack plan and withdraw city funding for a controversial three-stop Scarborough subway extension if she’s elected mayor this fall.

https://www.thestar.com/news/toront...at-pitches-citywide-network-transit-plan.html

Before even reading any further, finally the bombshell becomes clear: "Withdraw City Funding for SSE"!!!

Other stories only alluded to (gist) "...Since the SSE is going to be fully funded by the Province"....which is excellent baiting on her part. It's not Tory on the spot as much as Ford! He's going have to put his mouth where his foot is, after he pulls it out...

More later, as quotable details emerge from the murk...

Edit to Add: Same article as above, but I've digested these enough to realize what's she's up to: (And I don't agree with every point, but do agree with her being a brilliant tactician)

Keesmaat said the province will build the three-stop extension “no matter what,” and so the city should take its $910 million and spend it on other parts of the network, including a 16-kilometre extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to Malvern in Scarborough.

A spokesperson for Ontario Transportation Minister John Yakabuski didn’t respond directly when asked whether the province would build the subway without a city contribution.

Keesmaat is also proposing cutting back on the latest version of Tory’s SmartTrack plan, which would add up to six new stations within Toronto on existing GO Transit lines. Council has approved spending up to $1.46 billion on the new stations.

Keesmaat would cancel a proposed SmartTrack-branded stop at Lawrence Ave. near Kennedy Ave., arguing that it would be too close to stations on the three-stop Scarborough subway extension.

She would also cancel a SmartTrack station planned for Gerrard St. and Carlaw Ave., on the grounds the area would be served by a station on the relief line.

Yes! She's calling bluffs!

Is Ford having a Weinstein moment? Wait for it: "Tory took advantage of Toronto too!" "And, and...Toronto loves me! Toronto voted for me....oh..."

A spokesperson for Ontario Transportation Minister John Yakabuski didn’t respond directly when asked whether the province would build the subway without a city contribution.

Wait for it! A buck a fare!

 

[SunriseChampion]

So she'd cancel a train station just because it's near a subway station.
So I could get to Union in 15ish minutes or I can get there in an hour.

OK. ...thanks. Glad I don't live out that way.

That's a bit stubborn and obtuse of her. Keep this up and I really will be voting for my buddy Clarke (who I saw today for the first time in about 3 years!).

 

[Thorns_Embrace]

People on twitter were really loving this transit plan and I am sitting here thinking that all of her ideas are currently in Tory's platform already. Also, is a LRT based transit plan while Doug Ford in office is supposed to be a good idea?

 

[EagleEye]

I think she is going back to the 3 stop subway because Ford likes it. Then shes adding other things to parts of Scarborough to pander to those residents.

 

[steveintoronto]

Folks: There are severe glitches in her map/plan, but here's the bombshell, don't miss it:
"Keesmaat said the province will build the three-stop extension “no matter what,” and so the city should take its $910 million and spend it on other parts of the network, including a 16-kilometre extension of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to Malvern in Scarborough."

Don't you see what she's doing? Something Tory could only dream of: Use the words of her opponent against them.

Paraphrase: "Here's what you said, now I'm holding you to it". Forget the rest for now, this is the crux of her attack, it's obvious and brilliant at the same time.

The rest of her plan pivots on Ford being good for his *many times repeated* mantra: "Subways, subways, subways".

Ford will be hoisted on his own retard....errr....petard. This a tactical move used in Chess and many other games...including war games and Poker...

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Honestly, I'm adding her announcement and that transit map to the list of questionable planning suggestions made by Keesmaat.

 

[Jasmine18]

Keesmat biggest issue is being relevant in the suburbs..