Mayor John Tory's Toronto

[AlvinofDiaspar]

There's also a conflict of interest with selling something that's so detrimental to health. It's not even in the same league as pot, and selling it could be seen as tacit endorsement, especially if they make even a penny of profit. Portugal seems to have struck the right chord with across the board decriminalization though. They saw a significant drop in usage after the funds spent on enforcement and judicial process were diverted to treatment.

It maybe, but is it less of a conflict than legislating against legal production and encourage criminal involvement? That's worse than conflict of interest - it is downright perverse an outcome whereby our moral qualms have basically turned the whole thing into a problem of our own making (criminality of production and distribution, illicitness of consumption and added cost of enforcement). It's a lose-lose-lose for all involved other than criminals - a fool's errand.

AoD

 

[ADRM]

The government also sells alcohol and permits the sale of cigarettes, so it's not as if that type of conflict is foreign.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The government also sells alcohol and permits the sale of cigarettes, so it's not as if that type of conflict is foreign.

True - and we allowed private profit from it (with the government taking a cut). That's like offloading moral qualms to the private sector (it's a business) while supposedly remaining morally above scruples (nevermind sin tax is ultimately proportional to consumption) - how's that for conflict?

AoD

 

[ttk77]

It maybe, but is it less of a conflict than legislating against legal production and encourage criminal involvement? That's worse than conflict of interest - it is downright perverse an outcome whereby our moral qualms have basically turned the whole thing into a problem of our own making (criminality of production and distribution, illicitness of consumption and added cost of enforcement). It's a lose-lose-lose for all involved other than criminals - a fool's errand.

AoD

I'm not sure what you mean by "encourage criminal involvement" unless you mean that they've done that by the very act of making recreational sale/use of opiates illegal. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, that's a consequence, not a conflict of interest. While the harm that addiction does might be mitigated by making them cheap and easy to access, the therapeutic dosage of these drugs are so close to the fatal dosage that they're far too dangerous to allow for legal recreational usage outside the supervision of a doctor. That's not something you can say about weed, tobacco, or even alcohol.

If we're serious about denying profits to the criminals, our leaders should be pushing for decriminalization of opiates and other hard drugs, and then give them away for the price of a drug counselling session where we can encourage treatment for those that need it.

 

[jje1000]

Kind of sad to see city politicians being this beholden to the largely unaccountable police union in order to implement changes that are fundamentally necessary.

Police hiring freeze coming to an end: Mayor John Tory

Mayor John Tory confirmed Wednesday that the police services board and the Toronto Police Association (TPA) have an reached an agreement which would see the freeze lifted in exchange for the union’s participation in implementing Chief Mark Saunders’ transformation task force recommendations. The mayor hailed the bargain as “significant step forward.”

At the time, Mayor John Tory said McCormack was not being helpful to the process by “lobbing hand in grenades” as the service moves towards implementing the sweeping changes. On Wednesday, he said the agreement is proof sitting down at the bargaining table works.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/09/police-hiring-freeze-coming-to-an-end-mayor-john-tory


It's another Tory-"bravely"-stops-fee-increases-while-simultaneously-cutting-funding scenario.

Mayor John Tory wants TTC fare freeze for 2018
Transit fares have increased every year for the past six years, far outpacing the rate of inflation.

Balancing the TTC’s $2-billion operating budget without a fare increase won’t be easy. Even if the agency doesn’t improve service levels, its costs are expected to increase by at least $126 million next year, according to a May report from the city manager.

Council has already voted to freeze all 2018 department budgets at 2017 levels. In order to make that target without resorting to a fare hike, the TTC would have to offset the expected $126-million increase by cutting costs elsewhere.

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_h...john-tory-wants-ttc-fare-freeze-for-2018.html

 

[Videodrome]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/11/...ro-subway.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur

This is an interesting read.

 

[Videodrome]

BUMP:

Kevin Clarke apparently showed up at the memorial for Pam McConnell and had to be removed by police.

CTV Toronto‏Verified account@CTVToronto 3m3 minutes ago
Chief Planner & Executive Director of City Planning division Jennifer Keesmaat is leaving her role in September, the city confirmed today.

Hmm...

 

[DSC]

What with his other Deputy Mayor Denzil M-W continuing to attack civil servants and Vince backing Ford one must wonder at John Tory's choices for "Deputy mayor". (The others are/were Pam McConnell and Glenn De Baeremaeker.)

John Tory’s deputy mayor backs Doug Ford in 2018 race


Vince Crisanti, long a Ford ally, was named to Tory’s inner circle early in the mayor’s term, but introduced Tory’s rival at the annual Ford family BBQ in Etobicoke on Friday.

 

[W. K. Lis]

John Tory strips deputy mayor of title after Doug Ford endorsement

Vince Crisanti, long a Ford ally, was named to Tory’s inner circle early in the mayor’s term, but introduced Tory’s rival at the annual Ford family BBQ in Etobicoke on Friday.

See link.

Mammoliti is another. See link.

 

[jje1000]

The battlelines are being drawn- I wonder if anyone else will pick a side?

I wonder that if Tory wins again- will a potential benefit be the sidelining of these political dinosaurs?

 

[Palma]

The battlelines are being drawn- I wonder if anyone else will pick a side?

I wonder that if Tory wins again- will a potential benefit be the sidelining of these political dinosaurs?

that would be great. But in a way I wish Keeswait would run against the 2 and might sneek up the middle perhaps

 

[ShonTron]

that would be great. But in a way I wish Keeswait would run against the 2 and might sneek up the middle perhaps

If not necessarily to win, but at least to force Tory to be taken to account for his poor judgement and his pandering to the Fords' base. Without someone in the race going after Tory from the left, Tory will keep pushing right.

 

[Palma]

If not necessarily to win, but at least to force Tory to be taken to account for his poor judgement and his pandering to the Fords' base. Without someone in the race going after Tory from the left, Tory will keep pushing right.

that's so true

 

[JWBF]

If not necessarily to win, but at least to force Tory to be taken to account for his poor judgement and his pandering to the Fords' base. Without someone in the race going after Tory from the left, Tory will keep pushing right.

In my eyes, Tory was and is a friend of the Ford, no matter what turbulence there has been. Tory is a Red Tory (Ford Nation likes to paint him a Liberal) and will pander to any side that will get the job done, and that goes for votes, like any politician.

I welcome the blandness over the Ford circus; I agree with you on accountability for his actions.

 

[OneCity]

In my eyes, Tory was and is a friend of the Ford, no matter what turbulence there has been. Tory is a Red Tory (Ford Nation likes to paint him a Liberal) and will pander to any side that will get the job done, and that goes for votes, like any politician.

I welcome the blandness over the Ford circus; I agree with you on accountability for his actions.

Anyone on the far Left will consider Tory a hack and slash Conservative
Anyone on the far Right will consider Tory a tax and spend Liberal

He's successfully pissed both sides and if there's more support on the right he'll lean that way, if that changes he'll lean surely Left. Tory is navigating thru some interesting political times and doing OK overall to move the City forward. Whether I agree with all his choices or not, it seems evident to me that if Doug Ford or "insert Left" candidate is able to beat Tory the City likely comes becomes ultra chaotic and completely dysfunctional. At that point all the crying over punishing Tory for his "poor" choices wont matter much.