Mayor John Tory's Toronto

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Sidenote, does Tory ride transit to work every morning I think Miller did. You get a hugely different appreciation for the city when you experience it amongst other Torontoians then when you commute in alone in your Escalade. I take the Gerrard streetcar in each morning and I sure as hell feel it.

I think there should be the expectation that the chief magistrate of the city (as well as the chief executive and board members) is a user of the system. Now I can understand that given his/her responsibilities regular usage might be impossible, but they should at the very least get a personal experience of the system. There was nothing more annoying than someone pontificating about the TTC and subways while knowing zilch about it.

AoD

 

[nfitz]

As far as I can see there hasn't been a tax increase. This is matching the rate of inflation.

City is projecting that the residential taxes for an average house, will increase 3.2%. That's not matching the inflation rate.

Nor is the 6% TTC Metropass increase, or the water increase, or the garbage increase.

I'm not massively concerned about this - though that John Tory being so quickly outed as a pathological liar amuses me ...

 

[ttk77]

Unless your salary is tied to the rate of inflation (some public sector employees?) this most definitely is a tax increase.

However... as a fiscal conservative/social liberal, I'm not against it either.

Sidenote, does Tory ride transit to work every morning I think Miller did. You get a hugely different appreciation for the city when you experience it amongst other Torontoians then when you commute in alone in your Escalade. I take the Gerrard streetcar in each morning and I sure as hell feel it.

I don't know if he's a regular user, and I don't know if he has continued to use it since becoming mayor, but I have seen him on public transit before.

 

[nfitz]

Sidenote, does Tory ride transit to work every morning I think Miller did.

He lives near St. George station doesn't he? That 5-minute subway might be quicker than driving, once you factor in the time in the parking lots at both ends ...

 

[rbt]

Sidenote, does Tory ride transit to work every morning I think Miller did.

Miller used transit (bus and streetcar included, he seemed to vary his route) 4 to 6 trips per week, either for his commute or mid-day events where convenient. Scheduling frequently required him to go to several destinations between his house and city hall which makes transit-only commute much more difficult.

Giambrone, however, used transit even for most of those events; even ones in the corners of the city which have poor transit access.

AFAIK, Tory is taking the subway 2 to 3 days per week thus far for his commute. This may change as he spends less time at city hall and more time at events.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

City is projecting that the residential taxes for an average house, will increase 3.2%. That's not matching the inflation rate.

Nor is the 6% TTC Metropass increase, or the water increase, or the garbage increase.

I'm not massively concerned about this - though that John Tory being so quickly outed as a pathological liar amuses me ...

Do you know what Toronto's inflation rate is? I remember it being 3.x%, though I could be wrong.

But yes, the usage fees are definitely not at the rate of inflation. We should expect more of this, because as many financial experts have pointed out, Toronto's low taxes are not sustainable and may actually be detrimental to our city.

And I think anyone who has been paying attention knows that JT is a pathological liar. Maybe not as bad as Ford, but still...

 

[Palma]

Tory has said repeatly he takes transit. He does live across from St George so would not take long to get to city hall - no transfer for him, He was on Breakfast television this AM and again mentioned he takes transit

 

[Palma]

And I think anyone who has been paying attention knows that JT is a pathological liar. Maybe not as bad as Ford, but still...

I cannot believe this strong language about JT. He did not go along when he first heard about possible increase in transit price because of course he needed to see everything and that info would not have been so easy to get when he was running for mayor.

I think for some on here, no elected mayor would be acceptable cause you guys seem to think you have all the answers. He is obviously not afraid to change his mind when presented with facts.

How many times did Miller come out with breaking news and the rate of announcements Tory has made thus far in his mandate?

 

[hawc]

Tory is a pathological liar.

That's a bit strong. Definition of pathological is as follows:

path·o·log·i·cal adjective \ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\
Extreme in a way that is not normal or that shows an illness or mental problem.

 

[doug]

Giambrone, however, used transit even for most of those events; even ones in the corners of the city which have poor transit access.

except for when he was taking taxis and charging it to the tax payer, or handing out free tokens to his girlfriends.

 

[nfitz]

Do you know what Toronto's inflation rate is? I remember it being 3.x%, though I could be wrong.

I'd heard 2.7% ... City used 2.6%. Depends which month.

Easy to look up on the Statistics Canada website.

 

[JWBF]

That's a bit strong. Definition of pathological is as follows:

path·o·log·i·cal adjective \ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\
Extreme in a way that is not normal or that shows an illness or mental problem.

Hmmm... so that would Robbie pathologically pathologic.

 

[nfitz]

That's a bit strong. Definition of pathological is as follows:

path·o·log·i·cal adjective \ˌpa-thə-ˈlä-ji-kəl\
Extreme in a way that is not normal or that shows an illness or mental problem.

For a Conservative politician, it's pretty much normal ...

On the other hand, there are other definitions of pathological, that you've not shown. The Canadian Oxford includes "not reasonable or sensible" and "compulsive (a pathological liar)".

Why choose the definition for "pathological" that doesn't explicitly reference "pathological liar" rather than the one that does? That seems a bit compulsive to me ...

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I think for some on here, no elected mayor would be acceptable cause you guys seem to think you have all the answers. He is obviously not afraid tochange his mind when presented with facts.

Well I suppose the debate is whether or not John Tory changed his mind, or lied to us. Personally, I find it hard to believe that he was so misinformed. Throughout his campaign, people were telling him what was wrong with his proposals, particularly when it come to transit (including TTC operations). However JT seemingly disregarded their advice during the campaign.

So, in my opinion, it's ether wilful ignorance (highly unlikely), or he was lying (more likely). John Tory knew his proposals were unworkable, but continued to peddle them rather than acknowledge that he was wrong.

Perhaps now that he's not in campaign mode, he'll be willing to be more truthful. So far his performance as mayor has been admirable.

 

[JWBF]

Well I suppose the debate is whether or not John Tory changed his mind, or lied to us. Personally, I find it hard to believe that he was so misinformed. Throughout his campaign, people were telling him what was wrong with his proposals, particularly when it come to transit (including TTC operations). However JT seemingly disregarded their advice during the campaign.

So, in my opinion, it's ether wilful ignorance (highly unlikely), or he was lying (more likely). John Tory knew his proposals were unworkable, but continued to peddle them rather than acknowledge that he was wrong.

Perhaps now that he's not in campaign mode, he'll be willing to be more truthful. So far his performance as mayor has been admirable.

Anyone who implicitly believes campaign promises or never deviates from campaign promises they make are not dealing with reality. I find it easier to experience campaigns as they are, just another ad campaign not unlike some company selling orange juice or toothpaste, the real proof is after the purchase or in this case election.

Cynical? Maybe but I like to see it as being a realist.