Politics: Tim Hudak's Plan for Ontario if he becomes Premier

[TOareaFan]

I haven't been able to find any details of his "plan". Did he actually say that Eglinton would become a true subway line?, because if he did that's going to put the project back a couple of years at least and would probably result in a couple of billion in wasted dollars. I would think the more logical solution at this point would be to complete the Crosstown LRT as scheduled and then, if he really wants a subway, extend the Sheppard line east and west. However, any new transit line is going to take the better part of ten years to plan, design and build so he can promise whatever new lines he wants because we know they will never actually get built on his watch.

Being a Sunday I guess the media are not reporting much....but the best I can see from the Globe and Mail would indicate that the east west "crosstown" subway he is talking about is not Eglinton (perhaps would have been wiser not to (re)use the word "Crosstown").

His top transit priority, the new southern Toronto east-west subway, would be the longest rapid transit project built in this country since the 1960s. It would connect to the Bloor line in the east and west, but Mr. Hudak said he hadn't determined where, or what exact route it would take.

 

[TOareaFan]

TOareafan:

Actually nope, veto power is a fairly common system. It certainly doesn't meant it is "undemocratic", and it can be argued that such a system is more democratic than one that allows for disproportionate representation of other areas on a per vote basis.

AoD

where in our system is there veto power for situations like noted above...where a municipality that does not like provincial legislation can veto it and not implement it?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Then the advocacy should be to change (if deemed desirable/necessary/appropriate) the way government's are selected....not just to ignore or "block" legislation.

We have as long as we have been voting in this country dealt with this issue. Often voting patters leads to areas that are under represented in a particular government at a particular time.....it has not lead to a tradition of ignoring or blocking legislation.......I imagine we would end up with a pretty ungovernable situation if we did.

Veto powers aren't unusual. What ungovernable situation do you envision? The only times I see that happening is if the provincial gov't becomes overbearing (eg. Using legislation to destroy municipalities, force city to sell assets etc...)

 

[Marcanadian]

Why would anyone want to get rid of the greenbelt?

Many farmers use the money they get from selling their land to developers as a retirement plan and now it's no longer possible. I don't think Hudak would scrap the Greenbelt completely, but he'd provide a way for property owners to appeal or opt out of the Greenbelt, which could lead to "swiss cheese" land protection. Either way, Hudak doesn't care about sprawl enough to keep the Greenbelt completely intact.

 

[TOareaFan]

Veto powers aren't unusual. What ungovernable situation do you envision? The only times I see that happening is if the provincial gov't becomes overbearing (eg. Using legislation to destroy municipalities, force city to sell assets etc...)

Where in our political system do we have municipal veto powers?

You don't think it would be hard (perhaps impossible) if, as you suggested, municipalities (presumably this would be granted to all municipalities) could pick and choose which provincial legislation they implemented?

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Sure it would make the it harder for the province to pass legislation. That's a good thing. The province bears way too much power over municipalities.

 

[nfitz]

I would not Chicago failed.

Chicago is very much failed in terms of housing downtown being abandoned, and having little value. I'm not sure why you'd suggest otherwise.

Check out these neighbourhoods, all near the subway (El) on Streetview:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...=PJI4kt-8R_vLX7kArcIl7A&cbp=12,30.69,,0,11.45

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...=rhM5qr98ZC0fWGXUqTwUxg&cbp=12,143.93,,0,5.38

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...Brciuph2iOyFiP8Mpg&cbp=12,134.08,,0,0.23&z=16

And then check out real estate values.

There are over 500 single family homes for sale for under $40,000. Start looking at the picture of them. Some look half decent, and are only $15,000. Like this one:http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...hodes-Ave_Chicago_IL_60619_M78013-71756?row=1

Or what about this one, with 2,000 square feet and 3 bedrooms for under $20,000. http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...istee-Ave_Chicago_IL_60617_M82482-64939?row=1

It's about a 15-minute walk from the lake, and a 9-minute walk to the Cheltenham Metra station. You'd be looking at at least $750,000, probably $1 million for something like that in Toronto.

Chicago is a very failed city.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

So Tim Hudak was holding an unauthorized press conference on a train today. His activities caused a delay on the 1 Yonge Line. After security removed him from TTC property his staff criticized the TTC security for enforcing municipal bylaw. As of now they still haven't apologied to the Commission or TTC customers for the service disruption. Stay classy Tim.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1323980/tim-hudak-reportedly-kicked-off-ttc-during-photo-op/

 

[Adjei]

Now he is blaming the unions for causing this...Those damn unions

 

[W. K. Lis]

Hudak booted off TTC while announcing transit plan

From 680 news, at this link:

The TTC was not the better way for a campaigning Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak.

His campaign team attempted to hold a press conference on a subway train Sunday to announce new transit plans.


But they, and the gathered media, were asked to leave the subway by TTC security because the transit service bans campaigning in areas accessed by paying a fare.


“Candidates can hold events outside stations or canvass outside the fare-paid area, but doing so on platforms or vehicles is not permitted,†TTC spokesperson Brad Ross told CityNews in an email.


Hudak’s campaign team apologized to reporters for not acquiring the proper permits, but according to Ross there are no permits that would allow campaigning in the paid areas.


The Ontario PC party said in a tweet that the problem arose because of politically-motivated public sector employees.

[video=youtube_share;mMTL38osfxs]http://youtu.be/mMTL38osfxs[/video]

After the media brouhaha, Hudak set up on a bridge near Davisville station to announce his plan.


“Whether you are stuck in traffic, or on an overcrowded train, people across the GTA know that the status quo isn’t working,†Hudak said.


“The PCs have a sensible transportation plan that fits together and builds on our strengths: subways, highways and GO.â€


Hudak’s plan calls for the province to take over all rail-based transit and major highways in the GTA, build a downtown relief line, and expand GO Transit and highways.


He vows to do this without raising taxes and promises the plan will create 96,000 jobs.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I love how the guy stands there with his signature insincere smile while his campaign staff to deal with TTC security removing them because of their trespassing. Looks like great leadership to me.

 

[Long Island Mike]

Comparing inner-city Chicago real estate to Toronto: No comparison...

Chicago is very much failed in terms of housing downtown being abandoned, and having little value. I'm not sure why you'd suggest otherwise.

Check out these neighbourhoods, all near the subway (El) on Streetview:

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...=PJI4kt-8R_vLX7kArcIl7A&cbp=12,30.69,,0,11.45

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...=rhM5qr98ZC0fWGXUqTwUxg&cbp=12,143.93,,0,5.38

https://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&l...Brciuph2iOyFiP8Mpg&cbp=12,134.08,,0,0.23&z=16

And then check out real estate values.

There are over 500 single family homes for sale for under $40,000. Start looking at the picture of them. Some look half decent, and are only $15,000. Like this one:http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...hodes-Ave_Chicago_IL_60619_M78013-71756?row=1

Or what about this one, with 2,000 square feet and 3 bedrooms for under $20,000. http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...istee-Ave_Chicago_IL_60617_M82482-64939?row=1

It's about a 15-minute walk from the lake, and a 9-minute walk to the Cheltenham Metra station. You'd be looking at at least $750,000, probably $1 million for something like that in Toronto.

Chicago is a very failed city.

NF and Everyone: I found these Chicago examples interesting because they are close to CTA and/or METRA Electric rail stations and
as mentioned the comparison in Toronto would be worth up to tenfold more...

The difference here is that these South Side neighborhoods are all predominantly black and remembering Chicago's racial segregation
from past time spent on the SW Side (1973-1988) this is a tough sell for many people...

This goes to show that Toronto has suffered little if any from any pronounced "white flight" from deteriorating neighborhoods and from
what I have seen it is more likely that residents are priced out of marginal areas that are undergoing rehabilitation...

One thing that I have learned about Chicago over time is how there are sharp divides between even adjacent neighborhoods
in many ways - housing values being at or near the top...One of the best examples of this is home values in the Hyde Park/
University of Chicago neighborhood compared to Kenwood (S of E 61st St.) to the S and those W of Washington Park to the W...

LI MIKE

 

[Johnny Au]

There is also a sharp divide between rich and poor at Lawrence between the Allen and Bathurst.

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

I haven't been able to find any details of his "plan". Did he actually say that Eglinton would become a true subway line?, because if he did that's going to put the project back a couple of years at least and would probably result in a couple of billion in wasted dollars. I would think the more logical solution at this point would be to complete the Crosstown LRT as scheduled and then, if he really wants a subway, extend the Sheppard line east and west. However, any new transit line is going to take the better part of ten years to plan, design and build so he can promise whatever new lines he wants because we know they will never actually get built on his watch.

Yeah he did, he wants and east west crosstown subway. That's the eglinton crosstown changing to HRT. I think (I don't know for 100 percent sure) that east-west means Pearson Kennedy. He wants one line to connect the whole city.

Being a Sunday I guess the media are not reporting much....but the best I can see from the Globe and Mail would indicate that the east west "crosstown" subway he is talking about is not Eglinton (perhaps would have been wiser not to (re)use the word "Crosstown").

Think about that for a second. That could easily mean connected to the bloor line by the DRL???

 

[TheTigerMaster]

I'm surprised he'd support an Eglinton Crosstown Subway. West of Jane the line would move less people that the Sheppard Subway if it were extended to STC. I don't understand why he'd want to build a useless Eglinton Crosstown Subway over the slightly less useless Sheppard East Subway.

The PCs must have some kind of sick obessession with wasting billions of dollars on subways that nobody will use.