Rob Ford's Toronto

[canmark]

Well the obvious cat is out of the bag in a big way.

Doug Ford says he will run for Ontario PCs if Dalton McGuinty calls an election

Pam McConnell's quote was funny. And when D. Ford says "If they call an election this summer, I’ll be gone in 10 seconds," what does it say for his dedication to his present job?

Councillor Pam McConnell, a left-wing opponent of the Fords, said: “I think he should make his mark on the provincial government as he’s made it on the city government. I’d look forward to him doing that.”

 

[Lenser]

When was the last time you checked - 6 to 8 years ago.

For most of the period from 10 to 35 years ago, Ontario was the top province. Now we are a have not province.

The only thing the Liberals are "doing fine" at is politics, where incredibly they continue to win elections despite their record of broken promises and poor results.

Attributing Ontario's decline to Liberal rule is far too simplistic and smacks of facile partisanship. The province's slide began some time ago and the reasons for it are the much same ones behind the slippage of US dominance in global economic and political affairs. North America is rapidly moving into a post-industrial phase; other countries are taking up that banner and we've lost the ability to carry it. If on the other hand your economy is largely resourced-base (as it is in Western Canada) then you're still good to go.

Whether the Liberals or the Conservatives had exclusive provincial watch over the last twenty years, the results would be the same - the slow but steady marginalization of light and heavy manufacturing in south-western Ontario, a once-mighty economic engine for the country. Few would have predicted it a quarter century ago - well before the astonishing dominance of Walmart, Costco and Made in China everything - and it would have been political suicide to have sounded so drastic and pessimistic.

The Liberals, for all their faults, didn't betray Ontario. We were hit by a much bigger phenomenon than something a mere political party could cause.

 

[cdr108]

When was the last time you checked - 6 to 8 years ago.

For most of the period from 10 to 35 years ago, Ontario was the top province. Now we are a have not province.

The only thing the Liberals are "doing fine" at is politics, where incredibly they continue to win elections despite their record of broken promises and poor results.

origins could be traced to the fed conservatives 'free trade' agreements which have decimated Ontario's manufacturing sector when the CDN $ got closer to parity.

have you forgotten that Mike Harris' reign in Ontario came after an NDP gov't and Canada-wide recession ...
the Common Sense Revolution platform resulted in slash and burn from 1995 to 2002.

some highlights:

* Harris PC government cut funding of major urban infrastructure projects upon assuming office. Though construction had already begun on the Eglinton West subway in Toronto, a proposed rapid transit line to ultimately link the main north/south subway line of the city with the suburbs and airport, funding was cancelled shortly after Harris' election.

* cut healthcare spending and education spending

* sold off various government-owned enterprises, the largest of which Ontario Hydro and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, (both of which were making money) and hwy 407 was leased to a private consortium after it constructed and paid for by taxpayers.

* amalgamation of Toronto. The Conservatives stated that the move would eliminate duplication of services and increase efficiency, however while the amalgamation produced substantial dislocation in the delivery of civic services, the amalgamation of Toronto shows no quantitative evidence of cost-savings has been produced.

* financial responsibility for provincial income assistance programs were "downloaded" to municipalities, increasing the burden on municipal tax bases.

* even with a strong economy the Ontario provincial debt increased by an additional $20 Billion between 1995 and 1999 due to the lost revenue and borrowing required to fund Harris' massive tax cuts.

 

[Tee]

Pam's tongue was firmly planted in her cheek, LOL. She just wants Ford #2 outta city hall. He and his brother are soooooo full of themselves, it's laughable. Each of them is like the Emperor with no clothes. They've been 'enabled' all of their lives and propped up by Daddy's money. They are at once obnoxious, childish blowhards, who worship at the alter of anti-intellectualism. What an embarrassment they are.

 

[adma]

It looks like Etobicoke North will soon be the home of a ferris wheel, daily Margaret Atwood book burnings, and 3 Timmy's locations for every constituent. I can't wait to take the Etobicoke North monorail with express service to Cloverdale Mall and Sherway Gardens in the future!

Will it necessarily be Etobicoke North? Sure, he may represent an Etobicoke North ward; but the "panhandle" the Ford parental homestead is in is now part of Etobicoke Centre, which is a far surer bet as a potential Tory seat (and a truer "successor seat" to that of Doug Ford Sr. in the 90s)

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

The main problem I see with Doug Ford winning is that he would constantly stick his nose into City Hall and tell the replacement Councillor for Etobicoke-North what to do and how to do it.

 

[jn_12]

From what I read in the newspaper these days, the NDP and PC seem to have more support in Ontario. I would like to see the NDP get a shot at governing Ontario and show people what they can do.

You seem to be basing your assumption only from what you see and hear in Toronto. Ontario stretches far beyond the '416' boundary

At the same time, we've gone through two elections now where McGuinty and the Liberals were supposedly "in trouble" (as much as 15 percentage points behind the Tories only 3 months before the 2011 election) and managed to come out fine. The only difference today versus previous elections is that the NDP is currently fairly strong. I don't think polls have said much in Ontario politics in a while.

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

origins could be traced to the fed conservatives 'free trade' agreements which have decimated Ontario's manufacturing sector when the CDN $ got closer to parity.

While I agree with your rant about Harris, the free trade agreements (BTW, why the quotes?) haven't decimated Ontario's manufacturing sector. Tariff barriers wouldn't have helped an overpriced industry (b/c I'm assuming you're talking about autos) and the food processing and financial services industries, to name a couple, have benefited hugely from free trade. A Canadian dollar at $0.67 was well below implied value and if the auto sector used it as a crutch, they should have known better. $0.92 is considered 'fair value', and any manufacturing company that didn't use that number + a 'cushion' deserved its fate.

 

[jje1000]

A surprisingly illuminating quote from BlogTO. Replace bags with anything city council does against Ford's will and you'll get more of the same.

Behold, the evolution of our BlogTO comment strategy:

Ford Nation then: "Attaboy, Rob! Sure, cutting the sandwich budget only amounts to 0.00000000000001% of the city budget, but every penny counts! Pennies add up to dollars! It's not the amount, it's the principle!"

Ford Nation now: "What's the big deal? Bags are only like 1% of landfills. Why are we wasting time debating this small number?"

---

Ford Nation then: "Boy, you lefties just fall apart when someone tries to take something away. Someone closes your library? Big deal - just walk a little more to the next one. Get some perspective already -- we've all got to learn to make do with less."

Ford Nation now: "But.... but... doggie doo! Garbage bags! Germs in my food! Cats kissing dogs! Anarchy in the streets! Take away my bags and everything falls apart!"

---

Ford Nation then: "I am so sick and tired of lefties who want everything for free. If you love that stupid urban farm so much, then you won't mind ponying up some cash to get into it, right? Nothing in life is free, so just suck it up."

Ford Nation now: "What? Take away my free bags? Well, you can bet your bippy I'll be doing ALL my shopping in Mississauga. Sure, I'll spend more in gas and waste more time in traffic for the sake of a piece of plastic, but it'll be worth it. Outrageous, how they expect us to pay for things we ought to get for free."

---

Ford Nation then: "Shovels in the ground! Dig now and the money will follow! Tear up that waterfront! I am so sick of all these debates and reports and nothing getting done in this city!"

Ford Nation now: "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't just vote on these things without consulting voters and stakeholders. When did it become a crime to put some thought into these things before we vote on them?"

---

Ford Nation then: "Heh, heh. Suck it up, lefties. Rob Ford's in charge now, and that means what we say goes. God, I love watching those lefty councillors fuming when they don't get their way -- serves them right for not doing things the way I want!"

Ford Nation now: "You know, this bag ban was purely political, and I am aghast that people can be so petty and spiteful in politics. This is about the future of our city, not some serving some juvenile political vendetta."

 

[Torontovibe]

That about sums up their hypocrisy. lol

 

[Urban Shocker]

I enjoy watching Ford lose from a schadenfreude POV.

SchadenFord.

 

[Hanlansboy]

Honestly, why even bother discussing this further? It's wasted energy, we all know what he stands for, or rather, doesn't stand for. I've lived in this city all of my 43 years, and never, in memory, have I witnessed so much anger and disgust towards our mayor, speaks for itself. However, I do recall his reaction to a developer, on CityTV, who was proposing a new development in the St Lawrence Market area that was 20 floors taller then city codes would allow. I believe his exact words were "well, I'm a businessman, let's talk and we can work it out" what does that mean I wonder? He takes bribes? He was willing to work with him? What do you think? On a personal note, I've never liked the man, his record works against him, and he's just too low brow to be the representation of an Alpha World city like Toronto, or am I just imagining the entire thing? (I think not)

 

[CanadianNational]

Did anyone catch that Doug wants his daughter to run? Yes - the "lingerie football" daughter with no demonstrable political inclination nor experience? Also, with the same amount of non-experience, his wife?

"Doug Ford has mused privately about having his daughter Krista, a college student, fitness buff and former Lingerie Football League player, run to replace him at council. The family and its advisers have also talked about Doug’s wife Karla, a competitive adult cheerleader, running for office."
From the Toronto Star.

 

[jje1000]

Honestly, why even bother discussing this further? It's wasted energy, we all know what he stands for, or rather, doesn't stand for. I've lived in this city all of my 43 years, and never, in memory, have I witnessed so much anger and disgust towards our mayor, speaks for itself. However, I do recall his reaction to a developer, on CityTV, who was proposing a new development in the St Lawrence Market area that was 20 floors taller then city codes would allow. I believe his exact words were "well, I'm a businessman, let's talk and we can work it out" what does that mean I wonder? He takes bribes? He was willing to work with him? What do you think? On a personal note, I've never liked the man, his record works against him, and he's just too low brow to be the representation of an Alpha World city like Toronto, or am I just imagining the entire thing? (I think not)

Discussion needs to continue to prevent this from happening again. There are many people in this city who are willing to overlook his lies and failures and would vote for him again based solely on pocketbook issues.

 

[typezed]

It wouldn't be surprising if Krista Ford is one day elected to council. Rob Ford is there due to the name recognition and networks of his father. Doug Ford is there because he's the brother of Rob Ford. Adam Vaughan is the son of a former councilor. David Shiner's mother was a prominent North York councilor. Josh Colle's father is a former councilor now MPP. Michelle Berardinetti's husband is a former councilor now MPP. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Colle and Berardinetti are somehow related by marriage. Maria Augemeri's much older husband was a MPP when she was first elected. Frances Nunziata's brother was a councilor. Those are only the ones I know about, because the connections are obvious. Family gets the decision making posts, then they spend considerable time setting up hiring and search committees to go halfway across the globe to find anyone they think might be suitable for a leadership position in the staff.