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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Councillor Gary Crawford has just reversed his decision on deferring the transit funding recommendations. And the wall crumbles a little more ....
 
I have to believe that the conservative business community is angered and wants to get rid of this clown. The Globe and Mail is fed up, and now the National Post is too - the conservative pro-business papers. Big business in this city is pushing very hard to get the new revenue tools/taxes in place. Yes, they don't really want to pay too much to get it, so progressive income taxation and direct corporate taxes are not amongst their recommendations (sales taxes and fuel taxes are fine IMO, but they do have a disproportionate effect). You could get Mel Lastman, for example, behind it given he was part of that PC old boys club along with Godfrey and Tory.

Never before have I seen so many businesses actively advocate for new taxes. Fingers crossed that the business community will use their influence to get this clown (Ford) out of office.
 
At risk of sounding psychologically afflicted, I do have to say that I have visions of defenestrations dancing in my mind. They got rid of unwanteds proppa in the 19th.
 
Never before have I seen so many businesses actively advocate for new taxes. Fingers crossed that the business community will use their influence to get this clown (Ford) out of office.

People need to wake up to what is really happening.

What do you think is the reason why Bay street is pushing for these transit funding "tools"? What Bay street wants is a sell-off of highways similar to what happened with the sell-off , for pennies-on-the-dollar, of highway 407.

This is just another way for the Liberals to plunder $Billions from the Ontario treasury. They have gone as far as they can go with their green energy scams that are costing us $BILLIONS so the Liberals have to find another way to loot the province.

As with the green energy scam it is all being done under the guise of a good cause. With greed energy the noble cause was clean air for future generations. With the push to put tolls on our highway's the noble cause is funding public transportation expansion.

I can't get over how gullible people are. Do you really think that we can trust this Liberal government with $Billions in new revenue? This is one of the most corrupt governments in the history of Canada!
 
Kristyn Wong-Tam offers to explain how politics works to Mayor Ford: http://www.thestar.com/news/city_ha...ain_how_politics_works_to_mayor_rob_ford.html

More off-putting arrogance from Kristyn Wong-Tam.

First of all the Toronto Star completely took Rob Ford's words out of context (as they usually do). Rob Ford did not offer to "explain politics to women".

This is not just my opinion. One of Ford's biggest critics, Edward Keenan, came to his defense in this article:

http://www.thegridto.com/blog-post/a-rare-defence-of-rob-ford/

So as we see from the rare defense of Rob Ford in "The Grid" there was nothing wrong with what Rob Ford said. His comments were not "patronizing" just the opposite - and yet this smug rookie Councillor had to seize on this and organize an event where she presents herself as an expert on politics? KWT is far from an expert on politics in fact she does not seem to have a clue what her job entails. She got elected by the slimmest of margins and it is unlikely that she will win re-election considering how many people in her ward can't stand her (if you don't believe me go to Xtra.ca and see what people are saying about KWT!).
 
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People need to wake up to what is really happening.

What do you think is the reason why Bay street is pushing for these transit funding "tools"? What Bay street wants is a sell-off of highways similar to what happened with the sell-off , for pennies-on-the-dollar, of highway 407.

This is just another way for the Liberals to plunder $Billions from the Ontario treasury. They have gone as far as they can go with their green energy scams that are costing us $BILLIONS so the Liberals have to find another way to loot the province.

As with the green energy scam it is all being done under the guise of a good cause. With greed energy the noble cause was clean air for future generations. With the push to put tolls on our highway's the noble cause is funding public transportation expansion.

I can't get over how gullible people are. Do you really think that we can trust this Liberal government with $Billions in new revenue? This is one of the most corrupt governments in the history of Canada!

So you're opposed to revenue raising. How do you want to fund transit expansion? Maybe you don't.

Wasn't it the Harris government that sold the 407? Have the Liberals indicated that they want to privatize the roads? Isn't privatization a conservative cure-all?

Let's assume the Liberals want to privatize the roads and the business community believes that's a possibility - you really think they think they can skim a profit from that somehow? How many businesses could possibly get their hands into that transaction? It's not more likely that they'd be in support of it because congestion causes billions in lost productivity and hurts the competitiveness of the region?

Maybe I misunderstood; if I didn't the contortions in your scenario-making are downright risible.

lol. Come on man.
 
So you're opposed to revenue raising. How do you want to fund transit expansion? Maybe you don't.

Yes I'm opposed to raising taxes. How do I want to fund transit expansion? How about cutting waste. Where to start? The Sunshine list would be a good place to start. The opportunities are endless for cutting costs if you have the political will.

Wasn't it the Harris government that sold the 407? Have the Liberals indicated that they want to privatize the roads? Isn't privatization a conservative cure-all?

That's right it was Harris who sold the 407. He was either incredibly stupid for doing so OR he got a big kick-back from the Spanish buyer.

Is privatization a conservative cure-all?

It's not just a conservative cure-all, the Liberals have cashed in on privatization also. What do you think the Green Energy Act is? It is the Liberal government making deals with private companies (including companies owned by well-connected Liberals such as the former President of the Ontario Liberal Party) to purchase a guaranteed amount of renewable energy at a guaranteed exorbitant rate , i.e. a license to print money. 80% of the green energy contracted for is produced at times when it is not needed and therefore it has to be sold at a huge loss to the States. $2 Billion has been lost on such transactions according to the auditor general in the past few years. Losses will continue to grow as more "clean and renewable" energy comes online. As a result ratepayers have been saddled with huge increases in energy costs. Industrial users have seen prices increase 30% in four years forcing many manufacturing and resource companies to shut-down and put 100,000's out-of-work in Ontario. The damage done to Ontario by the Green Energy Act ("fathered" by George Smitherman) is almost incalculable!

Let's assume the Liberals want to privatize the roads and the business community believes that's a possibility - you really think they think they can skim a profit from that somehow? How many businesses could possibly get their hands into that transaction? It's not more likely that they'd be in support of it because congestion causes billions in lost productivity and hurts the competitiveness of the region?

Of course the Liberal's can skim a profit from putting tolls on highways - the same way that they profited from the Green Energy Act - award contracts to companies that friends and family have close ties to (did you know that Premier Wynnes wife is half owner in a consulting company that does much of it's business with the Ontario Government? The Ministry of Health being one of its biggest customers? She is President of the Osborne Group http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/jane-rounthwaite/12/b28/428 you can read all about it here: http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/10/wynnes-spouse-has-business-with-government)
 
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Got to love how a thread about Rob Ford became a thread about the Liberals, yet again.

Anyways, it's no secret that the private sector is salivating over infrastructure - but let's not forget it is Rob Ford who suggested the private sector will build subways for "free", not to mention quips about the said sector fixing the Gardiner. Or the cozy relationship between Porter and our mayor.

Beyond that - tolling an existing, publically owned highway is very different from BOTM schemes and selloff to the private sector.

As to thr bit about Rob Ford and his quip - we have a council where fully one third of the councillors are women, and yet we have an Exec committee with just ONE token female. I do believe actions speaks louder than words.

That, and don't forget the vitriol heaped on Karen Stintz and Sarah Thompson.


AoD
 
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Yes, yes, we have heard that before - like the two years of cutting the gravy got us the private sector subways, right? Everyone can do creative acccounting with no account of political calculus - show me the meat and get me the transit instead. Hudak has been remarkably evasive about what transit improvements he will deliver hasn't he? Certainly someone this confident about the amount of waste can tell us exactly how much one can deliver after eliminating it.

As to KWT - well, considering her close second was Ken Chan, who was Smitherman's and Rae's pick, I am sure you can see the silver lining. The comments section of Xtra is about as worthwhile as, I don't know, a roll of Royale?

AoD
 
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Councillor Gary Crawford has just reversed his decision on deferring the transit funding recommendations. And the wall crumbles a little more ....

While I'm pleased that he is changing his mind, I wish he'd given the issue more thought 'prior' to voting. If he had, it would be before council for discussion, and not 'on hold' while they look for a mechanism to achieve that end.
 
For some reason, Doug Ford has the same letter published in both the Post and the Globe. The Post article even says "Special to National Post".

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...-to-new-taxes-ontarians-pay-too-much-already/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/comm...n-transit-plan-to-the-people/article11559826/

EDIT: It's in the Sun, too, of course
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/04/26/taxpayers-being-bled-dry-doug-ford

I guess his provincial campaign has started. Also, one can't help but notice he's just bellyaching, with no alternative plan to be heard.

Long on complaints, short on ideas beyond "gravy - me no likey"

Doug Ford: Time to put an end to new taxes — Ontarians pay too much already

Doug Ford, Special to National Post | 13/04/26 | Last Updated: 13/04/26 2:41 AM ET

COMMENT

A recent study by the Fraser Institute has shown that Canadian families are spending more on taxes each year than they do on the basic necessities of life.

Despite this, there are those who want us to blindly support a plan that will put $50-billion of new taxes on the backs of hardworking Ontarians.

Metrolinx and the Province want to increase your taxes, by how much? $800 a year? $900 a year? $1,000 a year? The truth is, we just don’t know, because they won’t tell us.

This, from a provincial government that has shown us, one boondoggle after the next, that it does not deserve your trust.

How many subway lines could have been built over the last 10 years with the billions of dollars this province wasted on an eHealth system that never worked, helicopters they never needed and gas plants they never built?

Under the Liberals, our province’s budget has ballooned to a staggering $124-billion. We are spending $11-billion a year on interest alone for the $260-billion debt accumulated during their watch. Now they are asking you to hand them over more of your hard-earned money. Where will it end?

What will your family have to give up to pay for these new taxes? Very few people have money in their pockets today that they don’t already need for something else — like food on their table, rent, daycare, transportation, clothing, etc. Ontario is already an expensive-enough place to live.

This is not about visions of city building, or transit expansion. Folks, don’t be misled, this is about finding new ways to raise your taxes.

They want a sales tax, a vehicle tax, a gas tax, a parking tax, a payroll tax, toll lanes — the list goes on and on, and on.

Tax, tax, tax, spend, spend, spend.

Until the provincial government is willing to look internally at its inflated budget, to engage the private sector, to exhaust every other available avenue, we can’t justify a series of costly new taxes on residents who are already telling us they just can’t afford it.

In an undertaking of this size, Ontarians must be given the opportunity to have their say. I call the Premier to take her plan to the people, and let them decide if they trust this government with another $50-billion of their hard-earned money.
 
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How many subway lines could have been built over the last 10 years with the billions of dollars this province wasted on an eHealth system that never worked, helicopters they never needed and gas plants they never built?

Actually, less than the proposed Sheppard Subway extension. Besides, even if that waste is eliminated, you are still looking at a deficit of around 10B, which means by default you'd still have to find additional funding unless you want to add to the deficit.

AoD
 
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