Rob Ford's Toronto

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Bingo. I wish opposition pols could articulate it this well. Porter's hands are all over this, and it's basically a corporate subsidy at the cost of the public deciding the future of the city waterfront.

And the most telling thing is that none of the regulatory bodies (e.g. Transport Canada) aren't willing to reveal or sign off on any plans, or the planes - while Porter is claiming that their non-refundable reservation fees are due. I don't think it pass smell-test 101.

AoD

 

[tiffer24]

BenSpurr 10:24am via Twitter for iPhone
Rob Ford still hasn't arrived.

No sign of Doug either...

 

[soimelk]

To be fair, that high level city official could have picked up that rumour the same we did: by reading UT.

Remember Matlow's tweet from a few months back? Something like, 'Ford escort, I didn't even realize they still made that car."

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I don't see what's so big deal about the HJ (relative to crack smoking and consorting with gangsters), except for the scenario where it is provided by a minor. A person of his postion err, exposing himself that way might be very bad optics, but at the end of the day, there is nothing inherently criminal about it.

However if Doug ever comment on nude people at Pride, this would be something to throw back at him - and made no mistake, the city paid 150K+ for it.

AoD

 

[euler]

Bingo. I wish opposition pols could articulate it this well. Porter's hands are all over this, and it's basically a corporate subsidy at the cost of the public deciding the future of the city waterfront.

I completely disagree with you. There are many airports that can be referred to as "basically Air Canada's private airport", no one whinges when those airports are improved. Porter could go away any moment and the airport would still be improved. They don't own it. We have some of the highest airport fees in the Western world, we don't subsidize jack for airlines. Have you ever wondered why ticket prices are *so much* cheaper in the US?

Porter doesn't own the airport. We're talking about an improvement to the airport. If they can afford to use it as a hub and fly the majority of flights, that's their right. If someone else can, well someone else will.

"It's basically a corporate subsidy"... lol. Is this an April Fool's joke?

 

[Dubster]

So can I say it just to get the jinx out of the way? MAYBE FORD ISN'T THERE YET BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ARRESTED. There. He should be there any minute now.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Porter could go away any moment and the airport would still be improved...
Porter doesn't own the airport. We're talking about an improvement to the airport. If they can afford to use it as a hub and fly the majority of flights, that's their right. If someone else can, well someone else will.

Except that the TPA stated that they are agnostic about the expansion, and it was a Porter-driven proposal.

AoD

 

[Dubster]

I completely disagree with you. There are many airports that can be referred to as "basically Air Canada's private airport", no one whinges when those airports are improved. Porter could go away any moment and the airport would still be improved. They don't own it. We have some of the highest airport fees in the Western world, we don't subsidize jack for airlines. Have you ever wondered why ticket prices are *so much* cheaper in the US?

Porter doesn't own the airport. We're talking about an improvement to the airport. If they can afford to use it as a hub and fly the majority of flights, that's their right. If someone else can, well someone else will.

"It's basically a corporate subsidy"... lol. Is this an April Fool's joke?

Do you seriously think Porter would spend this much political capital to allow competition in their own backyard? If they were truly interested in competing with AC or any other local carrier they'd have set up at Pearson and competed on price. But that model doesn't work. The location is the selling point, price points will remain the same as AC or slightly higher.

 

[tiffer24]

So can I say it just to get the jinx out of the way? MAYBE FORD ISN'T THERE YET BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ARRESTED. There. He should be there any minute now.

Doesn't explain Doug's whereabouts on one of the most important council meeting days...

reporterdonpeat 10:36am via Twitter for iPhone
"He wasn't feeling well this morning but he is planning on coming in" Mayor Rob Ford's chief of staff on Rob Ford

 

[Cooper]

To be fair, that high level city official could have picked up that rumour the same we did: by reading UT.

I'm pretty sure that's what happened. If not UT specifically, then some other part of our collective echo chamber.

 

[euler]

Except that the TPA stated that they are agnostic about the expansion, and it was a Porter-driven proposal.

AoD

So? If we improve traffic on Yonge St which improves sales at all the various shops, and it was a proposal driven by some subset of those shops, is that "basically a corporate subsidy"? It's hilarious, it's Ford-logic to the max. Learning from the best, eh? Literally not understanding the difference between spending money on public property and private property.

Porter pays to use the airport. They pay a LOT. They have the right to make proposals.

"Clean up the park!" "Argh but that costs the city money and then it's a private-citizen subsidy! You clean up the park!"

 

[casita]

Forget those, ask what happens if we had a SARS.

Or another 9/11. The skyscrapers and the Eaton Centre were evacuated that day. So were the court houses at Old City Hall, Osgoode Hall, University Ave.. The CN Tower was also evacuated. There was a crush of evacuees at

Union Station during the middle of the day when so few trains and buses were scheduled. Our Financial District was essentially shut-down and evacuated.

I can imagine the chaos in 2014 with all the construction that's gone on downtown since 2001.

For Toronto, this time, it turned out to be a false alarm. But, who will ever forget the images of Mayor Giuliani that day?

24/7/365 sobriety and availability must be mandatory for a Toronto mayor.

I can't believe that it seems to be of so little importance to so many.

 

[JStrachan]

So can I say it just to get the jinx out of the way? MAYBE FORD ISN'T THERE YET BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ARRESTED. There. He should be there any minute now.

One can dream.




Then one wakes up, comes to the realization that this will in all likelihood never happen, and that for the next 6-7 months our sense of hope and civic pride will continue to erode in a slow and grinding war of attrition.

Hope I'm wrong but Robbie's too rich and connected to get arrested. Again, I hope I am wrong.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

euler:

You just contradicted your own statement - you claim that TPA will undertake the improvement even without Porter, and now turned around and claimed that because Porter pays to use the airport, they have to right to make the proposals. Which is the right version of event, may I ask?

When improvements are made to the benefit of one party disproportionately (recall the issue around slot assignment), the end result is in effect a subsidy.

AoD

 

[Dubster]

So? If we improve traffic on Yonge St which improves sales at all the various shops, and it was a proposal driven by some subset of those shops, is that "basically a corporate subsidy"? It's hilarious, it's Ford-logic to the max. Learning from the best, eh? Literally not understanding the difference between spending money on public property and private property.

Porter pays to use the airport. They pay a LOT. They have the right to make proposals.

"Clean up the park!" "Argh but that costs the city money and then it's a private-citizen subsidy! You clean up the park!"

Except a public thoroughfare is commercially zoned. It already has an accepted use, so traffic improvement doesn't deviate from that use. Expansion of the airport involves determining the purpose and use of the waterfront. It's more like Walmart asking the city to spend tax payer money to raze an adjacent parkland so they can expand into it (and perhaps allow a few other stores to set up shop there too, maybe).