Toronto Mayoral Race

[mentalfloss]

Right now, I know very little about this.. and that is precisely why I created this thread. I can say that in all fairness this will be a race between Ford and Smitherman. That said, there is no official break-down of each of their campaign promises. All the media outlets are giving us news bites that don't really put everything in perspective for us to make an educated vote. So, this thread is not meant to be some sort of partisan slug-fest -- we can debate the pros and cons of each candidate in time.

My intention is to firstly, get enough information to have a fair breakdown of each candidates policies. So far, I know of two main categories that seem to be pertinent to Toronto right now: Taxes and Transportation. Where do the candidates stand on these issues? What other issues are there and where are they divided on those issues?

 

[DurkaDurka]

The campaign has boiled down to basically, anyone not like David Miller.

Ford and Smithermon are both promising to be fiscally responsible and makes cuts where needed without offering any sort of vision on anything else.

The main candidates left are:

Rob Ford--Conservative--Currently leading popularity polls.
Greg Smitherson--Liberal--Former MPP of Ontario and gaining ground on Ford.
Joe Pantalone--NDP Socialist Type--Baggage from the David Miller years and polling quite low.
Rocco Rossi-- Moderate--Polling quite low, no real chance of winning the election.

This elections theme is fiscal responsibility.

 

[Risus]

Who would want Smitherman, who couldn't run the Ontario e-health. That was a fiasco and I am sure the same would happen to Toronto if he was mayor. The only credible option I can see is Ford.

 

[mentalfloss]

I was listening to 680 today and they had an independent economist rate both of their financial plans. They gave Ford a B and Smitherman a B+ whatever that's worth. Reading up on this, I have to say I am not a fan of Ford's idea to replace the trams with subway lines. Everyone who drives in T.O. during peak times is from the suburbs, so the focus should be on extending subway lines to those areas instead and they'll naturally clear up the city.

 

[Liberalman]

The Toronto Mayoral race is a unique one as in George Smitherman will do the better job who is a former deputy premiere a former MPP who had a major portfolio where almost $1 billion was lost to the Ontario tax payer in E-health

George is openly gay has a husband and a newly adopted baby.


Rob Ford a Toronto city Councillor for ten years and all he did was complain about all the wasteful spending that’s why his whole campaign is about money and staff cuts to city hall.

He also helped run the successful family business for 20 years with plants in Canada and America.

He had run problems with the law like public drunkenness and arrested in America for drug possession when he was young.

So if you don’t have morality issues then George Smitherman is the better choice if you do then Rob Ford is the man.
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[DurkaDurka]

I was listening to 680 today and they had an independent economist rate both of their financial plans. They gave Ford a B and Smitherman a B+ whatever that's worth. Reading up on this, I have to say I am not a fan of Ford's idea to replace the trams with subway lines. Everyone who drives in T.O. during peak times is from the suburbs, so the focus should be on extending subway lines to those areas instead and they'll naturally clear up the city.

I think the City of Toronto should set up a toll system for the DVP, Gardener, Lakeshore blvd which charges people based on the area code associated with their license plate. Meaning, 905'ers pay for driving into the city on a daily basis due to them not contributing any tac dollars to the cities coffers.

 

[mentalfloss]

I think the City of Toronto should set up a toll system for the DVP, Gardener, Lakeshore blvd which charges people based on the area code associated with their license plate. Meaning, 905'ers pay for driving into the city on a daily basis due to them not contributing any tac dollars to the cities coffers.

Why would you punish the people that have to come into the city to work? They are the ones actually contributing to its economy simply by working there. If anything, extending the TTC to York Region and Mississauga for instance, will bring additional revenue and reduce a lot of traffic congestion within the core. Your idea will only divert people with lower-salary incomes away from Toronto, and they'll gravitate to competing cities nearby.

 

[Liberalman]

Why would you punish the people that have to come into the city to work? They are the ones actually contributing to its economy simply by working there. If anything, extending the TTC to York Region and Mississauga for instance, will bring additional revenue and reduce a lot of traffic congestion within the core. Your idea will only divert people with lower-salary incomes away from Toronto, and they'll gravitate to competing cities nearby.

I am sure if they were able to work closer to home they would but they can’t so they come into Toronto where the high paying jobs are.

As for the TTC being extended into the cities that surround Toronto the only problem with that is the cities don’t want it because they are losing money.

The TTC does not have an electronic fare box on their vehicles so the monies owed to the cities are estimation in Toronto’s favour.

Tolls are one way of reducing congestion from the roads and are a good moneymaker to fix the aging infrastructures while keeping property and business taxes from rising.

Eventually tolls will be on all major streets in the GTA, which means more demand for buses or Go trains.

This is the problem with high density housing more people per square mile, which the city planners never put into their models.
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[DurkaDurka]

Why would you punish the people that have to come into the city to work? They are the ones actually contributing to its economy simply by working there. If anything, extending the TTC to York Region and Mississauga for instance, will bring additional revenue and reduce a lot of traffic congestion within the core. Your idea will only divert people with lower-salary incomes away from Toronto, and they'll gravitate to competing cities nearby.

It's not punishing them, it's paying their fair share. I don't believe it's fair that residents of Toronto should be the sole monetary contributors to freeway systems that are used by many non-residents.

How can you we ever expand the subway systems when there is a lack of funds to do so, that's why I think people who do not reside in Toronto should pay a toll to help fund subway expansion and proper road maintenance.

1. Reduce Congestion
2. Reduce road maintenance
3. Fund public transit expansion
4. Reduce emissions.

 

[lone wolf]

How much of that road funding, right down to the TTC and GO Transit, comes from Ontario?

 

[DurkaDurka]

How much of that road funding, right down to the TTC and GO Transit, comes from Ontario?

Go Transit has nothing to do with Toronto, it's a provincial corporation. The TTC is solely funded by ticket fares and general revenue from the city with the exception of "Transit City" which looks like it's dead in the water.

 

[mentalfloss]

Hmm.. Good points all around. I guess it would not be in the city's best interest to extend subway lines and perhaps toll roads are in order. Going back go the idea of stripping trams in favour of subway lines within the city though - is that really practical? Does it really help congestion or transit within the city? And is it really the most cost-effective solution?

 

[DurkaDurka]

Hmm.. Good points all around. I guess it would not be in the city's best interest to extend subway lines and perhaps toll roads are in order. Going back go the idea of stripping trams in favour of subway lines within the city though - is that really practical? Does it really help congestion or transit within the city?

Ideally, there should be no tolls but the roads in Toronto are sorely in need of work.

I think the talk of getting rid of streetcars in favor of more subways is just talk. Work has already begun on the expansion and the costs of tearing it out and building subway tunnels would be astronomical.

 

[Liberalman]

Ideally, there should be no tolls but the roads in Toronto are sorely in need of work.

I think the talk of getting rid of streetcars in favor of more subways is just talk. Work has already begun on the expansion and the costs of tearing it out and building subway tunnels would be astronomical.

There is always the sky trains

Cheaper than a subway can be installed over a major roadway and will reduce traffic congestion

 

[Risus]

It's not punishing them, it's paying their fair share. I don't believe it's fair that residents of Toronto should be the sole monetary contributors to freeway systems that are used by many non-residents.

How can you we ever expand the subway systems when there is a lack of funds to do so, that's why I think people who do not reside in Toronto should pay a toll to help fund subway expansion and proper road maintenance.

1. Reduce Congestion
2. Reduce road maintenance
3. Fund public transit expansion
4. Reduce emissions.

All you are proposing is just another tax. You do that and it will just drive people and businesses away. Besides, how much money do you think public transit would get from road tolls? After all the red tape there sure wouldn't be much left. As far as congestion goes, all you are doing is moving it to the transit stations, where there isn't enough parking.

 

[DurkaDurka]

All you are proposing is just another tax. You do that and it will just drive people and businesses away. Besides, how much money do you think public transit would get from road tolls? After all the red tape there sure wouldn't be much left. As far as congestion goes, all you are doing is moving it to the transit stations, where there isn't enough parking.

905's are not voting for the Toronto mayor are they?

How would a toll drive business away? The 407 seems to do pretty good for it self.