Hey Ana Bailao - Take Note

Recurring Issues and Ramping Up for Change?

* PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: We should all be disturbed that being a pedestrian in Toronto can be a dangereous - and increasingly so - activity. SIXTEEN Pedestrians Hit Over Two Days - One of Them KILLED: http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101118/101118_hit?hub=CP24Home That pedestrian killed was a 50 year old woman at Dundas and Dupont ( http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/local/article/905077--pedestrian-struck-killed-near-dundas-and-dupont ). It angers me that every time the media report on this, the message seems to be blaming the pedestrian, not the rushing drivers that hit them. In a related Spacing story, the often quoted Sgt. Tim Burrow comments that the media are the ones that seem to blame pedestrians, not the police: http://spacingtoronto.ca/2010/11/19/sharing-responsibility-for-pedestrian-safety/ In a big city increasingly becoming car-centric and cyclist/pedestrian unfriendly, I fear things will get much worse. Despite having a 'Pedestrian Charter' and some inroads on building a sensible cucling structure, we now have to deal with the Ford agenda. Who will stand up for the people in ward 18, many of whom are like the rest of the city aging and slowing down ?

* METROLINX- ELECTRIC TRAINS ? Yes this is still an ongoing fight. It seems everyone does NOT want polutting diesel trains running through our ward (and others), yet it is still being rammed down our throats by the non-elected entity. http://www.junctiontriangle.ca/node/915#comment-2767 My fervent hope is that Ana doesn't take the expedient political manoeuver of saying - 'oh that's a provincial issue'... kind of hard when she is a Liberal and it is the Dalton McGuinty driven initiative at its core. I actually know of a resident who is considering moving away because of this. I suspect there are more. How exactly will Ana stand up for the people of ward 18 in this matter? (Better than the non-entity Tony Ruprecht, I hope)

* DAYCARE DILEMMA: Yes,. I know it's across the street from ward 18, but the city-run Dovercourt Child Care Centre just north of College Street gave notice it is quite suddenly closing in just 6 weeks. http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/education/article/895033--toronto-parents-angered-by-closing-of-city-run-daycare We all know that most families have two parents working to be able to afford living in the city, so this is an unacceptable hardship and a step backward for Toronto. In the past we've seen closings of daycars the other direction for ward 18 near High Park (unbelievable community complaints there were 'too many' daycares on the street). This needs to be dealt with FAST by incoming council. There is a great fear that the Rob Ford administration in its crusade against "the gravy train" will cut many city services... What will Ana Bailao do?

* VOICE OF RESIDENTS: Ana Bailao during the election campaign, like everyone else running, said that community-councillor relations and representing the voice of the ward to city hall (and not vice-versa) was a priority issue and promise. (Reconfirmed in today's Toronto Star article http://www.thestar.com/news/torontocouncil/article/895074--city-hall-rookies-2010-ana-bail-o ). Ana "plans to launch a community advisory board made up of residents who have a mix of ideas and a mix of experience, including local business people, planners and environmentalists". This was said in relation to local residents having a say in future development in ward 18 - but I hope she expands it to become an advisory panel on other issues, not just development. If there was one key thing that the people are looking for to be different in the ward, it is to be the exact opposite of Adam Giambrone when it comes to timely consultation with ALL the ward and allowing input to inform actions at council.

* Some recommendations for her 'Community Advisory Board": Frank de Jong (environmentalist); Please NOT Spiro Koumoudouros - Bloordale BIA and strip club owner (He is simply speculating on tons of properties in Bloor Lansdowne area); I don't klnow exactly who, but it would be nice to reach out to the NDPers... Kevin Beaulieu? ... at least, I hope all members live in the ward or have an active interest in it. What about Hema Vyas as someone who knows multiple cultural interests? And just what sort of mix of ideas is Ana looking for? Doug Carroll had some interesting things to say about city governance. There have also been many engaged people in the ward, like: Dyan Marie, Jack Fava, Sam Galati, Steve Barbosa, Kirk Russell, (and me)..... AND what about HIMY SYED who ran for mayor, is a Muslim, lives in the near area and is the most civic engaged person I have ever met with tons of knowledge and wisdom? How will she put such minds to work?

* DUNDAS PARKING RESTORATION: Again quoted in the above referenced Toronto Star article, Ana says that's the first thing she'll do on council. It shouldn't be hard, given Rob Ford's love affair with anything that involves individual motor vehicles. Yet, it is a double edged sword, since TRANSIT (TTC) is also an important issue for most of the ward. 41% of the work trips in ward 18 are by transit - an often reported statistic in profiles of the ward: http://torontoist.com/politics/ward18.php As well. pretty much all of the runnbers up in the election were in favour of 'Complete Streets' where we give equal weight to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, cars, transit, seniors, disabled, etc. How will Ana handle the TTC issues at council?

* POVERTY: In an article from the Hamilton Spectator about provincial (non) reponse to poverty issues, they said: " The City of Hamilton is tied with TORONTO for the highest poverty rate in Ontario, at 20 PER CENT of its population " Source: http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/277949--ten-things-queen-s-park-needs-to-know-about-hamilton-s-demographics Now whther that is accurate or not, we know that ONE THIRD of ward 18 residents live on less than $30,000 a year in our very expensive Toronto - and that many live below the poverty line on less than $12,000 a year. All you have to do to see the need is visit a Food Bank or see tha constant dire warnings that demand is outpacing supply. HUNGER, HOMELESSNESS, POVERTY, WORKING POOR do exist in ward 18, Ana. Despite the ongoing gentrification of our area and the rise of upscale yuppie-artsie boutiques and eateries, there is still those left behind. What will Ana do to respond to this?

* CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: So, I am wondering where Ana will locate her ward constituency office - if she has one. There is no requirement for councillors to do this, and in today's The Star article she says she "will hold weekly open office hours at community centres across the ward". Not a bad idea if she can do it and it is well publicized and equally rotating. I actually favour heving city-owned lodgings located in a central geographic area of the ward that is wheelchair/disabled accessible and close to public transit. (This stops politicians from favouring one part of the ward over another). But... rotating is good if equitably done.

Davenport Deserved Better - Did We Get It?
The NEW City Council meets December 6-7.
We shall see... If We Watch....

PARTY POLITICS AT CITY HALL and MY CHOICE FOR MAYOR

October 16: YIMBY Visits and A Historical Perspective on Party Politics

I visited YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard) today and all I got was ... a lot of energy! Passionate people who'd done their research and could back up their stands on their diverse concerns.
YIMBY website: http://www.gladstonehotel.com/events/exhibitions/yimby

Wouldn't it be great if before the elected City Council took the stage and began their motions, votes and changes - they held a city-wide YIMBY at City Hall with the same flavours?

Call it Job Preparation Training, required for all councillors before they even took an oath of office. That way, once the business of being a councillor began, they would each and every one be starting on the same page insofar as what the communities saw as concerns.

Yes, election campaigns are also supposed to be about candidates listening at the doors of every voter - and many proudly proclaim they have done that - but how can we be sure they've heard all the voices and reasearch that is out there?

We all remember a famously short-lived Conservative Prime Minister who said "Elections are not a time to discuss serious issues" - and yes, she paid dearly for that. But the context was that some issues take more than superficial campaign debates with simple slogans and not much depth.

It concerns me that at the Mayoral level, the media-chose so-called front-runners have been given an enormous amount of media attention while providing little of substance. There are so many holes in their respective platforms that some media do backup stories to investigate bold claims with no depth of truth. http://www.thestar.com/Topic/smelltest

That's why after a lot of inner conflict that involved questions I think most Torontonians share:

- should I vote strategically, pick the least worst of the bad front-runners I see?
- will strategic voting even work to keep out the one I dislike the most?
- should I vote with my heart or with my head?

I have decided to use BOTH my head and my heart and will vote for and have endorsed

HIMY SYED for Mayor

He has a very well thought out platform and is extremely knowledgeable about the city ( and I mean city-wide not just a section or two). He believes in himself and the power of the people in Toronto and is an articulate, intelligent man who would represent Toronto well on the world stage. An element, albeit not an over-riding one, is that he can help to represent the diversity that is Toronto and can be proof that our Toronto includes everyone.

I urge voters to have a look at him as an antidote to the same old party political 'bash the other guy' that Ford, Pantalone and Smitherman have been doing. I want a Mayor with depth not silly sound bytes.
To learn more about HIMY SYED : http://oct25.ca/aobtd and http://himysyed.com/
---
Torontoist's Historicist does a great look back to 1969 when power-player Liberal Keith Davey tried to initiate full blown party politics at the municipal level http://torontoist.com/2010/10/historicist_looking_for_a_liberal_to_lead_us.php

'BigWig' Davey argued that " a slate of candidates running on a common program would provide voters with a higher quality of choices than picking out the platforms they liked the best from the divergent personalities that tended to run for office... We'll end the era of two-bit politics"

* Really? two-bit politics? That's 25 cents worth and seems to say local politics is kid stuff.

Read the article for the full story, but in essence because of backroom promises and power brokers, it failed miserably. This should be a lesson we need to remember, not re-learn by making new old mistakes.

I particularly like the phrase " divergent personalities ", because that is exactly what we have in pretty much every local ward level campaign, as voters try to get to know the candidates at a core level, past the slogans. platitudes and promises.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we knew as much about the character, behaviour and tendencies of the people we welect as we do about contestants on reality/survivor shows? Then voters would how they might vote on things that affect us that have not happened or been dreamed of yet.

Until then, let us at least learn from the past that party politics do not belong at City Hall in its current structure. We need a City Councillor who is notr beholden to any party machinery, because...

DAVENPORT DESERVES BETTER

MAYORAL RACE BIG MOMENT

ROCCO ROSSI - DID - DROP OUT OF THE RACE !

Twitter is all a-twitter with speculation that Rocco Rossi is going to announce at his 9pm news conference that he is going to drop out of the race.... It is 8:57pm as I type this... You okay, Toronto? Breathe, just breathe...

New poll out today says Smitherman at 31%, Ford at 30% , Pantalone at 11% and Rossi at 4% and going down. They also say 25% of Torontonians are undecided (I think the undecideds were higher, based on all the people I talked to).

So, TO?

Do you like Liberal George Smitherman who will bring his big party political machine to City Hall.... or Rob Ford who will (try) to bring a big Conservative party political machine to City Hall.... or Joe Pantalone, who will continue on as is with the NDP-leftist party machine at City Hall?

Or maybe now the media could realize there are other mayoral candidates in waiting like Himy Syed? Nah, that would be expecting a media that does real journalism.
----------

Of course, both Sarah Thomson and Rocco Rossi names will still be on the ballot..... Toronto could still vote for one of the two as a 'None of the Above-I am not happy with my choices' vote.... hmmmm ?

----------

Seriously. We have NO CHOICE of not having big partisan party politics at City Hall now?

I can just see candidates across the 44 wards drooling at the thought they might suddenly be CONNECTED because of their big party machine ties.

In Ward 18:

Ana Bailao must be dancing thinking her man Smitherman will give her some juicy plum job...
or maybe she's waiting to inherit Ruprecht's old job (plan B)?

Kevin Beaulieu must be praying that Joey Pants suddenly wakes up and campaigns for real so he can get a plum insiders job - again.

If ever there was a time we needed an INDEPENDENT CITY COUNCILLOR in ward 18 it is NOW ! We need someone with the guts to stand up for all groups in our community, not someone who might toe the party line and hide in the shadows.

DAVENPORT DESERVES BETTER !

GOOD CHOICES HIDDEN FROM VOTERS

BIG MEDIA AT FAULT FOR FRUSTRATING MAYORAL RACE
... and Poor Understanding of Local Ward Races

Eyeweekly.com just did a really interesting story on how the media has overlooked some good contenders for the Mayoral race, and shows how the media played kingmakers in raising fringe candidate Sarah Thomson's star: http://www.eyeweekly.com/city/mayoralrace2010/article/103423

Mayoral candidate HIMY SYED definitely deserves real consideration, not only for his intelligence and awareness of all things Toronto or for his prolific and insightful comments via social media like Twitter ( http://twitter.com/#!/HiMYSYeD ) , but also because he has a real, detailed platform and not just platitudes or attacks on other candidates. He is a serious candidate for what Toronto needs in my view and deserves a seat at the big folks table.

---
With regard to local ward races, I am increasingly frustrated with how the media - even some of the more local community news outlets who should know better - ignore the full field of candidates or the issues raised, and desperately try to boil down complex situations and multiple choices to an arbitrary two person matchup. I speak not just of my own ward 18 - where Now Magazine tries to tell us that only Ana Bailao (Liberal) and Kevin Beaulieu (NDP) matter http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/voteto/2010/story.cfm?content=176760 , but also of most of Toronto's 44 wards that I am trying to follow.

*Update: Here's an agreeing blogger http://oct25.ca/aobtd Another One Bites The Dust says 5 of 8 big time candidates chosen for us by the media have gone from the races.

FOUR OLD WHITE GUYS FOR MAYOR ?

WHERE's THE DIVERSITY IN THE MAYORAL RACE ?

Today Sarah Thomson who was polling badly (7% ) behind Rob Ford, George Smitherman, Joe Pantalone and Rocco Rossi threw in the towel and urged people to vote for George Smitherman. (Ms. Thomson will still show up on the ballot but a vote for her would be wasted now - unless you want to show sympathy)

Now it seems the two media proclaimed FOUR frontrunners are Rob Ford with George Smitherman close behind. In other news, respected former federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent has endorsed Joe Pantalone. Rocco Rossi is still - Rocco Rossi.

How did our "Diversity is Our Strength" Toronto end up with two old white (and rich) guys looking to be our mayor in 2010 (kind of like it was in the 50's)?

Image from the Better Ballots website: http://www.betterballots.to/index.htm

There are still going to be 41 names on the ballot for Mayor come October 25th voting day. Despite numerous debates (50 now, 30 to go?), we never hear from any of the others in any key debates. City TV/CP24/CityPulse is certainly NOT what it used to be! It no longer represents the whole city and can no longer be proud of its stance on equity and equality. Other mainstream media has also been unhelpful in letting voters know about all the choice.

At least tomorrow night's Arts Debate will include one of the media-missed people: James di Fiore. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 at Baillie Court The Art Gallery of Ontario debate from 6:00pm to 7:30pm (doors open at 5pm). http://torontoist.com/2010/09/we_support_the_arts_we_vote.php "Toronto invests $18 per person per year in this sector" behind the $25 they seems to be asking for.

For me, I guess I am still uniformed. In 2001 a city study says the arts contribute $8-9 billion to our economy. I find that hard to believe but would like to know more about this study. I shall continue to educate myself. I am not with the extreme of those who call city support of artists "sugar coated welfare", but nor am I with the other extreme of let's give them everything they want.

The city's financial picture is unclear. I think it important to find out what money is in the kitty before committing it.

* Update: Still learning from the ever-knowledgeable HiMY SYeD, a candidate for Mayor who attended the first 10 person mayoral debate in Swansea tonight! William Peyton Hubbard? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Peyton_Hubbard There IS hope for Toronto!

CITY RESPONSIVENESS IN EMERGENCIES

What St. Jamestown Teaches Us - and the Questions It Raises

Last Friday's (Sept 24) 6-alarm fire at 200 Wellesley Street, the Toronto Community Housing complex of St. Jamestown, has left over 1,200 people homeless. (Some say the figure is inaccurate and that as many as 1,700 lived there) Many of those are frail, senior citizens, disabled, suffering from mental illness or at least suffering the low income life of poverty. City emergency crews in the form of fire response and paramedics were on the scene quickly and had a very difficult time putting a fire out in an apartment bedroom on the 24th floor, rumoured to have been made worse by a hoarding individual who lived there. (Hoarding is a kind of addiction, often suffered by those on low income who gather goods others might consider trash and fill up their living spaces with the false comfort of consumerism).

HOWEVER - our city's overall response in such situations is lacking. Some have labelled the situation 'Toronto's Katrina' (in reference to mass flooding and poor official response to needy residents) - perhaps over-exaggerated, but it does put it in perspective. Displaced residents are being shuffled about in a patchwork of temporary housing and other supports, with much of the support coming from the community and not city hall.

For more background on this situation see: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/866678--dimanno-city-scrambles-as-victims-of-st-james-town-fire-remain-homeless

1. Where was our Mayor in such a significant tragedy and disaster? Providing leadership, comfort and reassurance was needed.
2. Why was there not an efficient, coordinated response? We are a city of several millions, much of us living in densely packed vertical towers.
3. Why was Toronto Community Housing (owned by the city) not proactive and prepared for such an eventuality? Fire officials say the 1968 building was up to code for that time, so had no sprinklers.So why was TCHC not active in taking measures to reduce the risk of fire there? Were there fire drills? Where was the plan for what has happened?
4. Why don't we know the exact number of people living there? 1200 or 1700?
5. Why does our city not have a master disaster plan that works?

I recall the problems the city had many years back when the 'Tent City' that had sprung up for the homeless by the lake was shut down. There was much chaos in trying to find places to put people the bulldozers had removed.

There is no excuse for our city not to be prepared for such situations. Services all over the city are disconnected and have their own 'mandate' or 'priorities' and are not properly coordinated. Toronto City Hall needs a PLAN to be ready for this in future. Surprises and disasters can happen anywhere, anytime and we must be ready... because...

PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER !

Note: On Twitter the hastag #wellesleyfire has gathered comments and information. Mayoral candidate HiMY SYeD is organizing a fundraiser for this Thursday, September 30 - 519 Church Community Centre - 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Volunteers needed.

MAYOR RACE OFF THE RAILS ?

WHAT's WRONG WITH THE MAYORAL RACE ?
"... anger is a very bad emotion to build a city on" (David Crombie, former Toronto Mayor)

WANTED: A LEADER WITH VISION WE CAN TRUST

50 Mayoral Debates so Far? 40 to go? So far we have: angry voters plus 'front-runner' candidates jumping on bandwagons to be popular at all costs (It's time to stop bashing the city, look ahead and be positive says a Maytree opinion piece: http://maytree.com/speeches/the-problem-with-campaigning-against-cities.html )

Former mayors discuss quality of debate, in Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/city-votes/the-campaigns-biggest-loser-so-far-toronto-itself/article1712036/ ) audio and print

I hear from so many people that they are still undecided or wish their were better candidates running for Mayor. I would bet that 90% of voters don't realize there are 41 choices for Mayor, some of them with great ideas (HiMY SYeD is one). However our mainstream media have hammered over and over that we Torontonians have only 5 choices.

As voters, we all really need to seek out information on our own to find the hidden gems of policies and ideas, and question both candidates and our media about them.

WANT TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE NEW?

There is a mayoral debate happening September 29th. You can go to ArtsVote at http://artsvotetoronto.ca/ to vote for a new voice at thise mayoral debates.

Some of MY (Ken Wood's) thoughts on Mayoral leadership and vision issues for our city:

1. Amalgamation hurt our neighbourhoods - but we are stuck with it now. It has NOT saved us money, as promised by Mike Harris. We need to find a way to regain our local neighbourhood identities and control. (I am intrigued by mayoral candidate Himy Syed's idea of having 4 deputy mayors responsible for ensuring we pay more attention to regions). The needs of the suburbs are not the same needs as downtown, for example. There is a constant push-pull on councillors to think city-wide and to think local. One novel suggestion I have made is that the TTC Chair be a separate elected position, requiring the unique transit skills set to pay full attention to this major portfolio.
2. Cutting council size from 44 to 22 is a mistake. Right now each councillor is responsible for about 50,000 people. That is a lot, especially considering the level of detailed issues that is handled at city level. It is often said that the level of government that most directly affects our lives is local government.
3. Diversity Needs Attention! "Diversity is Our Strength" is Toronto's motto. Politicians talk the talk on diversity, but as a city we do not walk the walk. It is not just a matter that there are not more faces of colour/culture on city council, it is that the big city is not reaching our very diverse population. There are about 180 languages spoken in Toronto, yet the city (except for the great 311 initiative) does a poor job of reaching out to its citizens whose first language is not English. We first need to find better ways to communicate TO and hear FROM our neighbours who are new immigrants. Equally important is finding ways to INVOLVE new immigrants and our diverse population - and I am talking about involvement in power structures, not just acknowledging their cultures.
4. Poverty/Homelessness/Hunger: We still see these social ills everywhere, and although there has been some progress, we should not sit on our laurels and assume enough has been done. Where is the leadership (or attention!) on this ! ... Note: I regret having missed a mayoral debate on this "Building a Fairer Toronto for All" at Innis town hall Sept 15, reported in the Toronto Observer: http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2010/09/15/mayoral-debate-addresses-torontos-reputation-for-fairness/ It is clear to me the current crop of 5 media-chosen contenders haven't a clue here. I guess it takes the lived experience of poverty to realize this. I can be the "Poor People's Councillor" but where is the "Poor People's Mayor" ?
5. Turf Wars: There is an enormous disconnect between School Boards and City Council. Lots of PUBLIC resouces available (like schools, land) but due to archaic constitutional issues there is a separation of powers between education and municipal government. It is not good enough for mayoral leaders (or councillors) to duck the issue as "oh that's provincial". Anything can be changed, given political will. There is only one taxpayer - school land, facilities belong to all of us. Let's use them wisely.

One former mayor said (paraphrasing):

Elections are about CHARACTER.

How can we know we can trust that person with the keys to the shop?

We really all do need to do our homework on finding out who has the character to lead... because:

DAVENPORT DESERVES BETTER !

Conflicting Debates: Local and Mayoral

Why Can't I Be In Two Places At Once ?

Active18 set a so-called "All Candidates Debate" for today Sept 13 Monday 6-8pm ... so-called as they preferred to only allow 8 of the 12 duly registered candidates to actually debate at Queen West and Dovercourt. I was told I could ask my 'questions' .. at the end of the debate. Seeing that I was shut out, I decided to go to the Mayoral Debate instead (probably the right decision). Hope there will be a story so I can learn what residents' concerns were...
*** UPDATE: Toronto Observer covered it - http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2010/09/14/curbing-rowdy-revellers-in-ward-18-hot-topic-at-candidates-debate/comment-page-1/#comment-13265
and NOW makes their bioased slant on it: http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/voteto/2010/story.cfm?content=176760

Mayoral Debate set for today Sept 13 Monday 6:30pm-9:00pm at 90 Croatia (near Dufferin Mall). There was a crowd of about 200 ... 100 if you took out the candidates' cheerleaders. Surprising of the 'usual suspects' of five media-labelled frontrunners, George Smitherman did not appear and was represented by an empty chair. The other, of course, were:
Rob Ford, Joe Pantalone, Sarah Thomson and Rocco Rossi. The moderator was the unbiased (sorry, didn't see that) Sue Ann Levy from The Toronto Sun.

Organizers point out that debate in honour of former City TV reporter Tara Weber who left Toronto for the friendlier wheelchair accessible city of Calgary See: http://tinyurl.com/2fa2ffj

Nothing we haven't heard before in the candidates' introductory speeches, except Rocco Rossi went out of his way to compliment Sue Ann Levy for being "the official opposition" for city council. A dig at Rob Ford ?

Some (FINALLY !) new questions were asked:

* BEDBUGS : Mary Milne of Bread and Bricks Davenport West Social Justice Group asked what they will do about this growing city wide problem. I heard...Pantalone: would ask for provincial help; Thomson: Will do something, suggests non profits better at helping, blames TCHC for not being diligent; Rossi: Quick to blame Ford, Pantalone for not already having done something; Ford: TCHC should have put out private tender to get fixed, if left up to tenants they won't do it. Really got the sense none knew what they were talking about, especially as they all tried to duck the question by saying it wasn't a health risk - though Ford said he'd leave it up to Dr. McKeown, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health. Disappointing deflections from all.

* ELECTRIC TRAINS : Mike Sullivan, National Spokesperson for the Clean Train Coalition, stated that the public has made it abundantly clear that they demand electric trains along the Georgetown corridor for both GO Transit and the Air Rail link, asked how candidates would work to make that a reality. I heard... Thomson: is a centrist and thinks it important to build good relations at provincial and federal level, said being heard in the Provincial elections is what people should do; Rossi: ? Talked about the need to remove politicians from TTC operations and put in a skills based board (did he hear the question?); Ford: All in favour of electric but wants to know the cost first, not clear what it would be (followed by attacks from others that he should know already?); Pantalone: Pointed out Metrolinx is not TTC and is not elected or accountable and this is wrong, said we should never sacrifice public health for public dollars; Thomson: Chastized Rossi for not knowing clean electric trains is not the TTC, yet went on to talk about fare systems on the TTC ? (Presto vs open fare)... followed by more sniping at each other. Not a clear answer here either.

* AFFORDABLE HOUSING : Chrissy D., and Marcelo Castro of Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre asked if candidates would increase targets for more affordable housing and would advocate for more federal funding. .. I heard...Pantalone: praised Streets to Homes program (then bashed about shelter costs by Ford); Ford: There is housing on the market looking for tenants right now, why do we need shelters, help people find housing in the market. Thomson: Concerned about creating pockets of poverty, her solution is a portable rent subsidy, not so dissimilar to Ford; Rossi: not sure what he answered as I got a call I had to take. Got the impression no clear answers here either.

* ? Boys and Girls Club Dovercourt was to ask a planned questions but no one there to ask it... moving on...

SUE ANN LEVY exercised her status as (ubiased) moderator to bring up one of her long time pet peeves: Who will ban aggressive panhandling and clean up the streets?
I heard... Rossi: supports ban; Ford: Supports ban, make addicts go to rehab, get meds for mental illness, make them get a job; Pantalone: Praised Streets to Homes program again, pointed out that Supreme Court says its not illegal to ask people for money; Thomson: Talked about couch surfing when young, then because she was attacked by aggressive panhandler at 25 she supports ban. Except for Pantalone, not much compassion to be had here.

Audience questions:

1. (Me) I expressed my disdain for mayoral candidates who spend a lot of time trying to tear each other down, and asked why any of the other mayoral candidates aren't at debates with their ideas, especially since we've heard the same things over and over from the 'front 5'.
Ford: says he is open to it, will write letter to agree, pointed out the one debate with Rocco Achampong was a good one; Pantalone: dismissed the idea saying there are 41 candidates running, would take too long; Thomson: says she is for inclusion, would agree, pointed out HiMY SYeD perhaps should be invited; Rossi: SPoke of how polls decide on the froint runners (I couldn't resist saying 'Polls are not Votes'. On rebuttals, Ford mused that perhaps groups of debates could be arranged to hear from other mayoral candidates.

2. CLOSING SCHOOLS, USE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES: Theme of question was that since schools are public taxpayer funded, why can't hey be turned over to local communit for other public purposes - mentioned West Toronto and Kent. All candidates took great pains to point out that this was a provincial responsibility and that it was in the purview of SChool Trustees and the Province. Pantalone: Went further to say that perhaps schools should be transferred to cities at discounts instead of the current must be at market value.

3. There were other questions, but sometimes difficult to hear all answers because of microphones cutting in and out. To be fair I didn't get a complete sense of all candidates replies so I won't post just some.

4. Wheelchair Accesibility: Candidates were asked to commit to making Toronto more wheelchair accesible and all said Yes.

5. CYCLING, BIKE LANES: To great applause in this cycling friendly ward, candidates were asked what they were going to do to make more complete bike access, particularly protected from cars and vice versa.... I heard...Ford: What the local people want they get, can see that downtowners want lanes, but noy in the suburbs; Pantalone: praised bike lanes initiatives, University, Jarvis (for which he got attacked on disputed costs by others), spoke of BIXI initiative; Thomson: need a balance where it makes sense, spoke of "complete streets"; Rossi: I was getting a little fatigued herte so don't know if I got this right... he went on about building a tunnel to complete the Spadina Expressway ?

Think I'll stop now as I'm getting punchy about remembering who said what. No doubt mainstream media will report. Good night.

PS: I saw Kirk Russell, also a candidate for ward18 at this debate. He felt strongly we should all see what the mayoral candidates are up to, and regretted that Active18 scheduled their debate at the same time. I agree.

Photo from the Big on Bloor Festival, Rocco Rossi, Himy Syed and Ken Wood
discussing issues of poverty in ward 18:

Here is an Inside Toronto community news story on this debate: http://tinyurl.com/26gpo7u

and here is local Dufferin Grove/CELOS story: http://www.celos.ca/wiki/wiki.php?n=MunicipalElection2010.Ward18MayoralDebate

Un-Incumbents Gather

Underdog Candidates Cheer Each Other On

So says The Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/elections/article/860542--underdog-candidates-cheer-each-other-on?bn=1 about the event organized by Mayoral candidate HiMY SYeD at the Dovercourt Baptist Church on Dufferin and Bloor Street West today.

Held from 11am to 1pm, it was admittedly a little hard to attend for all those candidates running in wards in which there was no incumbent councillor running, but it was timely for the media who were able to get their stories at a good time.

At official close of nominations Friday, Sept 10, 2:00pm: There are 41 candidates running for Mayor and 279 candidates for City Councillor across Toronto's 44 wards. According to political watcher and ideas promoter, Dave Meslin, there are 8 wards with no incumbents.
http://meslin.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/snapshot_2010/#more-996

Whatever the result of this October 25th vote, THERE WILL BE CHANGE at City Hall of an unprecedented fashion.

Not only did I get to meet some candidates from other areas of my city (like Bruce Baker running in Ward 32 Beaches-East York and 22 year old William Molls running in Ward 22 St. Paul's) as well as chatting with fellow competitors for ward 18 (Ana Bailao and Hema Vyas), I was able to learn about some great social networking tools that will help my neighbours and I know who stands for what in this election (see below for links).

Thanks to HiMY SYeD, who has a Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152305034793814 , for his civic-mindedness in providing a great forum for those of us who dare to challenge and advocate change at City Hall.

Social Networking Resources:

TORONTOPEDIA : http://www.torontopedia.ca/ Learn about your city, get answers

WIKIPEDIA: Toronto City Council Election, 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_city_council_election,_2010 Ward races

Pick a Peck of Mayors

Which Mayor Candidate Shall I Choose ?

Those in the know say that we voters pay little attention to city elections until after Labour Day (Sept 4). I say we never really know just who these Mayoral hopefuls really are and what they will do to our city until the last 8 weeks of the (way too long) 10 month campaigning.

Only now can we begin to piece together what their election platforms are and be able to see the differences in our choices. (Toronto Observer is trying to give all profiles here: http://www.torontoobserver.ca/toronto-votes-for-mayor/ ) . There are 41 candidates, including 5 the media dubiously calls 'front-runners' and a lot of interesting 'so-called fringe' candidates. There have been a LOT of soft debates that few of the public have paid attention to. Voter apathy? In 2006, voter turnout was only 39 per cent across the city...

Here's what I have have gleaned from the Mayor campaigns so far (and will update as I can):

(* Listing in the order they actually registered to run for Mayor;... 'so-called front-runners' in red)

1. Achampong, Rocco (Jan 4): Website: http://www.roccoformayor.com/
(Video interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui36Utya52A )
CP24 info: http://tinyurl.com/2amokck
A lawyer and former President University of Toronto Students

2. Campbell, Douglas (Jan 5): BlogTO: http://tinyurl.com/2cxvol2Cp24 info: http://tinyurl.com/26de443 Old school left wing activist from the thirties. Came in sixth in 2006 election with 4,183 votes (out of 584,484 votes cast for Mayor = 0.7%)3. Hossein, Monowar (Jan 4): http://www.eyeweekly.com/article/80997
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_monowar/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather Ran for TDSB school trustee in 200, for mayor in 2003 and again in 2066, where he got 2,726 votes or 0.5% of vote. Concerned about food and housing issues. 4.. Letonja, John (Jan 4): http://supermagnetics.com/
"The new Mayor has to have balls." 5. Rossi, Rocco (Jan 4): http://roccorossi.com/ http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100531/100531_mayoral_rocco2/20100531/?hub=CP24Weather Corporate executive, major Liberal Party fundraiser for Michael Ignatieff. 6. State, Mark (Jan 4): http://mark-state.wetpaint.com/ http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_mark/20100603/?hub=CP24Weather Political writer of essays on Remedial City Politics. Came in dead last in a field of 38 candidates in 2006 mayor race with just 194 votes, or 0.3%. 7. Thomson, Sarah (Jan 4): http://www.sarahthomson.ca/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100531/100531_mayoral_sarah2/20100531/?hub=CP24Weather Business entrepreneur, owner of Women's Post.8. Ghazi, Abdullah-Baquie (Jan 5): http://kscheuer.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/baquie-ghazi-for-toronto-mayor/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100601/100531_mayoral_baquic/20100603/?hub=CP24Weather Full of many ideas, including lower taxes and TTC fares. 9. Magee, Colin (Jan 6): http://twitter.com/MageeForMayor
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100608/100531_mayoral_colin/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather Build subways, bike lanes, more events on the islands.

10. Andrews, Don (Jan 8): http://www.natparty.com/DA4mayor.htm
(anti-Rob Ford, sings on his web site) Founder of National Party and was once jailed under hate laws in the seventies. Incendiary rhetoric.
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100601/100531_mayoral_andrews/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather 11. Smitherman, George (Jan 8): http://www.georgesmitherman.ca/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100531/100531_mayoral_george/20100531/?hub=CP24Weather Former provincial Liberal Party cabinet Minister of Health
...WITHDREW: Yeung, Sonny (Jan 8): http://www.sonnyyeung.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100608/100531_mayoral_sonny/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather Last ran in 2003 in Ward 41 and came second with 25% of vote. Has a Masters of Commerce degree, lives in Scarborough. - Withdrew on Sept 10, last day

12. Pampena, Joseph (Jan 13): http://jpformayor.blogspot.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100601/100531_mayoral_pampena/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather
13. Pantalone, Joe (Jan 13): http://www.mayorjoe.ca/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_joe/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather Joe on video helping Toronto set Twist Dance Record July 25, 2010: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0XelmlQZuw On city council since 1980, recently was Deputy Mayor, longtime NDP Party and pro-Miller supporter. Defends need for streetcars, Transit City 14. Babula, George (Jan 15): Parkdale Party ? http://openfile.ca/toronto-file/fringe-george-babula-brings-slice-parkdale-mayors-race

http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100601/100531_mayoral_bambola/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather 15. Gomberg, Howard (Jan 15): http://gombergformayor.blogspot.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100608/100531_mayoral_howard/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather 16. Firth, Selwyn (Jan 29): http://selwynformayor.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100608/100531_mayoral_firth/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather
17. Cole, Keith (Feb 16): http://keithcole.ca/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_keith/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather

18. Castillo, Jaimie (Feb 23): http://www.caldecast.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_jamie/20100602/?hub=CP24Weather Came in fifth in 2006 mayor election with 5,215 votes (out of 584,484 votes, or just under one per cent) Born in Peru, promotes multiculturalism issues.

19. Ford, Rob (Mar 15): http://www.robfordformayor.ca/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100531/100531_mayoral_rob/20100531/?hub=CP24Weather Has been on city council for 10 years, lots of controversy, most often votes no to motions, wants to "Stop the Gravy Train at CityHall". A Mike Harris clone

20. Wadhwa, Ratan (Apr 6): http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100602/100531_mayoral_ratan/20100608/?hub=CP24Weather Actor and Charlie Chaplin impersonator, he ran for mayor in 2003 and again in 2006 and got 696 votes or 0.1%. Called for legalizing prostitution and cannibis, free condoms and viagra, and creation of a red lightdistrict.
21. Clarke, Kevin (Apr 30): ? withdrew Mar31 then re-registered ? http://toobusylivinglife.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_archive.html "A homeless man with a penchant for public outburts" http://www.blogto.com/city/2010/04/torontos_fringe_mayoral_candidates/ Ran for mayor in 2006 and got 2,081 votes or 0.4%, coming in twelfth place.
22. Cottle, Charlene (May 20): http://www.mayoroftoronto.com/pages/1920/mayor-of-toronto-elections.htm

23. Syed, Himy (May 25): Was registered to run for city councillor in ward 19 but withdrew May 25 http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/2010/08/31/mayoral-candidate-himy-syed-share-vision-2020-bikecity-bike-joint-sept-1 (Video interview: http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/video/interview-himy-syed/4279 ) On twitter: http://twitter.com/himysyed http://www.flickr.com/people/photopia/

24. Steinberger, Timor (June 3): http://afuitbs.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/ On Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steinberger4TO

25. Vallance, David (June 10): http://www.themarknews.com/authors/1016-david-vallance
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-vallance/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather Ran for mayor in 2007 and got 486 votes (0.1%). Retired financial planner who formed the Bloor-Annex BIA in 1996. Concerned about taxes

26. Flie, Michael (June 30): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Flie-for-Mayor/129703023737061 http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-flie/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather

27. Walker, Daniel Rev. (July 6): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=133417870022417gid=133417870022417
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-walker/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather

28. Ball, Christopher (July 9): http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-ball/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather

29. Taylor, Phil (July 12): http://philtaylorformayor.com/
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-taylor/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather
30. Dewitt, Lee (July 14): http://leeformayor.webs.com/apps/profile/62561644/
http://christiangovernment.ca/?tag=dewitt-lee

http://www.abettertoronto.ca/http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-lee/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather

31. McMillan, Jim (July 19): Last ran for city councillor in ward 18 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McMillan http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100831/20100831-mayoral-jim-mcmillan/20100831/?hub=CP24Weather 32. Di Fiore, James (Aug 10): http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/296606 http://www.eyeweekly.com/city/scrollingeye/article/17739
Charged under Elections Act ? 33. Goodhead, Barry (Aug 13): http://goodheadformayor.blogspot.com/
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/BarryGoodhead

34. Derome, Gerald (Aug 25): http://wapedia.mobi/en/Duri_Naimji
(Video interview: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/23875--unusual-candidates-vie-for-mayor-s-chair)
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/KingGDerome Ran for mayor in 2006, getting 578 votes or 0.1% Self-described "Global Social Engineer" concerned about sharing of economic welth with the poor.


35. Epstein, David (Aug 25):Website: http://www.epsteinformayor.com/

36. Macklin, Carmen (Aug 25):

37. Sarma, Vijay (Sept 2): Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMswustumkgv=lMswustumkgv=lMswustumkg
http://whatyouwanttobelievein.com/5001.html 38. Alexander, Michael (Sept 9): A filmmaker whose political hero is Pierre Trudeau, Came in 4th in the 2006 mayoral race (after Miller, Pitfield, LeDrew) with 5,247 votes, or just under 1% of the 584,484 votes cast.

39. Brausewetter. Michael (Sept 9):

40. Tang, Weizhen (Sept 9): ? The Chinese Warren Buffet ?http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/inside-city-hall/dear-white-nights-you-have-24-hours-to-register-for-mayor/article1701339/ Alleged fraud artist running for mayor: http://tinyurl.com/2fdffq8

41. Diane Devenyi (Sept 10): The vitual mayor ? Email: diane@thevirtualmayor.com http://www.dianetorontomayor.ca/
--------------------------------------------------------------
... Meanwhile, back in Mississauga, HAZEL McCALLION
is going for term TWELVE ! ... at 89 years old http://tinyurl.com/2f2bled

G20 Protests June 25-27, 2010

HOW THE G20 WAS HANDLED SHOULD BE AN ELECTION ISSUE

Three days of massive protests in Toronto, most peaceful, but marred by the actions of a relatively very few vandals and some questionable police tactics have highlighted Toronto in a way that probably everyone can agree was disturbing at the least. How things were handled should be a major election issue as it speaks to the very foundations of civil liberties and democracy in our city.

I personally attended a protest march on Friday June 25 because I believed the ONE BILLION DOLLAR cost of security was of an obscene order of magnitude, particulary given that we have pressing social problems of poverty, hunger and homelessness in our city and country. At the same time, we should all be wondering why the last summit in the USA cost $18 million (51 times less) in comparison. Did it really have to cost this much and was it worth it?http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100626/100626_cost_g20/20100626/?hub=CP24Home

Friday's demonstrations were peaceful and relatively uneventful, except for what appears to have been a denial of rights to the deaf man arrested for not hearing police orders http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/toronto/deaf-man-arrested-in-g20-protest-gets-bail/article1619559/ Police presence was massive, but restrained and orderly.

Saturday I did not attend protests, but had the opportunity to follow all of the actions via numerous blogs and live-feeds from both mainstream media and the wealth of citizen on the scene reporting. (the new 'social media' is amazing!) The actions of the small group of "Black Bloc" (self-professed anarchists who seem to hate any form of social order) hijacked the messages of the tens of thousands of protesters. Violence sells - "If It Bleeds It Leads" - and what most in our city, country and even internationally thought was 'Toronto is Burning' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32OW6cu4Ypk (Russia Today). Numerous downtown businesses were trashed, yet police did not respond to stop it, preferring instead to prevent protesters from getting to THE FENCE. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/825908--fortress-toronto-secrets-of-the-fence It seemed police tactics were to allow collateral damage to Toronto's streets to ensure the security zone around the dignitaries was protected at all costs. Incumbent City Councillor Adam Vaughan expected this http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/news/torontonians-try-to-make-sense-of-g20-vandalism/article1620860/

Sunday, police changed tactics, becoming much more aggressive at boxing in protesters and initiating arrests and violence. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/829581--police-tactics-too-tough-or-too-soft Peaceful, lawful protesters, passersby, tourists, media were forced into the net by herding police in riot gear. Tally? Over 600 arrests, much more than the infamous 1999 "Battle of Seattle" protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization_Ministerial_Conference_of_1999_protest_activity Sunday in Toronto saw violence against citizens by police in contrast to violence against property by criminals on Saturday.

The conclusion? Well, Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an "I told you so" moment suggested that the violence justified the controversial (one billion dollars) cost of the G20: "I think it goes a long way to explaining why we have the kind of security costs around these summits that we do" http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hNkQwBas7Slcts-cUOIAJhnP9HdwD9GJVAD00 Yet, the truth is these summits could be held anywhere at temendously lower cost than a city like Toronto.

And just where are our local city politicians on the G20 issues and what's happened to our city?

• Mayor Miller blames the few thugs that caused all this
• Adam Giambrone to his credit seems to have worked hard to keep the TTC running
• Most mayoral candidates have blamed the criminals for all the violence
• Many incumbent councillors, like Shelley Carroll, seemed to ignore and laugh at the situation (she tweeted: "Protest can't stop consumerism at Yonge and Bloor, Off to Queen and Beav to watch Ghana Game!" at the same time violence was erupting on the streets)
• Following tweets of candidates for various levels of office, they pretty much all semed to be very far from the action doing social events. (Later many would condemn actions they never saw in person and only heard about from news reports)
• Most notable, Himy Syed, once candidate for city councillor ward 19 now running for mayor, was at the heart of the action Sunday night at Queen and Spadina to experience first hand questionable police tactics http://twitter.com/himysyed

I have to wonder if there will be any real inquiry into what befell our city this past weekend, whether we'll really know whether laws were followed and rights respected by both protesters and police, and whether candidates for political office will even see this as an issue before October elections. In my view, the G20 and how it was handled in Toronto deserves an inquiry and close scrutiny, with a view to ensuring Toronto never again gets such a black eye.

It should be an election issue discussed by all candidates.

*** UPDATE *** Any businesses who suffered damage can apply to the federal government for compensation according to this: http://g20.gc.ca/payments-on-an-ex-gratia-basis/