Toronto Mayor Vote

[Damondean]

From EYE Mgazine's endorsement of David Miller:

"While he supports sex workers who work from home through classified ads, he's in favour of policing street prostitution. However, he says the police are a little too focused on sex and not enough on guns.

All in all, quite sensible and reasonable (though perhaps not as gung-ho pro-sex as we'd like)."

John Tory has the endorsement of the police union.

Make the right choice on Monday!

 

[CyberGoth]

none of the above.

 

[HowardHughes]

I really should have run for Mayor.

I would have been the next "Diamond Joe Quimby".

Maybe next time!

 

[Pyro]

Good example for our leader?

John Tory has the endorsement of the police union.

Police are forbidden, by law, to publicly endorse any political candidate.

Is it appropriate for John Tory to encourage and accept the endorsement of the Police Union? Perhaps there is a technicality that (potentially) legitimises the endorsement because it's the Union and not the force itself that publicised the position. However, to me, it looks as though Tory is a little too eager to take advantage of a loophole to benefit his personal cause.

I'm not sure that's the best attitude for a public servant.

Pyro.

 

[Damondean]

It is not appropriate for Tory to accept the endorsement. But what do you expect of Mayor Mel's flunky, fudnraiser and member of his kitchen cabinet?

 

[deepdish]

It's Miller time.

I'm voting for Miller.

DD

 

[shack]

John Tory has the endorsement of the police union.

Does that have anything to with the fact that he'd like to increase the size of the force by 400?

Not that I'm necessarily against the idea but a voter must temper these endorsements with the knowledge of why these endorsements are made.

 

[Damondean]

Yes, of course, that's the reason. And that's fine except that the cops shouldn't waste their time hassling incalls.

 

[shack]

the cops shouldn't waste their time hassling incalls.

No arguments from me on that one.

 

[Kathy P]

I'm torn between Miller and Hall. I really support Hall, but it looks as though she does not have a hope in hell of winning. I would hate to think that my one vote, if isn't thrown Miller's way, would mean that police union apologist, Tory, might be our next mayor. His ads are laughable: "I used to leave my doors unlocked in Toronto." All in all, Miller seems like an intelligent, open-minded candidate. Mind you anything is better than goofy Nunziata.

Okay, I've changed my mind. I am voting for Quimby. I saw his poster in a transit shelter. He's the mayor for us! Do you think he supports the bridge to the island airport?

 

[ThePurpleBanana]

I wonder if Tory is elected, Toronto would be such a wonderful place that he'd be confortable leaving his door unlocked again?

 

[Pyro]

Tory's act is different.

Yeah, but what about Miller, who is accepting money and union endorsements from the various city unions?

But there is no law against those unions supporting politicians so this is not an issue.

Tory is participating in the breaking (or bending) of the law by accepting support from the Police union. Do we really want a Mayor who collaborates with the Police Force to bypass the law for personal gain?

Pyro.

 

[Damondean]

Surprise surprise!!!

Jazz wants jets at island airport

Air Canada regional carrier urges lifting of ban as soon as fixed link is completed



By JENNIFER LEWINGTON AND KATHERINE HARDING

Saturday, Nov. 8, 2003



Air Canada Jazz asked the Toronto Port Authority yesterday to lift a 20-year ban on jets at the Toronto island airport, a request that instantly brought allegations of political "dirty tricks" on the eve of Monday's mayoral election.

The charges -- and counterclaims -- erupted late yesterday, several hours after Jazz president Joseph Randell made the request in a letter faxed to the federal agency that operates the small, money-losing airport.

A copy of the fax was obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Mayoral front-runner David Miller, in a close race to the wire with rival John Tory in Monday's vote, had made opposition to construction of a bridge to the airport a centrepiece of his campaign.

Last night, he said that Air Canada Jazz's sudden interest in flying jets into the airport proves his point that construction of the bridge represents the thin edge of the wedge, even though jets are prohibited under an agreement among the city, the port authority and the federal government.

"If you build it they will come," he said.

"The pressure is going to be irresistible from Air Canada to fly jets out of this airport." . . . .

 

[Damondean]

Just in case anyone is thinking of wasting their vote on Hall: She wouldn't even make a good dog catcher after her remarks about Miller's ad in the Tuesday debate.

She surpassed all loopiness in political correctness.

And yes, Barbara, if the airport is ever built, they will fly jets in there . . but more likely the bridge will lead to a rezoning of the land for condo developments -- right after the old clique at city hal gets its reakeoff. That's unless Miller is elected, of course.

 

[notenufmuff]

I was wondering why Ed The Sock didn't run this time.

 

[Pyro]

You're helping make the anti-Tory argument!

Tory is not breaking the law. He did not encourage or ask for the police union endorsment, nor does he campaign on it.

In fact, he welcomed the support and defended the Union's right to assign it even though this is an ethical, if not outright legal, violation of the law. He could have joined the other candidates who opposed Police involvement in the election (before the position was announced). Instead, he supported the act because he knew (or believed) he would benefit.

And if you don't think he has been campaigning on this support, you're either out-of-touch or immune to subtlety.

As for the island airport issue, a classic case of NIMBY. The people that can afford the milliion dollar plus waterfront condo's want economic growth, as long as someone else is putting up with the noise and pollution. I have no sympathy for those people.

This is exactly why airport expansion is a very bad idea and extremely unfair to those many of us who would be adversely affected by this "growth". I would never have invested in my home or chosen my current community if I knew that jets would be flying overhead on an hourly basis.

And before anyone makes any more comments about million dollar condos (as though having a nice home is somehow a bad thing) don't forget that most residents who would be impacted (including me, btw) live in much more modest accomodation; but we still (somehow) feel we have the right to a quiet home life - especially after we took the trouble and expense to buy into a community that did not surround a major airport.

It would be different if the airport was already accepting jets and the residents complained in an attempt to stop the service. But those of us who would loose quality of life did not accept this factor when we moved to this area. In fact, many of us moved here, in part, because the airport was restricted to small scale traffic; I know it was a factor in my housing decision.

Perhaps John Tory's home is not in the airport's footprint...he might feel differently if jet fuel was being dumped on his petunias.

Pyro.

 

[james t kirk]

And yes, Barbara, if the airport is ever built, they will fly jets in there . . but more likely the bridge will lead to a rezoning of the land for condo developments -- right after the old clique at city hal gets its reakeoff. That's unless Miller is elected, of course.

Excellent point.

I never thought of the angle of building condos on the island but i have NO DOUBT that if the the greedy developers could, they would. They have already destroyed harbourfront, now they are in the process of destroying the Lakeshore strip in Etobicoke into a concrete jungle. It's fucking sick what they did down there.

All condos should be built north of the Gardiner, but it's too late I would guess. It's a fucking disaster.

The entire island airport should be scrapped, the bridge scrapped and the island turned into a park for all time.

Keep in mind, at one time, way back when, the island was part of the "mainland" and the channels were dredged out. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to build an island.

Toronto needs an island airport like it needs a hole in the head. We have Pearson, it has tons of excess capacity, it's 30 minutes from downtown, they just spent billions out there rebuilding the joint.

Keep the planes in Malton, and the parks on the Island.

If the greedy sons of bitches developers had their way, they would buy the island up in a second, then set their sites on high park.

Bastards all.

 

[james t kirk]

Oh yeah,

This city does NOT need 400 more cops to add to Fantino's and Bromell's empire. It's absurd.

Violent crime has been decreasing in the city for the last 10 years, yet we keep adding more and more cops for some reason. They are expensive and lazy already.

We should privatize the cops. In this way at least they would be responsible to city council. The current police force figures itself to be autonomous, and answers to no-one. They are an out of control beast. If you think there was ever any resolution to "operation true blue" then give your head a shake.

Make them work on a salary, and cut their numbers. Give them a taste of the private sector mentality. Job enrichment is my favourite term.