CITY HALL
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• Report silent on GST sharing with cities [ Globe and Mail ]
• Fuel prices to drive up municipal costs [ Globe and Mail ]
• Council votes to pay back Bussin for legal expenses [ National Post ]
• Taxpayers foot legal bin for Bussin [ Toronto Sun ]
• Proposal to close ranges draws fire [ Toronto Star ]
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• Critics decry Mayor’s push to ban handguns [ National Post ]
• Toronto mayor wants to shut down gun clubs [ CBC.ca ]
• Tourism report exposes city’s flaws [ Toronto Sun ]
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TRANSIT
• Toronto streets unfriendly for cyclists, advocates say [ CBC.ca ]
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• A bin of woes for townhouse complex [ Globe and Mail ]
• Development could pay for museum [ National Post ]
• City draws on graffiti problem [ Toronto Sun ]
5 comments
Am somewhat surprised (but not wholly so given the general drift of many of the comments) that there has been so little discussion on this site of Mayor Miller’s bid for greater powers for his office. While the editorialists at the Star and the Sun have been generally supportive of this move, there are those that are genuinely concerned that such powers represent a further erosion of local democracy in our City. To those who want to suggest that most of the opposition is coming from the Council’s right wing, one might point out that even provincial NDP leader Howard Hampton has expressed concerns that the discussions between the province and the City concerning these new powers has not been submitted to a public consultion. What gives? Are people on this site really that unconcerned about civic processes? Have they basically bought the Mayor’s stated rationale for these new powers? (I don’t think I’m the only one who sees the reasons offered as questionable and likely to further erode community engagement.) Are people already seeing this as a done deal not worth discussing? Or maybe the lack of comment is because Rob Ford hasn’t been quoted on this issue. Just wondering.
I like the idea of a strong Mayor. I am just not sure I like it when it is David Miller. After all we keep hearing about gridlock in Toronto and the the whispers of congestion taxes. The reality is that the city is less congested.
The latest Cordon Count (released this month) shows that reverse commuting has continued, and grown, in favour of 416 to 905.
The downtown core has seen steady transit ridership and an 11% decrease in vehicle traffic. Yet we are told that traffic is worse than ever.
Then we have the Clean and Beautiful program. Sorry it must be hidden behind all the litter and graffiti.
The optimist in me would like to believe that he is hamstrung by council and is pandering to those, whoms support he has.
Glen,
We have a mayor who has the support of the majority of Council and who has the power to decide who sits on exec council and who decides who chairs what. How is he being ‘hamstrung’ by Council? If someone cannot be a strong mayor under those conditions, the administrative changes being talked might not necessarily make much difference (though they might lead to the request for even more powers down the road). I think most people want a strong mayor.. but by that I think they mean someone who is a strong leader (ie is working towards a well-articulated agenda that most would consider worthwhile)…and fine-tuning administrative changes doesn’t necessarily guarantee strong leadership (though it probably does guarantee a less consultative and accountable mayor).
sam,
By hamstrung, I am referring to to slant of his policies. Like the gridlock issue I mentioned. Gridlock is becoming less of an issue in Toronto, any rational person could see that. It is a trend that has been occurring for over 10 years. Yet we have a council that continues to state that it is getting worse and keeps floating the idea of a congestion tax. I get the impression that Mayor Miller understands the reality, yet is loath to state the obvious for fear of loosing the support that he dose have on council. The best he has been able to do is modify the prevailing ‘left wing’ view to impose a downtown charge with one that is region wide.
Call my naive, but but it looks to me as though he is aware of the reality yet must support those who support him.
Glen,
I agree with much of what you are saying in terms of gridlock — though I still think we need to try to find ways to reduce car usage … not necessarily via a stick (ie. congestion tax which is fundamentally unfair given the inadequate transit in place)…I’m not so sure, however, that I see Miller as loathe to state the obvious because of fear of losing support on Council. But maybe you’ve seen evidence of this that I haven’t. In any case, the kind of changes being talked about won’t necessarily ameliorate the situation you describe because he will still need to rely on council support. (…Which might lead one to believe that this is but an early stage in requests for power.) Whatever the situation, I still think it’s alarming that the province and the city are holding discussions on these changes without in any way having consulted the public.