Mayoral Race
• ‘Rob Ford’s not leading, David Miller is’ outgoing mayor says [ Toronto Star ]
• Pantalone the ‘one choice’ for mayor, Layton says [ Toronto Star ]
• Hume: Miller leaves city divided as never before [ Toronto Star ]
• Hepburn: ‘Politics of anger’ powers Toronto mayoral race [ Toronto Star ]
• People care about the municipal election… after Labour day: Poll [ National Post ]
• Spending, transportation leading issues in municipal election: Poll [ National Post ]
• Peter Kuitenbrouwer: A jovial Miller’s final meeting [ National Post ]
• Councillors take shots at ‘Mayor Ford’ [ Toronto Sun ]
• Far from over [ Now Magazine ]
• City Spin [ Now Magazine ]
• Mayoral mania! [ Eye Weekly ]
City Hall
• Council orders Ford to repay donations [ Toronto Star ]
• Council flouts court to pay councillors’ legal expenses [ Toronto Star ]
• The next Adam Vaughan? [ Globe & Mail ]
• Snakes, snails and puppydog tails [ National Post ]
• Stop free lunch for councillors: Ford [ Toronto Sun ]
• David gets police check, fires back at Moscoe [ Toronto Sun ]
• Council slams Ford without debate [ Toronto Sun ]
City Building
• Hume: Sheppard West condo hints at things to come [ Toronto Star ]
• TTC’s museum folly [ Toronto Star ]
• Lawsuit proceeds about public art at new TIFF headquarters [ Globe & Mail ]
• Ten years, one huge Crystal, zero regrets [ Globe & Mail ]
• Ka-ching on King [ Now Magazine ]
• Promenade beneath the highway [ Eye Weekly ]
Other News
• Shade audit finds risky spots for kids [ Toronto Star ]
• A righteous disturbance or a democratic right? [ Toronto Star ]
• Parking officers blasted for using disabled spot [ Toronto Star ]
• Vigil for dead bike courier [ Toronto Sun ]
• Suffering from withdrawal [ Now Magazine ]
9 comments
Maybe I’m missing something, but the Mayor of Toronto has but one vote on council. Unlike provincial or federal politics, there is no party standing behind the Mayor, voting with him/her on all issues. So if Rob Ford should win the mayoralty, he will not be able to fulfill any of the promises he has made during this campaign. Cut the number of councillors in half? He’ll lose that vote by a landslide. Reduce office budgets? Ditto. A quick look at his track record as councillor over the past 10 years clearly shows he is unable to build consensus among his colleagues. Do people think this will change with him as Mayor? Do they not understand how municipal politics works?
It is fitting that you had these two headlines consecutively…Council orders Ford to repay donations. Council flouts court to pay councillors’ legal expenses.
Just where the hell is city council’s moral compass?
@ Leo
I’ve been thinking the same thing too. Yet, I wonder what Ford would capable of with the few executive powers the position of mayor has. Those “strong mayor” reforms don’t seem like such a hot idea now, do they?
@Leo
Your are correct that he’d have a hard time getting anything passed. The problem is, that scenario would only happen if the current council gets reelected.
If the winds of political change happen during this election, the entire council could look vastly different. With a more “conservative” or at least “anti-socialist” make up of a new council, he might not have a hard time getting his agenda through council.
@Leo
You may be right with your comment that Ford would have a hard time getting anything past with the current makeup of the council.
But, after this election, those councilors may not win their seats, considering the direction the electorate is going.
If Ford gets a council that is less “socialist”, he may not have a hard time getting things past.
I saw in the Star that the first GTA Victoria’s Secret opened at Yorkdale today. That’s all well and good if you like bras and supermodels, but the real meaning I take from the event is that Yorkdale still outranks downtown for flagship shopping. Same story happened with the Apple Store and Williams Sonoma (before both built downtown).
It’s rather sad — in SF, Chicago, Boston or New York such an opening would happen on a vibrant downtown street like Union Square or Miracle Mile or the Back Bay or 5th Ave. That Bloor, Yonge, Queen and others are not quite healthy enough to attract flagships is not a great sign. Even Montreal ranks a flagship Apple Store on Rue St. Catherine (Toronto only has a Class C store in the Eaton Centre.)
Toronto certainly has vibrant streets and a massive downtown population, but to avoid becoming an isolated colony surrounded by Fordlandia it’s important that downtown remain the site for first-tier retail for the entire area. The premier big boxes are the dept stores of today and luring them south of Bloor is a strong symbol to the rest of the region. Hopefully the renovation of Bloor St will help, and I look forward to one day seeing more flags planted on downtown streets.
The Eaton Centre location for Victoria’s Secret has been under construction for a while and is scheduled to open in October.
Darwin, to iSkyscraper’s point, none of the areas he listed were in shopping malls.
Yorkdale’s clientèle is more geared towards Victoria’s Secret, so it makes sense that a store was located there.
Yorkdale is a very highclass shopping centre.