October 30th, 2006
City Council TTC Report Cards: Wards 37-44
By Craig Cal // 2 Comments
WARD 37 (Scarborough Centre) - Michael Thompson: C+
Transit has not been a priority for this councillor, as most of his statements on transit issues have focused on a subway to replace the aging Scarborough RT. However, with other Scarborough councillors, he did come around to favour an LRT network over subway construction.
WARD 38 (Scarborough Centre) - Glenn De Baeremaeker: B+
A recent appointee to the TTC Commission, De Baeremaeker is also a grassroots environmentalist who cycles to City Hall from Scarborough. He once said "when people are stuck in a traffic jam, their reaction is that we need more roads. It's a false argument. The more roads we build, the more cars come." He's also changed his mind on a Scarborough subway extension and become a vocal supporter of an LRT network in Scarborough.
WARD 39 (Scarborough-Agincourt) - Mike Del Grande: D
Eye Weekly put him in the City Council "loony bin". His record on public transit is nearly non-existent and he is seen as an acerbic budget hawk.
WARD 40 (Scarborough-Agincourt) - Norm Kelly: C-
Although he is a former TTC Commissioner, Kelly tended to vote against service improvements or other iniatives that would have required increased transit funding.
WARD 41 (Scarborough-Rouge River) - Paul Ainslie: C
Appointed in January 2006 to fill the vacancy left by Bas Balkissoon (who left for Provincial politics), Ainslie has not had time to make his mark with regard to transit issues. He originally supported a subway to replace the Scarborough RT, but now favours an LRT network instead. While Ainslie seeks to win the vacant seat in Ward 43, Scarborough East, (somewhat unethically we must note), there are 10 people vying to fill the void in Ward 41.
WARD 42 (Scarborough-Rouge River) - Raymond Cho: B
Opposes the Markham Bypass connecting Highways 401 and 407 via the Rouge Park, which would bring thousands of additional cars daily through Malvern. His record on public transit lies mainly in his support for a subway to replace the Scarborough RT. Failing that, he supports the extension of the RT to Malvern and the extension of the Sheppard subway to Meadowvale. We're not sure where he proposes to find the money, but we admire his enthusiasm.
WARD 43 (Scarborough East) - David Soknacki: B-
As head of the Budget Advisory committee, he has tended to vote against new spending, including the Ridership Growth Strategy and money to replace the TTC's aging streetcar fleet. However, he has acknowledged that money is needed for key projects like the reconstruction of the Scarborough RT and suggests that reconstruction could be rolled in with new streetcar purchases. Soknacki has since left municipal politics, and there are seven candidates running to replace him.
WARD 44 (Scarborough East) - Gay Cowbourne: C+
Voted to reduce Ridership Growth Strategy spending, but is a strong advocate for local environmental issues. She is not seeking re-election, and there are eight candidates running to replace her.
Written by James Bow with additional commentary by Craig Cal
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Neither the author nor Spacing necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Spacing reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely. See our Comment Policy.
The fact that the Eye piece on Del Grande was one of the few things I could find on Del Grande's record, speaks volumes, in my opinion. Looking through Del Grande's website and his literature, I could find little or nothing about the man's views on public transportation. It does not appear to be a priority for him.
Couple that with the fact that he has some serious negatives in other areas, and we rate him low. Rob Ford suffered the same fate. He has a few votes against TTC funding against him, but it is his combattative style that gave him the lowest ratings of all the councillors.
For councillor Del Grande, what does "Eye Weekly put him in the City Council “loony bin”." have to do with his rating on the TTC?
James Bow has said these scores are dependent upon only how the councillors dealt with TTC issues and are not based upon political learnings.
Can he justify this score a little by actually providing some justification for such a low score... evidence such as how did he voted on important issues for example.
Comment by David
November 16, 2006 | 7:50 pm