In a comment I made on a previous post about how big box stores were not “needed” on a rezoned area along Queen Street West, critics were quick to point out that the market was a better force to determine our urban spaces than I was. Unfortunately, leaving development to the market often results in bad planning, something which the city of Toronto has come to exemplify. Although the market might be able to maintain diversity, efficiency, and sustainability -- three things every great urban centre incorporates into their planning processes -- it has ...

• Average number of councilors who used the volunteer lobbyist registry during it’s first year, 2003: 2.75 • Average number of councilors using it in 2006: 11.8 Top five councilors who have used the voluntary lobbyist registry in their offices: 1) Michael Walker (44 months - out of 45) 2) Glenn De Baeremaeker (35 months) 3) Gloria Linsday Luby (32 months) 4) Janet Davis (32 months) 5) Mike Del Grande (30 months) Developers (and their affiliates) who donated the most during the 2000 election: 1) ...

Top five contributors to winning candidates of the 2003 election: 1. Toronto Professional Firefighters Union $15,750 2. Castan Bathurst Provincial Corp $15,550 3. Adam J Brown Professional Corp $11,400 4. Universal Workers Union $10,050 5. Rob Ford (all to himself) $9,964 Top four councillors who claimed the most contributions: 1. Giorgio Mammoliti $82,400 2. Kyle Rae $82,025 3. Peter Li Preti $79,560 4. Norm Kelly ...

Politicians and money are inseparable, and campaign financing records can often tell us things we might otherwise have overlooked. During the 2003 municipal election, David Miller’s corporate contributions made up 21 per cent of his campaign finances. At the other end of the spectrum is Michael Di Biase, the mayor of Vaughan, who had a corporate donation rate of 94 per cent. That same year, Kyle Rae, councillor for the heavily commercial Ward 27, received $63,000 in corporate donations, whereas his neighbour, former councillor Olivia Chow, accepted $6,700. It might be easy to draw conclusions from this, but it is often ...