Eight minutes is all it took once the polls closed. The electronic polling system worked fast enough to calculate within eight minutes the 64th mayor of the City of Toronto. And that mayor is Rob Ford.

“Toronto is now open for business,” said a happily relieved Ford when interviewed shortly after CP24 declared him the winner of the 2010 municipal election.

The people of Toronto sent a message last night — a desire for change at City Hall. While Ford fell just short of a majority of the vote (47 per cent) the remainder was primarily split between George Smitherman (35 per cent) and Joe Pantalone (12 per cent), allowing neither candidate the chance of catching Ford on this day. The desire to see change also resonated when Ford captured more of the vote than David Miller did in the 2003 and 2006 elections.

An anti-Ford sentiment had been growing among segments of voters, growing more and more as the election loomed and Ford’s campaign pulled into a commanding lead. Major candidates Sarah Thomson and Rocco Rossi dropped out to make way for a Ford-Smitherman showdown. But despite the polls, which suggested just a few days ago the narrowest of margins separating the two frontrunners, this election was not that close but rather a decisive victory for the North Etobicoke Councillor.

Ford ran a simple, straightforward campaign that involved hammering home his key talking points of cutting city spending, over and over again. The term “gravy train” has become a part of Toronto’s lexicon over the spring and summer. And Ford once again continued that message in his acceptance speech last night.

“The party with taxpayers’ money is over, ladies and gentlemen,” said Ford in his speech. “We will respect the taxpayers once again.”

The polarized sentiment felt throughout parts of the campaign, positioned as a battle between the downtown core of the city and the outlying suburban communities, was downplayed by Ford. “Tonight the people of Toronto are united by a burning desire for a positive change.”

The remaining candidates in the race were gracious in defeat with each ending their respective bids with a strong face and a positive nature. Pantalone, a long shot to win the mayoral seat entering the day, seemed almost upbeat in spite of the loss as he spoke in an interview with CP24. He made comments against strategic voting to derail Ford’s campaign, often discussed as an option over the past few weeks, and was thankful for the votes he received from Torontonians. The Deputy Mayor also made it clear that he would not run again for mayor or councillor, signaling an end to a 30-year political career.

Smitherman was choked with emotion during his final speech as he thanked his supporters and Thomson for their help, while also congratulating Ford on his victory. “Differences aside as a Torontonian, who loves my city, I hope for your success, Rob,” said Smitherman. The former Liberal cabinet minister, projected as running neck in neck with Ford entering the day of the vote, laid blame upon himself for the outcome. “It will be written that I lost an election that was mine to win, and I accept that.”

Following a 39 per cent voter turnout in 2006, a total of 50 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots this year. Given the voter apathy present at the municipal level in Toronto, the 10 per cent increase is a good sign and a reflection on the nature of this race.

It was an interesting race, even a contentious race at times. It perked the interest of many Torontonians that brought more people out to the polls. And after this long and arduous mayoral campaign the voters have given Ford the confidence to run the city of Toronto.

And there you have it, Rob Ford has been elected the 64th mayor of Toronto.

With 95% of the vote counted, Ford, the councillor of 10 years, is leading with 47.8% of the vote. George Smitherman is following with 35.1% and Joe Pantalone is carrying 11.5% of the vote. If you add up Smitherman and Pantalone's votes, well, that's still not enough to catch Ford.

To see the full breakdown by wards, and the final numbers for all the candidates, go here.

More to come...

Anyone who has ever worked in retail knows that customer service is the number one priority, which means not only providing great service, but being approachable and friendly to boot. So with that in mind, which of the three mayoral candidates is the kind of guy you feel comfortable walking up to and shaking hands with? We decided to explore this exact topic with the three mayoral frontrunners.

In a profile on Rob Ford, Toronto Life called him the master of retail politics. Makes sense considering his repeated claims to have returned 200,000 calls over the last ten years, even showing up to his constituents’ doorsteps in his Etobicoke North riding. His election signs say: “Respect for Taxpayers,” and his platform promises improved services and higher standards at city hall. “Excellent customer service doesn’t cost a thing. All it takes is leadership and accountability, and that starts at the top,” his platform reads.

This “customer is always right” approach to politics has won Ford popular support from his constituency and beyond, demonstrated in YouTube videos and on Facebook message boards. One Toronto business owner described himself as “eternally grateful” to Ford for getting the water turned back on at his business after he was rebuffed by his own city councillor.

The messages on Ford’s Facebook page echo the same appreciation and customer satisfaction. Tom Napier wrote: “He's kind of like that old teacher from the good ol' days, that always seemed to have time, for you, for the high school teams and everything else that mattered.”

The results of this approach are obvious if you read the latest polls. According to a CP24 survey, “almost a third of decided voters see city councillor Rob Ford as a trustworthy mayoral candidate who would best represent Toronto.”

Of course not everyone finds Ford as approachable and friendly as his constituents. Some media outlets have had a less-than-pleasant experience talking to him. He got into a shouting match with a former city hall reporter from the Globe. His campaign sent an e-mail to supporters lambasting the Toronto Star for its “outright lies” and “clear biases” in their coverage (they cut the Star off from contact completely). Even fellow Spacing writers have had difficulty getting a hold of Ford or a member of his staff for a comment on anything.

The media aren’t the only ones either. The Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change coalition, representing about 11 different community organizations, were refused an interview with Ford on issues relating to racial and social justice issues. They gave him an F on their report card.

Joe Pantalone’s style, on the other hand, could be likened to the Little Engine That Could. This isn’t a jab at his diminutive size, but a comment on the man’s character. As optimistic and hopeful as he is about Toronto and his campaign to become mayor, he’s still a distant third in the polls. Still, he’s not shy about coming up to you and telling you his vision for Toronto.

Two things stood out about Pantalone at a debate at the Jamaican-Canadian Association. The first is his punctuality. He arrived way before George Smitherman and Ford and could be seen mingling with the crowd, comfortable and very easy-going. The second thing was his lack of an entourage. If he had any handlers with him they were very hands off.

Pantalone demonstrated that same easy-going attitude at a fundraiser a day later at Lula Lounge, a downtown restaurant. Although he mostly repeated his platform promise to increase spending on the arts and other infrastructure projects, I was impressed that he took time to speak with everyone in the crowd. Again, there was no heavy entourage presence and he was as approachable and friendly as he was in the debate the night before.

Of course, it takes more than being a nice guy to win votes, and the positive attitude Pantalone shows in person just isn’t reflected in the polls. The same Nanos poll quoted above only found 12.9 per cent of decided voters thought Pantalone was the most trustworthy candidate. The Star’s Bob Hepburn was blunt about Pantalone’s hopes of becoming mayor: “His chances of winning Monday are zero.” Indeed, the election has become pretty much a two-horse race, with Ford and Smitherman jockeying for the mayor’s chair, leaving Pantalone out in the cold. Maybe nice guys do finish last.

George Smitherman, who came in a distant second behind Ford in who Torontonians trust the most, sort of combines the best of both worlds from Ford and Pantalone in terms of approachability. Like Ford, his platform is heavy on touting better service from city hall. His “Service First” program includes a greater emphasis on accountability, as well as incentives for more civic engagement such as creating a Mayor’s Awards for Civic Employee Excellence and Citizen feedback portals, where Torontonians will be able to grade the quality of service from city employees.

He’s also demonstrated some of Pantalone’s more personable qualities. A former employee of the Legislative Assembly who wished to remain anonymous had fond memories of Smitherman during his time at Queen’s Park. “I remember him specifically making an effort to meet with groups from his riding, which a lot of other members wouldn’t do,” she said. He doesn’t have Ford’s reputation for blacklisting certain media outlets either, and he and his campaign team have been very good about responding to e-mails and making time for interviews, as well as meeting with community organizations like Colour of Poverty.

These positive attributes aside, his campaign hasn’t really set fire to this race. His endorsement from the Globe and Torontoist could be described as tepid at best, and even big-name endorsements from the likes of David Crombie, Art Eggleton and Justin Trudeau haven’t put much of a dent in Ford’s numbers.

Interestingly, Mayor David Miller too had a reputation for being approachable, but he isn’t running in this race. An Ipsos Reid poll in August found that Miller would have won a third term had he chose to run.

Torontonians may like a mayor that’s accessible, but they’re still torn on who that might be.

With files from Mike Radoslav.

Photo by Tania Liu

If the media claims that it's the voice of the people, then it is doing a great job of representing the confusion prevailing in Toronto. Some are doing what many are doing: holding their nose and voting for George Smitherman, with enough disclaimers behind them to save face if he loses. Others have backed Rob Ford to the hilt, while Joe Pantalone’s support — sparse, but alive — comes from the heart. Spacing looked at the published endorsements — from mainstream, alternative and online publications — over the last week and came to the conclusion that the media seems to reflect opinion on the ground — no more, no less.

To start off with, the Toronto Star endorsed George Smitherman as the candidate they believe best offers "a combination of a fresh perspective and an experienced hand at the helm." It's interesting that they choose to dismiss the talk about Smitherman being the lesser of two evils as "arrant nonsense," touting his credentials and experience as something Toronto needs. While they do mention his faults, the Star's position is clear — solidly behind Smitherman.

(Or at least it was based on that endorsement; Saturday's edition proclaimed: "Ford or Smitherman? Neither" while columnist Royson James gave us, in his own words, "another reason for cynicism.")

The Toronto Sun also published its endorsement last Sunday, but went the other way, endorsing Rob Ford. The editorial argues he's the only person who can tackle the big job of cleaning up the mess at City Council. Like the Star, the Sun was quite clear with its choice, but differed in acknowledging Ford's weaknesses.

The Globe and Mail took a little more time in arriving at a conclusion, although it's not clear whether the editorial team at 444 Front Street ever did form one. The Globe recognized that there are serious problems to be resolved, and embarked upon a thoughtful analysis of both candidates before tentatively recommending George Smitherman for his "ability to get things done." Terming the platforms of both Ford and Smitherman as "unpersuasive and unsatisfactory," the Globe concluded: "...Toronto should guardedly opt for George Smitherman."

The National Post followed up the next day with a full fledged endorsement of Ford as the "bull in a china shop" that Toronto needs, according to the paper. Citing the massive spending increases at City Hall in recent years, the Post affirmed that "fiscal sanity" remains the most important issue in this election. Ford's misleading numbers and "penchant for bumption" were noted to reaffirm that it was not a decision taken lightly.

The publisher of Spacing, Matthew Blackett, preferred not to endorse anyone explicitly. His column outlined how "choosing the mayor is not just a simple case of who will tax me the least or who is going to privatize services or who will put a green roof on every home," pointing out that the powers of the mayor are greater than popularly believed.

EYE WEEKLY also refused to endorse anyone with a series of unendorsements and went so far as to recommend that no one vote at all, arguing against a spoiled ballot because that isn't recorded. Smitherman is too shifty, Ford is uncouth, and Pantalone is stagnant, says EYE, so a lower voter turnout is their chosen way to express dissatisfaction.

NOW Magazine's editorial board shares the mixed opinions that are sweeping Toronto, and, as such, chose to endorse two candidates. This is made possible because the magazine itself has two editors; founders Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Hollett endorsed Joe Pantalone wholeheartedly, portraying the frontrunners as "two tear-down contenders [who] are pushing impossible dreams and invoking imagined nightmares to cynically sell themselves." Klein, on the other hand, stuck to the evidence and asked readers to "beware of politicians and commentators who ask you to vote with your conscience instead of your full consciousness." While acknowledging Smitherman's flaws, she still endorsed him as "a second-best over a slap in the face like Ford."

In the age of social media, blogs carry significant sway as well, and Torontoist is one of the oldest. They also chose to make two endorsements, but only one of them was for mayor —  George Smitherman, reluctantly. The other choice was for voting reform, a plea to institute a preferential voting system so that "we could vote in favour of all the things we care about." It's clear that Torontoist has been far from inspired over the past few months, and that their vote is not purely for Smitherman, but rather against "a narrow-minded, neo-conservative programme which values money over our collective well-being."

BlogTO refused to wade into the painful choice and instead published a piece by guest contributor Archana Rampure, who invoked the politics of both hope and fear in an endorsement of Joe Pantalone. Opening with the horrifying tale of a family home burnt down while firemen stood by, Rampure stated that the election was "fought over two competing visions of municipal services," and rejected both Smitherman and Ford, for both would eventually cut services. Her vote — unabashedly ideological — was "for a vision of a city that is greater than the sum of all its residents."

All Fired Up In the Big Smoke, a blog seemingly created for this very election and openly dedicated to municipal politics, published three separate endorsements that nevertheless hint on a shared, progressive view for city-building. Ford was the first endorsement, chosen almost purely out of spite and trust in the political right-left pendulum. As the author noted, "In the inevitable disastrous wake of a Mayor Rob Ford, his ideological kin will be forced to run for cover." The expectation is that a Ford tenure would be so bad that the small-c conservatives will never again vote simply on the basis of anger. Joe Pantalone was recommended too, by someone who disagrees with the notion that Toronto is "a dysfunctional quagmire." For the author, while Smitherman is better than Ford, he's still not as convincing and believable as Pantalone, who "has had 30 years fighting for a fairer, more equitable and livable city, through good times and bad." The final endorsement was for Himy Syed, apparently a "fringe candidate," but one of the most engaged and intelligent candidates. The blogger was won over by the self-appointed "Peoples' Mayor," who has consistently been refused an opportunity to take part in a mayoral debate, but has continued to work hard and has received several honorable mentions.

A final Joe Pantalone endorsement comes in from ChangeToronto, where the author blasts Smitherman for choosing "party over constituents" and touts that the deputy mayor has honesty, experience, and the flexibility needed to build consensus in the council.

Perhaps this last endorsement sums up the electorate's confusion best; while Smitherman and Ford are the frontrunners based on polling data and are widely expected to win, Pantalone is still backed by several people hoping for a Calgary-style upset. As many have repeated, the only poll that matters is on election day, and while a Pantalone win may be unlikely, the possibility still exists. The disappointment around the mediocrity of the candidates, however, is most evident in the mainstream media.

It is worth noting that the media has also done an imperfect job of covering the election and in these endorsements, there is a refusal to set the tone for today. It will be a battle, driven by ideology and emotion, but won by the army that simply shows up and votes. In this context, an online response to the EYE WEEKLY unendorsement is fitting: "Cynicism does nothing to improve Toronto."

Photo by Steven Harris

With Election Day tomorrow, an important question to ask is whether or not the message delivered by candidates resonated with Torontonians. With the city discussing the relationship between cars and cyclists for some time, we asked the general public for their take on the discussion, and how it relates to their view of Toronto's next mayor.

Every candidate released platforms including cycling in their transportation plans this election. It has been a discussed issue at more than a couple mayoral debates. Here is what you had to say about cycling in Toronto under a new mayor:

"Nobody wants to come out and make a big stand out of fear of dividing their supporters. No candidate has really come out and absolutely said, hands down, that they will represent bicyclists in the election."
—Trish Tervit, 44

"Their [cycling] plans are, I think, way down the list. Everybody's screaming about taxes and what to do with them and what not to do about them. And the cycling issue has fallen down the list of priorities compared to the debate that began six or seven years ago.

"I think out of necessity we will be reverting towards more scooters, more cyclists, and I think that's great. Fewer cars are fantastic."

—Michael Flaxman, 50

"Depending on who the mayor is, it could continue to grow and become safer. It really depends on who goes in and what kind of platform they have on that. It could continue to be really fighty and us having to fight for bike lanes and this whole feeling of it being drivers versus cyclists. It could continue to be that as well."
—Helder Brum, 30

"I definitely know I don't want Rob Ford as mayor from the things he's said about cyclists; that's really enraged me. But no one else has put forward anything that comprehensible. But I don't necessarily think there needs to be that much change to the cycling scene right now.

"I personally don't think cycling in the city is that terrible right now. I think that some of the platforms are unrealistic to what is actually taking place in the city."
—Emily Torontow, 26

"I'm hopeful [about cycling] when you look at the alternatives to cycling, what the major investments are proposed to be — more expensive, less practical and more polluting."
—James Layton Robinson, 29

"I haven't heard anybody say anything about actually creating cycling infrastructure that I think would actually benefit me personally. But I've seen that Rob Ford YouTube video where he says that basically cyclists are taking a risk just by cycling ... I haven't heard anything that sounds positive."
—Sylvia Valino, 29

"None of them are talking about [cycling] as far as I've noticed. It's not a priority, I guess. I know they have opinions but I can't remember who thinks what."
—Jackie Marlay, 54

"Watching Rob Ford say what he's said about cycling in downtown Toronto, that essentially he doesn't think it's suited for cyclists and he doesn't want any more cycling lanes, that's pretty much enough for me. That's backwards and that's wrong and that's not progressive — for the environment or for people or health or for anything."
—Ondine Hayes, 41

"Have not been paying attention whatsoever I'm afraid. I don't know enough to have an opinion."
—Darren Leu, 23

Note: All those who agreed to talk hail from Toronto. The majority identified themselves as avid cyclists. A couple of people identified themselves as both motorists and cyclists, but all regularly use bikes as a form of transportation around town.

Photo by James D. Schwartz

Back in the summer, when Rob Ford carried a large lead in the polls, a lot of friends and colleagues would talk to me about the looming election with impending fear and angst. But each conversation would end with the comment, "Well, at least he is only one vote of 45," or "Luckily, the mayor doesn't have that much power."

While those may be comforting thoughts to Toronto progressives, these assumptions are naive at best and deluded at worst.

It is true that the mayor's vote is equal to all other councillors, but the chief magistrate does have much more power than many residents know. For instance, the mayor automatically has a seat on the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB). He/she is also the person that represents the City in inter-governmental affairs. And the mayor sets the tone and tactics of any labour negotiations.

It is these powers of the mayor, I believe, that should sway the swing and undecided voters of this election away from Mr. Ford. And maybe even push Joe Pantalone voters towards George Smitherman.

Consider this: As mayor and a member of the TPSB, Mr. Ford would be able to push for certain policing initiatives that suits his political point-of-view (which, of course, he has a right to do). But as we've seen, Ford has an extreme view of how the City should police it's citizens: he didn't have any problems with the policing efforts of the G20 Summit and saw no reason to investigate the actions and tactics used by the security forces. And just last night on a radio debate, Ford came out  against the long-gun registry, despite the fact that police chief Bill Blair, and 66% of Torontonians, sees it as a vital tool for the police. Ford clearly stated that he would take his marching orders from Prime Minister Harper on this issue and not the professionals who deal with crime on a daily basis.

More importantly, the TPSB deals with loads of confidential information. Ford has recently demonstrated that he holds little regard for confidentiality: first he blabbed to the Toronto Sun that he believes city council is corrupt due to the discussions of an in-camera council meeting about a contract for an east-end waterfront Boardwalk restaurant; and more blatantly when he discussed the price of an on-going real estate deal on his AM640 radio show (the City's independent integrity commissioner asked that Ford be reprimanded for his recklessness). If he can't keep his mouth shut on these confidential issues how can we trust him to keep quiet when he is presented with, say, the list of Toronto police officers under investigation?

Now consider this: The mayor has the authority to negotiate inter-governmental affairs without the consent or support of city council. In theory, Mr. Ford could call up his family friend and federal finance minister Jim Flaherty and tell him that Toronto is just hunky-dory with the transfer money the Canadian government provides the City. For example, funding for public housing could be severely curtailed. Mr. Ford has clearly stated he doesn't want any more immigrants moving into the city; while, as mayor, he has no power to control the flow of people, he could make sure that the services the City provides to newcomers, such as affordable housing, could be easily undermined by allowing the funds from Ottawa to be cut or eliminated.

And lastly, consider this: On March 31, 2011, the current collective bargaining agreement with TTC workers is set to expire. While many Torontonians, including a plethora of non-Ford supporters, want to see the TTC workers make many concessions in this next round of negotiations that prospect seems very unlikely, with a strike quite possible. But what would Mayor Ford vs. TTC employee negotiations look like? Well, he has proven that he has very little understanding of the value of public transit in his election platform and his history as councillor demonstrates how little regard he has for the TTC (his ward boasts the lowest transit ridership in the city, according to the 2006 census). He has also stated that he supports the TTC being deemed an essential service. This takes away a worker's right to strike but substantially increases the settlement costs. So while Mr. Ford trumpets his "respect for taxpayers" motto, he has inadvertently advocated that second largest line item on the City's operating budget be increased. We could end up with a double-whammy: a bitter strike that lasts for a few days before the province sends TTC employees back to work (and serious region-wide congestion) and then the possibility of a costly settlement.

I'm not about to sit here and tell any of Spacing's readers who to vote for (though my colleague Shawn Micallef has made a compelling case to vote for number 2). But I can certainly outline why choosing the mayor is not just a simple case of who will tax me the least or who is going to privatize services or who will put a green roof on every home. It is much more complex, with some issues clearly outweighing other issues of concern.

When I examine the true powers that any mayor can exert on city council and Toronto residents, the reality of a Ford mayoralty mortifies me. As I head to the poll on Monday these issues will be top of mind, not to mention at the tip of my pencil as I fill out my ballot.

The media has faced a fair amount of criticism in this election from various quarters for picking just five frontrunner candidates. The choice was relatively quick, and not providing any significant amount of coverage to the (literally) dozens of other mayoral candidates. At Spacing we have highlighted the role of the media in helping shape the direction of the election as well, first boosting Rob Ford and now George Smitherman. However, the ability of the media to fulfill expectations deserves discussion.

Last month, the Columbia Journalism Review's cover story, "The Hamster Wheel", tackled the issue of how the 24/7 news cycle and decreasing numbers of journalists was churning out less meaningful material, mainly copy from PR firms. The issue is that employment at news agencies has gone down while the number of stories has expanded tremendously, which means that journalists are producing more stories in lesser time. Since accuracy cannot take a hit (although whether it does is a different debate altogether), the content does. So now there are less in-depth interviews and more sound bytes, and shorter posts than ever (driven partially by the rise of blogs).

No one can do justice to the complexities of City Hall in 300 words, but the journalists asked to cover City Hall rarely have the time to write 2,000 words on the given topic, not to mention the needed newspaper space. Instead, they often scramble to cover political events as they're happening in the city, especially in election season when it is common to have multiple events in the same day.

Think about it. How many councillors are there? Forty-four. And how many dedicated City Hall correspondents do most news organizations have? One, usually, two at most. Is a 23:1 ratio conducive to effective coverage of the people who are elected to make major decisions about the future and well-being of Canada's largest city? Not really, especially in a weak mayoral system where individual councillors do have clout. However, they are rarely given a great deal of coverage (Rob Ford is only the most obvious example; Giorgi Mammoliti is another). That's why even the media acknowledges that they need to do a better job covering Toronto's municipal politics. But they are simply handicapped by a lack of resources.

It's not that editors don't really care; it's because they don't have a choice. Newspaper circulation in Canada has been decreasing steadily over the past few years, according to the Canadian Newspaper Association. Circulation in Toronto (PDF) alone went down by 9.9% from 2008 to 2009. While that may be partially attributed to the newspapers themselves, it has more to do with changing media consumption habits and shifts in demand. A population traditionally characterized by political apathy is not very interested in reading essays about fixing Toronto's governance structure; it is much more captivated by details about the car crash on the Gardiner.

This is exactly what outgoing mayor David Miller highlighted in his address at the Canadian Journalism Foundation's fourth annual Democracy and Journalism lecture. Arguing that the media over-simplifies stories, which is leading to "collective amnesia" amongst Canadians, ultimately hurting the democratic process through less-informed votes. For example, Miller mentioned that he spent over half an hour looking for stories on crime going down in Toronto — which has actually happened (Toronto Police Statistics Report 2008, PDF) — and was unsuccessful.

This theme was also picked up at the recent panel discussion where representatives of the media were blasted for building a negative portrayal of the city, and as mentioned above, it comes down to capacity. Do more with less. That's a mantra that everyone has been saying for years, especially since the recession hit. Virtually every boss in every industry has said it, and every worker has had to produce it. If we can agree that it's difficult for us, why not recognize that it's difficult for those who work in newsrooms, too? In the context, it is important to recognize and applaud the work done by the media, at least to raise civic interest. A race that was once dull is now hurtling towards a breathless finish as Ford and Smitherman are in a dead heat, with incumbent Joe Pantalone refusing to give up. Advance polling has beat the records set in 2006, and if Calgary is anything to go by, Toronto may just see an increase in voter turnout this year.

However, that does not mean the media is entirely blameless. While it is clearly impossible to give all of the 30-odd mayoral candidates adequate coverage, it is clearly possible to provide many of them with a chance to be heard. The media does have the power to do that; Sarah Thomson is an example of someone who was elevated to add diversity, while worthy candidates such as Rocco Achampong have received only passing mention. On the other hand, Ford, as Spacing Votes has repeated, has received a great deal of publicity.

The challenges faced by media remain, but they have not distinguished themselves in terms of providing quality coverage. There are lessons to be taken to the next round of municipal elections.

Photo by Mark Woodland

With two of the frontrunners bowing out of the race in the past month, Torontonians are faced with three very different mayoral candidates to choose from — along with equally distinct transit platforms. The candidates have been feverishly debating (or arguing) on how to effectively connect and fund the city’s public transit system. But between subways versus light rail transit (LRT) and controversial funding options, the question must be asked: how well do the candidates fare?

With voters heading to cast their votes next week, let’s breakdown each candidate’s transit platform.

Rob Ford – Wants to scrap the Transit City plan and build more subways instead by using revenues from air rights sales.

Ford has been quite vocal about his opinion of Transit City and plans to scrap the plan and develop an extended subway plan instead. He has announced to extend the 12 km Sheppard subway line and convert the Scarborough Rapid Transit line into a subway. He proposes to use more clean buses to move the masses in areas where subways are not affordable. Ford plans to sell air rights to businesses as a new revenue strategy, but as we examined last month, Toronto may not yet have sufficient densities to satisfy this plan. What Ford fails to realize is that placing more buses on roads will add to traffic congestion. The main reason for streetcars and LRTs is to move a high capacity of commuters at a time at a faster speed. As Toronto's population grows steadily, Ford's intermediate plan for buses will not be enough to accomplish this task.

Joe Pantalone – Wants to build Transit City and explore the future of subways if ridership numbers indicate its need.

As deputy mayor and a long-term Toronto council member, Joe Pantalone is a supporter of Transit City, and always has been. He believes in the current plan, and, if elected, he will make sure that LRTs will be built. Pantalone understands that subway systems are generally graduated upon the success of smaller-capacity modes, such as LRTs. He acknowledges that there are flaws of how the TTC currently operates, but plans to work with the agency to improve customer service, public participation and funding options. Pantalone is preparing to work with Metrolinx to electrify the train route from Union Station to Pearson airport, but he has not presented new transit ideas to implement thus far.

George Smitherman – Wants to make major changes to Transit City. He has proposed to include more subways and promises to be able to secure provincial funding for it.

George Smitherman has some big plans for public transit in Toronto. He proposes to install more subways, speed up the completion of certain lines in time for the Pan Am Games in 2015 and extend the subway lines. There are two phases in which he aims to accomplish his plan: One set of goals to be completed by the Pam Am Games and the second phase of objectives to be completed between 2015 and 2020. Here is just a sampling of the ideas he has in mind for the city:

• Speed up the completion of the Spadina subway line to be finished in time for the Pan Am Games in 2015
• Extend the Sheppard LRT to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus.
• Extend the tunneled portion of the Eglinton LRT through to Weston Road so that it can connect with the air-rail link.
• Build the Finch West LRT to connect the Sheppard subway to Downsview station by 2020.
• Turn the Scarborough Rapid Transit into a subway.
• Extend the Bloor line to Sherway Gardens by 2020.

Smitherman estimates that his plan will cost up to $5 billion beyond the current provincial funding. In addition to enlisting private corporations to invest in Toronto’s public transit system, Smitherman has stated that he will secure $100 million from the province as a form of an annual TTC operating subsidy. How he plans to secure this funding has not been publicized.

Photo by Squirrel Brand

It’s been nearly a week since election signs for the Toronto mayoral race went up, and an ugly smear job has been unleashed against the two frontrunners, George Smitherman and Rob Ford.

Approximately ten election signs with negative messages appeared on the centre median of University Avenue at Elm Street with black-and-white signs that read: “Wife-beating racist drunk for mayor!”

Although there is no mention of any specific candidate on the poster, the vitriolic message no doubt refers to some of Ford’s  infamous follies. These include a drunk driving charge in Florida in 1999, assault charges against his wife Renata Ford in 2008 (which were later withdrawn), and comments he made referring to Asian people as “Orientals.”

No one has claimed responsibility for the signs, and they have since been removed.

Over in Scarborough, Smitherman was also hit with a nasty smear when flyers appeared over eight of his campaign signs along McCowan Road with the message “REPENT FOR THY KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND,” no doubt a reference to the candidate’s sexual orientation.

"Differences of opinion are to be expected in politics, but this kind of anonymous, blatant smear is disgusting,” said Stefan Baranski, a spokesman for Smitherman. “George is running on a positive vision for the future — a Toronto that builds on our strengths, not divides — and he'll remain focused on that.”

The smears garnered some heated debate on the message board of the CityNews website, largely in favour of Ford. One person named “Kosta The Greek” wrote: “all you low lifes that try and create smear campaigns, you just want the party and gravy train to continue at city hall. It's time to clean up the city, get rid of the pigs at the trough, elect someone who has been consistent in their message and can be trusted by the taxpayer.”

Another post from someone named “tomtom” called it a new low in the campaign. “This reminds me of the student council elections back in high school,” he wrote.

The mayoral candidates weren't the only ones hit by a smear job. In councilor Adam Vaughan's riding of Trinity-Spadina, several of his election signs were defaced in Kensington Market, most with Hitler-esque mustaches drawn on Vaughan's face and the message "MILLER'S BIATCH" scribbled in permanent marker.

This is not the first time candidates running for office have been the target of a smear campaign in Toronto. The federal election of 2008 brought major hassles for residents of St. Paul’s and Parkdale High Park ridings, respectively.

Approximately 30 residents were hit with various acts of vandalism and sabotage. Their car brakes were severed, their phone and cable lines were cut, and graffiti was spray-painted on their houses. The only connection police found at the time were Liberal campaign signs in front of their homes. One supporter of Liberal incumbent Carolyn Bennett narrowly avoided a collision with a bus after someone tampered with his car brakes.

While the smear job has only consisted of some immature pranks, the seriousness of this type of behaviour cannot be overlooked. The 2008 federal election showed that it only takes one or a handful of miscreants to cause havoc. Fortunately, neither Ford nor Smitherman's campaigns have reported any serious vandalism or sabotage against their supporters.

Photo by the author.

Amid recent polling figures showing dipping support late in the race, Rocco Rossi has formally resigned from his campaign to be the next mayor of Toronto. By removing himself, Rossi leaves three major candidates remaining — George Smitherman, Rob Ford and Joe Pantalone, none of which Rossi is endorsing.

The poll in question, conducted over the Thanksgiving weekend for News 1010 by Ipsos Reid, has placed both Smitherman and Ford well in the lead over third place Pantalone, predicting a two-way showdown for the mayoral chair.

The figures show Smitherman in the lead with 31 percent of decided voters while Ford sits in second with 30 percent of the decided vote. Joe Pantalone registered with 11 percent voter support for third position. Rossi polled the lowest at four percent. It's of note, however, that 25 percent of Torontonians still remain uncertain which direction they will cast their ballot.

Rossi was a fiery candidate who spoke loudly and confidently at debates and challenged his opponents on a regular basis. Rossi consistently urged Torontonians to help change the culture at City Hall by electing a mayor who had not previously sat on city council. The three remaining major candidates have all spent time serving on council.

Rossi ran a campaign with platform initiatives such as privatizing garbage pick up and selling Toronto Hydro. He suggested ways for citizens to regain control of their city hall by recalling ineffective councillors and placing term limits upon a councillors stay, issues which seemed popular with voters but not politicians as it would require amending the Municipality Elections Act. An avid cyclist, Rossi also suggested keeping cyclists off busy arterial streets in favour of placing them on less traveled roadways, making the streets safer.

His campaign will undoubtedly be remembered for his mafia-themed campaign posters and his announcement to continue the Allen Expressway to meet up with the Gardiner Expressway by drilling a tunnel under the city. An ambitious cost cutting financial plan released a couple of weeks back, proposed to save the city hundreds of millions of dollars, was also not enough to resonate with voters. His social media team (or army) was also of note, ahead of the others in Twitter and Facebook followers.

He was the first to register for the mayoral election back in January, but after a nine month run, he has realized that his "message is not what the majority of Torontonians want to focus their attention on," as he said in his farewell speech.

Rossi did not endorse any other candidate but simply implored Torontonians to "vote for something, not against something." Rossi spoke highly of building bridges rather than dividing the city and upon his departure left the decisions in the hands of Torontonians without trying to influence voters in any one specific direction.

Photo by Rocco Rossi Campaign