Spacing Votes returns on August 30th!
Almost exactly a year ago, Spacing launched a special blog focused on Toronto’s 2006 municipal election. We came away from that experience feeling like we added a new and unique voice to the daily election coverage.
Starting on Thursday, August 30th, we will re-launch Spacing Votes to cover the upcoming provincial election. We have assembled a great team of columnists and writers. Returning to Spacing Votes as our lead columnist is award-winning urban affairs journalist John Lorinc — he’ll provide our readers with his insightful commentary culled from years of dealing with politicians at Queen’s Park. Transit advocate Steve Munro will weigh in on the promises (or lack thereof) to improve public transit and transportation in Toronto, while Spacing Editor and Eye Weekly columnist Dale Duncan will focus her attention on how this election will shape the upcoming agenda of Toronto’s City Council. Spacing’s publisher and creative director Matthew Blackett will examine polls and how the election is being fought on our street corners and front lawns. And Spacing’s newest contributor, Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler, will use his Queen’s Park insider knowledge to give our readers his unique perspective.
Along with our lineup of commentators is a team of six beat writers focused on issues like the OMB, development and planning, transportation and public transit, environment issues, the referendum on our voting system (MMP), Ontario’s election history, and related urban issues from Ontario’s other big cities. Our writers will challenge local candidates on these topics and provide Toronto voters with a greater sense of where the political parties stand on improving the quality of life in this city. And each morning we will gather the headlines from the mainstream and alternative media.
This election is about Toronto’s future. We hope we can provide insight and information on the candidates and parties. More importantly, we’re excited to give Spacing readers a forum for discussion on the issues you care deeply about.
photo from Toronto Archives: fonds 1568, file 1568, item 0085
8 comments
If you want Toronto to have a future, it’s awfully simple: vote NDP. I have a lot of problems with the NDP; however, they are the only ones with any credibility on urban issues: the Tories screwed us, and the Liberals didn’t take the trouble to fix it. For @$#%’s sakes, the day after Hampton promises to upload, only then does McGuinty make a (much smaller) promise!
It’s not that I imagine the NDP are going to carry the vote, nor am I sure I want them to, given Rae’s tenure, but there are other reasons to vote NDP than the hope for an NDP majority. The NDP is the political social-conscience of the country. Every vote for the NDP makes the other two main parties make social-justice promises. The fewer who vote NDP, the more Harris governments we get. The liberals are most sensitive: they live on poaching votes from the right and the left. Make them think there are more on the left.
I look forward to Spacing Vote 2.0, should be good!
At the UofT Students’ Union we’re hoping on holding some events and a large panel event on electoral reform on September 27th with Ed Broadbent, Patrick Boyer and Catherine Baquero (from the Citizens’ Assembly) as well as others hopefully. More detail to come.
Ask all Liberal candidates when we are going to get our fair share of our own tax dollars back.
Scott> Now that I live in Smitherman’s ward, I’m waiting in anticipation for the Honorable Minster to come up our walk and ask him just that.
I am putting a “I want my money back” sign on my lawn this time. Maybe as Hume says it is time for an urban party.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in either the NDP or the Liberals – deriving from the waterfront transport fiascos of the Front St. Extension – now over four years and waiting for a decision on the request for an Individual EA vs.Class EA, nor the civic NDP (and up a level too because of party loyalty). Many of the progressives at the City support a big road folly that will harm two transit systems, and the supposed transit option of the WWLRT is likely to ensure we overspend by c.$250M for an ineffective “fix” to some of our waterfront transport problems. The Liberals do not seem to care about harms to GO, even though Ms. Broten is an MPP for lower Etobicoke, and they could have pressured for a corridor study that might include looking at simply adding more GO trains – though they are spending money on enhancing GO service to be fair, just they’re missing how the FSE will foul it up.
It’s a bit early in the morning for this, but I’m playing along with that Hamish drinking game, and I just took a few shots.
I think Hamish is having us on, just like Zanta.