CITY COUNCIL
• $1.5-billion earmarked to rejuvenate city’s social housing… [Globe & Mail]
• Toronto approves 5-cent fee on bags [Toronto Star]
FEDERAL COALITION
• ‘This is a coup d’etat’ [Toronto Sun]
• ‘Rally for Canada’ in works [Toronto Sun]
• Jack seen as architect of Ottawa power play [Toronto Sun]
• A Q&A on a coalition government [Toronto Star]
• Tories at breaking point [Toronto Sun]
• Public service unions divided on coalition support [Toronto Sun]
• GG Jean returns to tackle turmoil [Toronto Sun]
• May gives Green light to coalition [Toronto Sun]
• Biz warns unions stay neutral [Toronto Sun]
• Wait ‘n’ see for premier [Toronto Sun]
OTHER NEWS
• Couple donates $10-million to Robarts Library renovation [Globe & Mail]
• T.O. lays out welcome mat for Pan-Ams [Toronto Sun]
• $950M tab for public housing reno [Toronto Sun]
7 comments
Generally speaking, I don’t think Stephen Harper is the anti-christ, or that he’s been a terrible Prime Minister (though, I didn’t vote for him). But boy he really picked the wrong battle on this one, and it looks like it will cost him his job. Putting aside the question of his fitness to be PM, however, the process being undertaken by the “coalition” appears to be constitutional, so I say good for them.
As long as we don’t have to have another election, I’m happy!
As I wrote in much greater length on my blog this morning (click on my name above for the link), the problem with the Conservatives isn’t that they’re wrong about the economy, it’s that they seem just as interested in destroying the opposition as they are in fixing the country…and that does not work.
For the record, I think it’s wise to wait for Obama to finialize his plan before we finalize ours. Working at cross-purposes with the Americans won’t get us anywhere and like it or not, when we signed NAFTA we signed away the ability to support ourselves and thus the ability to singularly control our own economy.
By including party financing in the Economic Statement, the Tories proved they do not have the necessary focus to guide us through the dark times. They’re always going to want to stick it to the Liberals and a minority government can’t be allowed to act in that manner.
It certainly is a fascinating issue and I am following the news as much as the next guy, but it seems to me that the crisis in the federal government is barely tangentially related to public space and the urban landscape…
Brent: I would argue that a coalition government would address a handful of urban issues such as transit, environment, appointment to the Toronto Port Authority (now the Lisa Riatt is an MP), etc….
The coalition government would also have much more of a city-rural balance than there is now.
In light of that Statscan report on declining farm populations, a city-rural balance is more important than ever.