MAYORAL RACE
• James: Splintered right wing may be Pantalone’s ticket to mayoralty [ Toronto Star ]
• Rob Ford’s bid for mayor will tilt campaign to the right [ Toronto Star ]
• Two bands drop out off Mammoliti rock concert [ National Post ]
• Band drops Mammoliti gig [ Toronto Star ]
TTC
• More Toronto police officers will patrol TTC stations [ Globe & Mail ]
• TTC cops focus on fare fraud [ Toronto Sun ]
• Suicide screens on TTC commission agenda [ Toronto Sun ]
OTHER NEWS
• Let province handle police pay: Soknacki [ National Post ]
• How many Home Depots do we need? [ Toronto Star ]
• Porter: What I learned at campaign boot camp [ Toronto Star ]
• St. Michael’s no longer “just a hospital” [ Toronto Star ]
2 comments
By Royson James’ reasoning, the 90s should have been great for the federal NDP due to the split between conservatives. But they weren’t, and there is no reason to think that Rob Ford running for mayor won’t help a centrist like George Smitherman, and no reason to think it will help Joe Pantalone.
James’ recent articles about Pantalone’s supposed resurgence are puzzling. Pantalone is no standard-bearer for the Miller progessives. He was late to the game on many of Miller’s signature progressive achievements (did you ever hear Pantalone talking about transit city before Miller became mayor? No, he was pushing the Front Street Extension). On the other hand, he is burdened by almost all of Miller’s negatives, such as too-strong ties to unions, clumsy approaches to public engagement, a fondness for irritating social engineering, and a tolerance for bureaucratic micro-management. These are all the things that normally drive James nuts, so I am baffled why he would be touting Pantalone now.
Joe Pantalone may have had some achievements with green roofs, but George Smitherman helped establish Ontario’s green energy strategy, which may become one of the most significant environmental policies, if European experience is anything to go by.
In fact, how is George Smitherman “right wing” anyway? Are we downtowners so pink we can’t recognize the political centre anymore?
> In 2009, the TTC experienced 18 suicide incidents, fatalities and attempts
WHAT?! I have trouble calling that a problem worth addressing, especially when viewed in comparison to pedestrian fatalities above ground.
I had heard it was like once a day around exam time.