TRANSIT
• Adding a $4-billion insult to injury: Dalton McGuinty kicks the TTC while it’s down [ Toronto Life ]
• $4B transit delay leaves Miller furious, observers perplexed [ National Post ]
• Transit system runs on political fumes [ National Post ]
• Budget slash means a long commute with no end in sight [ Toronto Star ]
MAYORAL RACE
• Keep fans at home, debate organizers urge mayoral candidates [ Globe & Mail ]
• George Smitherman proposes ‘signature parks’ [ Toronto Star ]
• Mayoral candidates tackle Scarborough issues [ Toronto Sun ]
OTHER NEWS
• Toronto ranked last in survey of commuting times [ Toronto Star ]
• Knelman: Festival funding deserves to be permanent [ Toronto Star ]
• Toronto stays bright for Earth Hour [ Toronto Star ]
• Toronto goes dark for Earth hour [ Toronto Star ]
• Hundreds line up for first house [ Toronto Star ]
• CN Tower most snapped site in city: study [ National Post ]
• Role reversal for councillor at Yonge-Eglinton [ National Post ]
• Toronto board considers private-school options [ Toronto Star ]
• North York residents dig in to save ravines from development [ Globe & Mail ]
2 comments
I appreciate the fact that Smitherman is talking about public spaces. He’s wrong in saying that they’re underutilized. The problem is they’re often undermaintained, and he’s concerned about that. Some parks never see graffiti removed. High Park is supposed to be a crown jewel of the system, but the roads are crumbling, there are overhead wires. I remember one road sign was so crooked as to be sticking out of the ground at almost a 45 degree angle. It wasn’t straightened in over a year.
It’s a sign of real love for a city when you care about its public spaces. In discussions about transportation, taxes, and finances which might dominate this election, it’s easy to lose sight of how undermaintained and unpolished many of our public spaces are. We’re a prominent national city with 2.7 million people; our politicians need to bring the issues of public spaces to the forefront as well.
I really enjoy the pairing of the Star’s headlines about Earth Hour. 🙂