Will there be more Mayor Ford's appearing across Canada?

[pfezziwig]

I thought Toronto was as tree hugging, left leaning, al gore supporting friendly as you can get and he won there on fiscal restraint and pro-car agenda?

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means? Or will it only happen in provinces that achieve massive deficits like Ontario is achieving now?

Do we need to be facing bankruptcy before electing someone like mayor Ford? Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

Edited December 16, 2010 by pfezziwig

[bill_barilko]

Vancouver could use one but politics is such a clown show here whoever comes forward will soon be shown to be the most ridiculous loonie ever-you read it here first.

[Black Dog]

I hope for the sake of every other city in Canada that the answer is "no."

[The_Squid]

Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

Funny you don't mention the Feds in your rant... have you checked the federal deficit lately?

[guyser]

I hope for the sake of every other city in Canada that the answer is "no."

+1

[August1991]

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means?

It's not just cities, it is governments in Canada in general.

This guy is the future of Canadian politics:

Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes are ripe for someone like this. For the moment, there is no one in Canada with such communication talents in French or English. (Rob Ford was elected despite his communication skills.)

Soon, there will be a Rob Ford who has a quick wit and a clear way to express herself. If she or he can do it in French and English, they will succeed in federal politics.

Edited December 17, 2010 by August1991

[Guest TrueMetis]

Great now I'm going to have nightmares, thanks August.

[August1991]

Great now I'm going to have nightmares, thanks August.

You ain't seen nothin' yet. Compare Christie with Harper. Christie's a modern politician who can debate on TV. (Imagine!) Harper is a 1940s Mackenzie King power broker who, when asked to be spontaneous, can at best manage (badly) ATVs in the far north and organized piano sets in Ottawa.

---

When I was in this business before, I used to say that nothing was spontaneous. The trick was to plan/organize spontaneity. IMV, this is Harper's greatest failing - he can't plan spontaneity.

=====

Above, I am only discussing style. And Rob Ford and Stephen Harper have no style - yet they were elected.

IMV, soon there will be politicians in Canada with a similar message but with style, in French and English. So that's why I say: "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

Edited December 17, 2010 by August1991

[nicky10013]

I hope for the sake of every other city in Canada that the answer is "no."

Bingo. We all want fiscal responsibility. We all want taxes to be lower. However, contrary to popular Conservative belief as has been seen over every Conservative adminsitration since Reagan, slashing taxes and raising spending creating gigantic deficits isn't the path to fiscal responsibility and sustainable lower tax rates.

Government fiscal policy has to be more complicated than "Canadians know how to spend their money better than the government." It creates expectations that can't be met. That certainly can't be met in a reasonable fashion.

[psychicdude]

I thought Toronto was as tree hugging, left leaning, al gore supporting friendly as you can get and he won there on fiscal restraint and pro-car agenda?

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means? Or will it only happen in provinces that achieve massive deficits like Ontario is achieving now?

Do we need to be facing bankruptcy before electing someone like mayor Ford? Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

I hope Mayer Ford Comes through on his Promises and he isn't faught against.

[pinko]

Perhaps those enthralled by this Ford character should wait and see whether he really accomplishes anything during his term of office.

[treehugger]

Perhaps those enthralled by this Ford character should wait and see whether he really accomplishes anything during his term of office.

He has already accomplished a lot, three promises done the first day in council.

Council has taken $20,000 of each of their spending accounts.

The license fee of $60. has been stopped.

Got council to agree to transit being an essential service.

There has been more talk about transit by Mayor Ford and council, in the last month than years of talk in City Hall.

He is closing in on a graffiti law. Owners clean up your graffiti on buildings or the city will do it and charge you. hurrah!

This is a lot for one month of work.

Edited December 29, 2010 by treehugger

[Michael Hardner]

So he has cut a few hundred thousand in expenses and got rid of millions in revenue ?

Hmmmm.

[Black Dog]

He has already accomplished a lot, three promises done the first day in council.

Council has taken $20,000 of each of their spending accounts.

The license fee of $60. has been stopped.

Got council to agree to transit being an essential service.

Low-hanging fruit all.

There has been more talk about transit by Mayor Ford and council, in the last month than years of talk in City Hall.

And the seven or so years of planning and negotiations that went into developing Transit City don't count?

He is closing in on a graffiti law. Owners clean up your graffiti on buildings or the city will do it and charge you. hurrah!

This is an issue?

This is a lot for one month of work.

Is it, though? David Miller also got a lot done in a short period after taking office.

[The_Squid]

Transit is NOT an essential service, like ambulances or policing. THat's a ridiculous notion.

No one dies from missing a bus. People are inconvenienced, which is exactly the goal of a strike. Inconvenience does not equal essential. Hopefully there is a labour-relations board that can strike down this ridiculous idea. (although I don't live or visit Toronto, so I really don't care either way...)

[guyser]

Transit is NOT an essential service, like ambulances or policing. THat's a ridiculous notion.

I was about to ask if you lived....

. Hopefully there is a labour-relations board that can strike down this ridiculous idea. (although I don't live or visit Toronto, so I really don't care either way...)

Its a n essential city due to the magnitude of lost money. This country cant afford it.

[Wild Bill]

He is closing in on a graffiti law. Owners clean up your graffiti on buildings or the city will do it and charge you. hurrah!

This is a lot for one month of work.

This is the law here in Hamilton. I can't think of anything more cruel and anti-business, at least at the moment!

There are a LOT of small businesses hanging on by their fingernails in this city! Many of them are staffed by just the owner and perhaps a member or two of their family. There are a lot of variety stores where you see the same guy behind the counter no matter what time of day or night you go in. I've gone into some stores and found the guy napping behind the counter. I feel for them!

So some monkeyshines decides to spray paint graffiti on his outside walls! He calls the cops. They don't do anything, of course. They don't prevent the spray painting and they don't catch the perp afterwards either.

What DOES happen is that in a few days a bylaw officer informs the owner that he has to clean up the spray painting HIMSELF or the city will make HIM pay for it!

And he better be quick about it, too!

Talk about making someone a victim, twice! You'd almost think the city thinks its all HIS fault!

What a cruel and heartless attitude to the "little guy" who's just trying to make a living to feed his kids, while paying his taxes.

Meanwhile, business keeps leaving Hamilton and new business avoids coming here. Go figure!

[Black Dog]

This is the law here in Hamilton. I can't think of anything more cruel and anti-business, at least at the moment!

I'm also curious how this move, which will cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to enforce (after all someone has to watch out for and clean up after illicit street art, even though its nothing more than a nuisance), squares with the "friend of the taxpayer" image Ford has calculated, to say nothing of August's image of Ford as live-and-let-live social liberal.

[M.Dancer]

This is the law here in Hamilton. I can't think of anything more cruel and anti-business, at least at the moment!

That's a law that cannot be enforced.

City--Sir, you have 2 days to remove the grafitti or the city will do it and bill you.

Business Owner. What Graffitti? That's my wall treatment. Remove it and I will sue the city for destroying private property and infringing on my artistic expression

A better solution and much more cost effective is to sell permits to shoot graffitti artists...nothing extreme, no more than 3 a season...

Edited December 30, 2010 by M.Dancer

[dre]

I thought Toronto was as tree hugging, left leaning, al gore supporting friendly as you can get and he won there on fiscal restraint and pro-car agenda?

If it can happen in Toronto is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means? Or will it only happen in provinces that achieve massive deficits like Ontario is achieving now?

Do we need to be facing bankruptcy before electing someone like mayor Ford? Here in Halifax we are running massive provincial deficits and debts, tax rates are high, the private sector is fleeing our province and politicans are still spending like drunken sailors with no end in sight (or as they like to call is 'stimulus projects' or 'revitalization projects'), do we need to get closer to bankruptcy before changing our ways and trying to live in an economically sustainable manner?

Youre assuming this guy will be any more fiscally prudent than anyone else... based on what? Campaign speeches?

is there hope for other left leaning ndp dominated cities across canada to elect a mayor who wants to live within our means

Youre assuming that conservative policians will be more fiscally prudent but thats an urban legend. "Fiscal" conservatives have been extinct for decades.

[The_Squid]

Its a n essential city due to the magnitude of lost money. This country cant afford it.

That's not an excuse for an essential service. Some people in Toronto who lose a few days pay isn't going to ruin the country. That's just hyperbole.

[guyser]

That's not an excuse for an essential service. Some people in Toronto who lose a few days pay isn't going to ruin the country. That's just hyperbole.

Im afraid your assessment as"hyperbole" is not anywhere near reality.

The daily output of goods and services in Toronto is pegged at $500M dollars ..........a DAY . Yea, that aint hyperbole.

A strike would cripple the city to the tune of $50M a day. Now what was that about hyperbole.

For the first time, a city report projects the economic fallout of a public transit strike in Toronto at $50 million a day, fueling anew calls to declare the TTC an essential service that have persisted since Aprils work stoppage

Read more: http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/10/01/hall-montior-ttc-strikes-pack-50-million-price-tag.aspx#ixzz19cRF6qxJ

Edited December 30, 2010 by guyser

[The_Squid]

No one dies from losing money.... it's not an essential service. You said the country couldn't afford it. That's hyperbole...

[guyser]

No one dies from losing money.... it's not an essential service. You said the country couldn't afford it. That's hyperbole...

Thay cant. Including you, and me

[The_Squid]

Thay cant. Including you, and me

Of course I can... I am not going to be affected by a transit strike in Toronto. You are exaggerating the effects of a strike to attempt to justify them as an essential service. No one here is affected if a butterfly flaps its wings in T.O.