Wet leaves on wet roads add up to slippery driving

              

All this rain and windy weather over the past couple of weeks has knocked most of the leaves off the trees, creating problems that a lot of people don’t recognize until they’re bitten by them.

My Tuesday column was about the need for people to check on catch basins in the curb near their homes, to ensure they aren’t blocked by fallen leaves that have been washed into the grate by runoff.

We didn’t get enough run during the storm Monday to fill the curbs with water and push the leaves into the catch basin, but another problem soon made itself evident, when I suddenly had to hit the brakes on Tuesday.

The residential street I was driving on was wet from rain and covered with fallen leaves blown off the trees by high winds on Monday night, which were so thick in some spots that they created a mat on the road.

When I stepped on the brakes to avoid hitting a squirrel that darted in front of me, the car slid sideways, due to the coating of mushy leaves between the tires and the pavement.

Luckily, there wasn’t any traffic coming my way when the car slid, but it was a good reminder that wet leaves on a wet road are very slippery.

Drivers need to be cautious and adjust for them.

Superstorm Sandy shows why we live in the world’s best place

I’ve always thought we are incredibly blessed to live in Canada – and specifically, in southern Ontario - and the devastation along the U.S. east coast from Superstorm Sandy confirms it.

As the flood waters recede from New York and the New Jersey coastline, life is at a standstill for millions of Americans whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, are without electricity and facing terrible uncertainty.

It seems like the U.S. is devastated each year by a natural disaster (remember the tornadoes in the Midwest last spring?), but for some magical reason, those weather-related catastrophes never seem to find us in the GTA.

On Sunday, the southern Ontario storm forecast called for up to 100 millimetres (about four inches) of rain on Monday night and Tuesday, a staggering total that would surely have cause widespread flooding, damage and misery.

Instead, we got a wind-whipped drizzle that briefly knocked out power to a few thousand homes in the GTA, and a few thousand more across the province.

The lights are back on in most of them by now.

Once again we dodged a bullet headed in our direction, while our friends to the south didn’t.

How many times have we been warned that calamitous weather is on the way, only to wake up to sunshine?

This has been a cold wet autumn, and old-fashioned winter has to return sooner or later, but the weather we enjoyed over the previous 18 months was relentlessly beautiful.

Our standard of living is among the best in the world and our prospects for the future are much better than other industrialized countries.

We have stable government, even if it doesn’t always seem like it, and politicians who are not yet so partisan that they cannot work together on at least the important issues.

When the biggest story in the local news is whether the mayor tried to pull a string to help his high school football team, a lot of places would like to trade their problems for ours.

We’re on a roll of wonderful good luck around here, for whatever reason, and as long as the shooter at our craps table keeps rolling his point number, you can press your bet.

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  

 

    

 

 

  

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Mayor Ford deserves credit for “playing hooky” from council meeting

The legions of Rob Ford haters are in high dudgeon today over his admission on radio that he’ll be at a day-long extravaganza of high school football bowl games on Nov. 27, instead of presiding over a city council meeting.

Reader comments posted to a story on thestar.com about his on-air statement that he’ll be “playing hooky from city hall” to attend five football games that conflict with the council meeting are howling with outrage, from the usual pinko suspects.

Our poor mayor cannot win, no matter how hard he follows his heart and tries to do the right thing.

Everyone knows Ford is committed to a sideline career as Head Coach of the Don Bosco high school football team, and that his interest in kids rivals his passion for providing a steady hand on the tiller of government.

He has made it clear that football will not play backup to his doot-doot-duties as chief magistrate, and huzzah to the mayor for keeping his priorities straight.

It seems to me that the bike riders who live for the pleasure of hee-hawing at Ford’s tiny missteps are using this as nothing more than another opportunity to boot him through their foul goal posts.

Here’s a question for the chatterers: Where do you think he would be more effective, at city council or with teenagers at an all-day buffet of football?

If the answer is football – and I’ll bet it is – then why are you hooting about it?

With capable lieutenants such as Frances Nunziata and George Mammoliti to sub for him, city council is in excellent hands.

It’s not as if the ship will sink if the mayor bails out on a single day of the mindless hogwash and insolence towards his agenda that passes for a council meeting.

And don't forget that it is an opportunity for the mayor - who prefers to be out among the people - to fly his flag at a high-profile public event.

My only regret is that Ford backtracked on his remarks, after Nunziata showed politically correct weakness and returned to the subject later in the radio program, saying: “But I knew it was a joke.”

No it wasn’t, and Ford should have stuck to his guns. Any objective observer can see he’s in it for the kids, and not for the illusion of glory that comes from wearing the chain of office and drives preening lefties (are you listening, Vaughan?) to seek his job.

I’m okay with the mayor doing an end-run around council. He’s working so hard at both jobs that he deserves a break.

 

 

  

 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  

 

Cleaning your eavestroughs is a can’t-miss investment

Here’s a tip for homeowners that’s like money in the bank: Clean out your eavestroughs right now, even if it’s raining, if you want to avoid a wet basement.

Environment Canada’s seven-day forecast for the GTA shows nothing but rain right through next Friday, including miserable weather for Halloween.

And we’ve all heard that Hurricane Sandy is pushing up the east coast. It’ll be reduced to a tropical storm by the time it reaches southern Ontario on Monday, but will be packing lots of rain and high winds.

A heavy downpour - almost a certainty in the next few days - strains the capacity of any eavestrough and will cause a clogged roof gutter to quickly overflow.

Most people don’t give their gutters much thought until a sustained, pounding rain, when they peer out the window and notice buckets of water cascading down from the roof line in a place where it shouldn’t be.

Oh yeah, it’s been a long time since they were cleaned out. I shoulda done something about that sooner.

I write this with authority because I have made that mistake several times, including late this summer, when my eavestroughs so thoroughly overflowed during a heavy rain that water seeped into my basement.

It didn’t amount to a flood, but it couldn’t have been any good for my foundation and had to be cleaned up.

And it was easily avoidable.

I have a long row of trees down that side of my house, which drop small twigs and leaves into the gutters.

If they aren’t cleaned out several times a year, the stuff washes down to the wire bulb that covers the opening to the downspout and clogs it, causing water from a heavy downpour to back up and then spill over the side.

You can only get away with inattentiveness to your eavestroughs for so long before trouble finds you.

If you’re lucky, the problem will be small.

But if the rain is extremely heavy and enough seeps into a small patch of ground below the point where it overflows the gutter, it can cause a flood and seriously damage the foundation, which could cost thousands to fix.

So tomorrow I’ll drag out the ladder, climb up to the eavestroughs wearing a pair of rubber gloves and muck out the area around the wire bulbs leading to the downspouts, even if I get drenched doing it.

I don’t need any more water coming into my basement.

Neither do you.

  

 

 

 

       

 

 

Lobbying begins to repeal plastic bag ban

Beware of the "grassroot" initiative to reverse Toronto’s ban on plastic shopping bags, due to kick in Jan. 1.

Those who keep score of Mayor Rob Ford’s accomplishments will recall the proud day earlier this year when he brought a motion to city council to repeal the 5 cent tax we all pay for shopping bags.

Ford succeeded (not that stores have stopped charging it), but council poked him in the eye by passing another motion to ban the use of plastics bags for shopping purchases, starting next year.

Score one for Ford, eh?

I, for one, do not like the bag ban. I didn’t particularly like paying a nickel, but I find of plenty of uses for them and appreciate the small stockpile in my pantry.

Since the bag tax kicked in, I don’t see nearly as many shredded plastic bags fluttering from the branches of trees as I did a few years ago, an anecdotal measure for sure, but a sign that it is having a positive environmental impact.

If the bag ban, which has been implemented in other North American cities without calamity, further reduces street trash and bags in landfills, I can get along without them.

We managed quite well before plastic bags were used for groceries and retail purchases, and will again.

But it was no surprise when a press release dropped into my inbox today from “a broad based coalition of environmental and economic interests,” working to overturn the bag ban.

“The coalition (ReverseTheBagBan.ca) will be launching a campaign that will include a website, videos, and a way for the public to voice their opposition,” said coalition spokesperson Kevin Gaudet.

I recognized Gaudet’s name, so I Googled him to jog my memory.

Among other things, he is described as a candidate for the presidency of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an external relations consultant and a failed PC candidate in the Pickering-Scarborough East riding in the last provincial election.

The most interesting entry was an Apr. 12 announcement from Grassroots Public Affairs that Gaudet is “an associate consultant to the firm. A lifelong fiscal conservative, Kevin has significant relationships within both the federal government and the provincial PC party.”

The Grassroots website says its “focus and strength is the creation and execution of effective “grassroot” campaigns that highlight important matters for you and your stakeholders.

“We help prioritize your issues, confirm your targeted audience and equip stakeholders to apply multiple points of awareness to elected officials at the community level.”

It goes on to say “campaigns can be designed locally for issues within a single city…”

In other words, “stakeholders” that have a vested interest in the continued use of plastic bags (maybe the people who make and sell them to retailers?) have hired a lobbying outfit to push their agenda.

So much for the “broad based coalition” that includes environmental interests.

When the lobbying kicks in, you can bet that the environment is far down the list of considerations.

 

 

Cycling on Lake Shore Blvd. a bit like Russian roulette

Riding a bike on Lake Shore Blvd. may not be illegal, but it is incredibly dangerous, if not foolhardy.

A Wednesday headline in the “Must Reads” section of thestar.com really jumped out at me: Is cycling on Lake Shore Blvd. illegal?

A reader had asked if it is legal for cyclists to use Lake Shore, noting that “I am seeing more and more cyclists on Lake Shore through downtown and beneath the Gardiner Expressway.”

The question was answered in the Star’s Wheels section, where Eric Lai wrote “there is nothing that prevents cyclists from using the roadway on Lake Shore Blvd., as long as they abide by the rules of the road.”

That may be true, but as an occasional cyclist and regular driver, I cannot think of a street in Toronto less suited to cycling than Lake Shore.

Unlike other streets that are three lanes wide in both directions, Lake Shore is an access point for ramps that lead to and from the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.

A lot of traffic that is usually moving faster than the 60 k/ph speed limit while entering or exiting the freeways is in the curb lane, just inches away from cyclists who'd be sharing the same space.

Anyone who uses it knows that it is a magnet for dolts wearing wraparound sunglasses and baseball caps turned backwards, driving tuner cars as though they are in a Need For Speed match on their PlayStation or X-Box.

The way a lot of them weave through traffic precludes the careful attention needed to be aware of and respectful towards cyclists.

The worrisome part is the reader’s observation that more and more cyclists are riding on the downtown stretch of Lake Shore, which I haven’t noticed but may well be true.

I believe bike lanes painted in the area next to the curb makes just about any street safer for cyclists, but that would never be the case on Lake Shore.

I am also a believer in the I Share The Road campaign started by James Schwartz, one of the most common-sense cycling advocates out there, but I doubt he’d recommend Lake Shore as a cycling route.

If anybody disagrees, I’d like to hear their reasoning, but the Martin Goodman Trail runs along much of the Lake Shore and is absolutely the safer way to go.

 

 

    

      

 

Decision on Ford’s conflict of interest case could be any day now

Rob Ford would likely be pleased (and relieved) if everyone would just forget about that nasty conflict of interest business that threatens to dump him from the mayor’s chair.

And if it wasn’t for the nonsensical charge under consideration by a judge - laid by a busybody with not enough thumbs to twiddle - all but the most virulent Ford haters would likely have developed amnesia and moved on by now.

Politicians rely on the short memories and dim wittedness of the public, and are seldom disappointed.

For those who can’t remember, Ford went on trial last month for allegedly violating the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act for speaking, and then voting on, an item that was said to be financially beneficial to him.

The city’s integrity commissioner ordered Ford to repay $3,150 in donations to the mayor’s private football foundation, because he used city materials to solicit the donations.

Council was asked to overturn the integrity commissioner’s ruling, which it did. Instead of declaring a conflict and recusing himself, Ford spoke on his own behalf and voted to overturn the ruling, which would have passed even without his vote.

A conflict of interest complaint by a private citizen resulted in a high profile hearing early last month before Justice Charles Hackland, who has yet to make his ruling, but could order Ford punted from office if he finds that the mayor violated the act.

Legal experts say Ford is clearly guilty, and that it is only a matter of whether Hackland decides the amount of money is too small to kick him out.

After the hearing, which riveted the city for several days in early September, experts said a ruling could come as soon as four weeks, but because the stakes are so high, it could take longer.

That was about six weeks ago, which had me thinking the decision could come any day now and return the mayor to his rightful place at the centre of political farce.

You have to admit it’s been pretty quiet around city hall lately. Too quiet for me.

Only the drunk driving bust of Councillor Ana Bailao last week – a one-day wonder in the news – has disturbed the reverie at city hall, and that is no good for anyone.

It is far more fun when the circus is at Nathan Phillips Square, with trapeze artists, ventriloquists and lion tamers – aka councillors – entertaining us, and the mayor at the head of the parade.

What if the judge decides Ford must go? Who will chase reporters, freeze out the Toronto Star or provide Brother Doug with a reason for being in politics?

Think of what a sad, bereft city it would be without hizzoner.

Remember David Miller? Me either.

I’m with Ford Nation on this and hope the judge forgets about it.

 

 

 

 

 

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A salty diet is killing the Gardiner Expressway.

No wonder the Gardiner Expressway is falling apart, given the avalanche of road salt that hits it every winter.

A freedom of information request made by The Star resulted in the release of a report by an outside engineering firm that found sizeable cracks, spalls (pieces that have detached from a larger mass), problematic patches, and/or splitting in six areas where no signs of surface deterioration had been detected, along its sides and underbelly.

The report concluded that the Gardiner is rife with deteriorating chunks of concrete that pose a significant risk to public safety, and it is impossible to guarantee that pieces won’t fall off in the future, in spite of precautionary measures.

The city is moving to increase the budget for Gardiner repairs from $15 million to $35 million, but I don’t think fixing it is worth the expense.

As long as the solution to keeping the Gardiner passable in winter is to pound hundreds of tonnes of road salt onto it every year – and there is no viable alternative - the elevated section will continue to deteriorate.

The expressway is 60 years old and the invoice for fighting ice and snow is a lot more than the cost of road salt and trucks to spread it, as we are now learning.

Our freeze-and-thaw climate requires even more road salt than other cities where the cold weather is more continuous.

Moisture on the road warms up during the day and then freezes at night, requiring lots of salt to keep it from turning icy.

Bridges (or elevated expressways) need even more salt to prevent freezing, which relentlessly seeps into the concrete and eats away at the steel reinforcement within.

It doesn’t take a structural engineer to understand the effects of a steady diet of salt for more than half a century, and connect it to the chunks of concrete that keep falling from the Gardiner onto Lake Shore Blvd. beneath it.

We found a reference in Stormwater, a journal for surface water quality professionals, to a study by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation that says “road salt rarely jeopardizes the structural integrity of bridges (but) its corrosiveness damages bridge decks. Chloride ions penetrate concrete and corrode reinforcing rods, causing the surrounding concrete to crack and fragment.”

Sound familiar?

It seems to me that the deterioration of the Gardiner will only get worse, given its age and the need to keep pouring salt onto it, which calls into question large expenditures to deal with erosion that will only get bigger.

And it leaves me wondering when about the disasterous possibility that an entire section of the Gardiner could simply collapse. It's happened before.

City politicians have always ducked from trying to sell the prospect of tearing down the Gardiner – and opening up the waterfront – from a driving public hostile to anything that slows down traffic.

Here’s their excuse.

   

 

 

 

       

    

     

 

        

 

 

  

 

    

   

  

 

 

  

 

  

  

 

  

 

 

Not much sympathy for the Pigeon Lady

A lot of people would like the Pigeon Lady to stop feeding birds, judging by the reader comments posted to my column about her.

The Pigeon Lady, who was featured in our Thursday column and in an accompanying video, is well known in the St. James Town area for spreading huge amounts of bird seed that attracts hundreds of pigeons, particularly on Wellesley St. E.

Pigeons are regarded by many as pests that foul the sidewalks with their droppings, which can transmit disease.

A poll conducted by thestar.com found that 76 per cent of 1,804 people who voted think the city should prohibit the feeding of pigeons, which was also reflected in more than 80 comments posted to the column by readers.

“People should not have to walk through pigeon poop or have swarms of pigeons fly up in their faces,” said one reader, adding that “eccentric pigeon feeders” often scatter seed and old bread on heavily travelled sidewalks near retail areas.

“Helping animals is laudable. Creating pools of bird feces for me to negotiate every day on my way to work is not,” said another reader. “Honey, get help. They don’t need your actions and we certainly don’t.”

Several readers said they’d come across her before, with one noting that “she refuses to move when you’re trying to walk past her with your dog. She screams at you if your dog scares the birds. She screams at you if you ask her to stop because you don’t want to step in pigeon crap.”

A friend of mine who resides in a condo on Homewood Ave., which runs south from Wellesley, emailed to say she lives in his building and is “crazy and mean when people criticize her about feeding pigeons.

“I’m sure she’s been told she can’t do it on the condo grounds any more so she feeds them on the sidewalk, away from the building.”

Another reader said she's been at it for seven years, and that he's had “several six a.m. screaming matches with this woman as she contributes to the flying vermin problem,” adding she spreads seed on homeowners’ properties in the area.

Some readers said she should be allowed to feeds the birds.

“Be compassionate. She’s not killing or hurting anyone. Ask her to perhaps isolate her meandering to public spaces. Otherwise, it’s her right to do whatever she wishes in regard to feeding the pigeons. Free country. This is not an issue.”

 

 

    

     

 

        

 

 

  

 

    

   

  

 

 

  

 

  

  

 

  

 

MADD’s righteousness is hard to swallow

Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s description of the city councillors who stood with Councillor Ana Bailao as she faced the media over her impaired driving charge as “deplorable” is enough to make me reach for a drink.

By now, those who pay attention to local politics know that Bailao was busted for impaired driving Monday night and told media at city hall Tuesday that she intends to plead not guilty.

The breathalyzer test produced a blood alcohol reading high enough to warrant the charge, and is literally never wrong, so it is safe to say Bailao is a long shot to beat the rap, whatever she pleads.

If she is found guilty, she’ll get the same punishment as anyone else, and rightly so.

When Bailao faced the city hall press gallery, a handful of councillors stood with her to show their support at a time of personal crisis, including Doug Ford and Frances Nunziata from the right and Pam McConnell and Mike Layton from the left.

It’s a shame that it takes a criminal charge against one of their own to bring council’s left and right together, but that’s a topic for another day.

“To be blunt, I think it’s deplorable,” said Andrew Murie, the CEO of MADD, of the councillors who publicly support Bailao in her appearance before the media.

He went on to say the councillors were sending a message to the public “that it’s okay to drink and drive in Toronto and it’s a mistake if you get caught.”

What flaming hyperbole.

Who knows if Bailao has a serious drinking problem, or if the offence is a one-off. Not me.

Either way, she surely needed all the support she could get, in a very public appearance that was quite likely one of the hardest things she’s ever done.

To say that anyone who publicly supported her condones impaired driving is as much as saying she deserves no help.

Anyone who knows anything about beating an addiction knows the support of friends and family is crucial.

And if you’ve ever had a friend in a jam – even one entirely of their own making – it is instinctual to support them.

Murie was right when he said it would have better if she’d fessed up and said she was prepared to plead guilty. That would have been the courageous thing to do.

But even if she had, would the councillors who supported her be any less deplorable?

That’s where he loses me.