The terribly bitter taste of apathy

For a few days, I contemplated when the best time would be to post this.

I am sitting in front of my computer reading Tweets, blogs and Facebook status messages about an event that has become the largest grassroots celebration of creative young people in Toronto's recent history. The event in question was more than a one-day show-and-tell photo op with tokenized young people. It was a genuine expression of appreciation of community and creativity among peers.

And yet, not a mayoral candidate in sight.

Manifesto is a community arts festival that began with $3,000 and a young person's ambitious dream... four years ago. That $3,000 fuelled the masterminding of what is now one of the most memorable movements to touch the lives of youth across Toronto (and soon Jamaica). You see, unlike Nuit Blanche, TIFF and all of the other innovative arts and culture events Manifesto learned very quickly that youth live outside of the downtown core and decided to engage the entire city.

They broke down the downtown divide and invited Malvern, Rexdale, Jane/Finch and others to participate in a 7-day festival of politics, music, film and art by bringing events to them. Reaching out is the first step to effective engagement and when done right results in very successful results. For Manifesto, success was an 7-day festival that brought about 10,000 young people together (without any incidences of "disturbance") with more than 100 youth volunteers and staff. The Manifesto team is led by youth, who employ other youth (*gasp* what a concept) to run the entire show. Sure, they have help of adult allies, but adults don't dictate what will happen. In the most uptopian of uptopias, Manifesto epitomizes what true engagement is.

And it's for that reason alone that I wish there was at least ONE mayoral candidate present to take note.

With election day nearing, I can't help but reflect on my lack of reflection on these posts. Why, as someone who remains incredibly passionate about the municipal affairs of this city, have I been so painfully silent about the mayoral race?

I've written and deleted 4 or 5 posts, unsure of how to articulate my answer. However, after seeing ZERO political representation (save for some bickering about my article in the Manifesto Magazine (p 65) from certain candidates) at Manifesto's 7-day festival that even brought out the likes of the honourable Governor General, Michaelle Jean, I have come to the conclusion that I am experiencing the terribly bitter taste of apathy.

I just don't care. 

I don't care to engage in the slanderfest, laugh at the ribbing or decry the doom and gloom state of the city under a particular leader's rule. And I certainly don't care to pretend that our city has been sucked into a financial black hole with no way out. 

When did we become a city that spends more time on informal smear campaigns and trash talking than we do being 21st first century visionaries? Call me naive, but I believe that Toronto is on the path to something incredible; something that will further solidify our legacy as an international city with an abudance of creativity, amazing people and fresh ideas. Manifesto is one manifestation a multitude of great contributions to this city. So what do the candidates have to say about this?

Let's hope they address it at the arts debate this Wednesday.

About Tonika Morgan

Online voting alternative, not replacement, for traditional voting

Our online lives are growing. We can shop, bank and comment on almost anything online. So it was really only a matter of time before Toronto joined ranks with other municipalities in talking about the possibility of online voting.

Rocco Rossi pledged to invest in online and telephone voting by 2015 as part of his three R's of election reform: Respect, Results and Recall. Other promises Rossi has included in this part of his platform are term limits and the ability to recall the mayor and councillors.  Mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone has also promised to introduce online and telephone voting.

Municipalities already have the power to introduce alternative voting methods, and online voting has been used in municipal elections since the 1990's.

In  2003, Markham introduced online voting in its advanced polls. The total voter turnout was 37.6 percent, up from the 28 per cent turnout typical for a municipal election.

Rossi's goals in introducing online and telephone voting to Toronto are to increase voter turnout, as well as to make the voting process more accessible and to encourage new voters.

I definitely think online voting has its place. It is quicker in this day of busy schedules, and it cuts out the confusion of which polling station you have to go to and when. It would also be more cost-effective in some circumstances, such as Canadians voting from abroad. 

Moreover, it may be more accessible for some people, including individuals with disabilities.  However, it can't become an excuse for not continuing to provide full accessibility at polling stations. 

Should alternative voting be introduced in Toronto, every individual, regardless of their situation, must have the right to choose which method they use to cast their ballot.

While online voting may make sense for young people in today's internet-driven age, in my opinion, there is something special about going to the polling stations to vote. To me, it is something we do as a community and an experience we have that reminds us of what it is to be an active and involved citizen in a democracy.

About Sarah Evans

Public transit is not a left-wing conspiracy

Transit is quickly becoming the main issue in this mayoral election.

 

A few weeks back Rob Ford presented his transportation policy. 

Still waiting for the right candidate

Today I went to a walk-in clinic and the magazine on the shelf from this spring had on the cover George Smitherman’s face and the main article was titled: "George Smitherman vs. Himself" (Toronto Life, March 2010). This morning, six months later, all the papers had articles around, “Ford: His Race to Lose”.
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone had a race to win? A win-win proposition where all Torontonians could actually win?
Smitherman was winning, far ahead of all. The perception is that he thought it was a done deal. He even decided to adopt a baby in the middle of what would have been the biggest political race of his life. He was mostly out of the picture, while Ford was making wildly absurd negative remarks about the city and its current administration.
All of the sudden, Rob Ford was close. Smitherman, Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson panicked and decided to be Ford imitators, focussing on everything negative they could think of, not realizing the doomsayers have a limit, probably a third of the city, and they had already chosen Ford. Nevertheless, they went straight for the same group.
These candidates who apparently had a chance to win, forgot about the majority of Torontonians who like the City of Toronto. Actually more than one in two residents were born in a country other than Canada and made Toronto home. This was not because it is a terrible place but because it is a very good city; it can be better, as all good cities can, and we are looking for someone to lead our very good city into becoming a great one.
It is true that 30 years ago Toronto had a great reputation; it is equally true that it was a fraction of the current city so we would be comparing apples with oranges. We must also remember that just 10 years ago we had as mayor a furniture salesman who insulted Africans and made the worst of the process of amalgamation increasing all costs and decreasing all revenues, in other words assuming all the costs and none of the benefits.
Nevertheless in the last eight years, yes under Mayor David Miller, the city in partnership with the private sector and the non-profit has made impressive gains: the waterfront project is finally showing concrete results, Transit City is a doable and workable plan, its environmental achievements are internationally recognized, the priority neighbourhoods are moving forward in eliminating poverty, the AGO, TIFF and ROM became world class facilities, and many more.
Much more still needs to be done. But we do not need a saviour and we are not in crisis mode. Actually Toronto is one of the cities that has adjusted and thrived best in the middle of the world economic crisis.
We need a Mayor that will lead the process of moving from very good to becoming a great city.
There is still time to find a candidate to vote for and not against, to move us forward and not backward. The small minority of fatalists already have their candidate.

On the other hand, the people who love the city and want to make it even better, those who want a more vibrant, competitive, egalitarian, inclusive place to live, a city for people, are still waiting for the right candidate.
This is still a race to win.

About Gil Penalosa

A cure for the Allen Road blues?

Over the past few years, I have noticed that the Allen Road has been changing. North of Sheppard, three new traffic lights have been installed over the years that slow traffic considerably.

The section south of Sheppard and north of Transit Road has been completely changed from an express road to a confusing all-day bottleneck! Two new traffic lights have been added, one of the three north lanes has been “removed” and the lane markings don’t line up on either side of one of the new street lights.  What used to be a relatively speedy route to travel north and south has been turned into a traffic nightmare!

With these changes to the northern section of the Allen Road, it makes little sense to me why there would be a proposal to continue the Allen Road all the way to the Gardiner – in a tunnel, nonetheless (have we learned nothing from Boston’s Big Dig?).

I wasn’t even born when the Allen Road was proposed, but from what I have heard there was quite a bit of opposition and controversy (to put it lightly!) surrounding its development, and that it was ended at Eglinton. I can’t even begin to imagine the opposition and controversy that extending the Allen to the Gardiner would spark if it made its way from just a statement to a studied project!

I think instead of wasting our time looking into extending the Allen Road to the Gardiner, we should be looking at how to make the existing road more safe and efficient to drive on. The current condition of the road makes me feel bad for anyone who lives near (me included) as it appears that more and more cars are using neighborhood streets that were not intended for such use instead of the Allen.

As well, for anyone who has gotten off the Allen at Lawrence or gotten on at Eglinton you have surely seen a “Creeper” (car that butts into line at the last minute, without waiting its turn) making a dangerous move to save themselves a few minutes! Instead of wasting our time talking about extending the Allen, let’s figure out how to prevent the dangerous “Creepers” and how to make the traffic flow better at these points so we pollute less, while  idling getting on and off the Allen Road!

About Adam Zendel

Free roads? Why not free transit?

A recent Star editorial concerning road pricing generated the predictable response from the anti-toll crowd: we paid for the roads so we have a right to use them at no cost.

What if we all agreed that road use be free of charge, with one concession: public transit become free of charge as well? Consider this: we already pay close to 50 per cent of transit operating costs through taxes, why not go all the way and pay the full cost – it could be the cheapest way to give everyone equal access to transportation, and for those lucky enough to already own a private automobile it would be the most affordable second car they could ever buy.

Free-of-charge public transit is by no means a novel idea and even a number of municipal candidates across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) have mused about offering free transit to seniors during the middle of the day. Something that may not be widely known is that a number of cities around the world have been providing their residents with free of charge public transit for many years. Visit www.freepublictransit.org for more information and click on various communities listed in the box on the left-hand side of the Home Page.

While fare-free transit may not make sense for big cities with well-established transit systems it might be worth consideration for smaller communities that are struggling to grow transit ridership. The regions of Durham, York, Peel and Halton, the 905 belt, are grappling with record-breaking population growth and along with the new jobs and residents there’s ever-increasing traffic congestion and bad air that "auto-matically" come with more cars.

Fortunately municipal decision makers and the land development industry are attempting to turn the corner on urban sprawl and there are some notable examples in the GTHA such as Markham Centre and Cornell in York, and Oak Park in Halton. These communities have been planned with people walking, cycling and using public transit for the majority of their travel needs, and there’s a growing awareness that we won’t be able to accommodate projected population growth and densities using the same transportation approaches from an era when the car was king.

In the future, if we rely too heavily on private automobiles for the majority of our travel needs, studies and transportation models predict our communities will become choked by traffic and quality of life eroded by the associated negative environmental and social impacts.

All 905 communities have a desire and plans to increase transit use from an estimated 10 per cent today up to 30 per cent in 20 to 30 years. These targets are ambitious at best and others suggest they can’t be achieved without innovative policies and practices, and strategic investments that position shared and active modes of travel ahead of the private automobile.

According to the 2010 York Region business plan and budget, their transit system (YRT – Viva) has experienced the highest ridership growth rate in the GTHA in the past few years and one of the highest in Canada (as per Canadian Urban Transit Association statistics). Recently ridership growth has slowed down from double digit increases to approximately 3 per cent in 2008 and 2 per cent in 2009.

While this growth is impressive, and the introduction of Viva bus rapid transit and subway extensions have positioned York and its member municipalities as transit leaders in the GTHA, achieving their stated ridership goals may benefit from pioneering tactics like free of charge transit.

Today in York Region there are about 312,000 households and the transit department there expects to raise $50,499,500 from the fare box this year. Using some simple math - revenue divided by total homes – the investment required to provide each and every household in York Region with free of charge public transit for a year might be as low as $161.86.

This number is compelling considering the Canadian Automobile Association estimates it costs close to $9,000 a year to own and operate a motor vehicle in Ontario, and communities that have implemented free transit policies have seen huge transit growth plus reduced expenditures for road repair and construction.

Removing public transit fares in other urban areas appears to have paid off big time in terms of healthier ridership and improved quality of life. Could not this fall's municipal election campaigns (in which road tolls akin to political suicide have been mentioned) provide a forum in which fare-free transit is given a fair hearing?

About Lorenzo Mele

Bike riding: If they can do it right, why can't we?

I have a confession to make.

I have yet to ride a bike on the streets of downtown Toronto. But I make this admission with no shame – at least on my part. Rather, it's the city that should be embarrassed at the sorry state of Toronto's (lack of adequate) bike lanes.

As mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson said last week, “Toronto streets are not safe for cyclists.” And I agree. It's time to stop the foot-dragging; City Hall needs to pick up the pace, and build new bike lanes while revamping old ones.

As a non-rider, many of my friends are surprised whenever I express my desire for a better bicycle network, particularly in the downtown core. While attending the University of Toronto during undergrad, my main mode of transportation was the subway. But oftentimes – especially at the height of rush hour while being squished against the red TTC doors by hordes of commuters getting off work – I wish I rode a bike.

Still, whenever I took one look at the faded lines marking the virtually non-existent bicycle lanes, I recalled the near-collisions I frequently saw between bikes and cars (a.k.a. eternal foes) and would immediately wipe this silly little notion out of my mind.

For the longest time, I always thought that this was the way bicycle lanes were supposed to be. After all, I grew up in Toronto and these were pretty much the only lanes that I saw on a regular basis. That is, until I travelled to Northern Europe with my family three years ago, and saw the exceptional quality of bike lanes and programs that they had there - a quality that Toronto is capable of reaching and to which it should aspire.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, bold white lines and a bicycle symbol clearly demarcate the lanes for cyclists. In Helsinki, Finland, there are elevated paths – one for cyclists and another for pedestrians, each lane indicated by the appropriate symbols. In Stockholm, Sweden, there are metal barricades on both sides of the lanes, protecting cyclists and pedestrians from moving traffic.

And in all three of these cities, the lanes are wide enough to be safe and comfortable for one or two cyclists to travel side by side. Moreover, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Stockholm have had bicycle sharing programs for years – something City Hall only recently approved.

Toronto has the potential to have similar – that is, better – bike lanes and programs. But until we do, many people who want to get around on a bike, won't. Not only is that a shame for the health of Torontonians and for the environment, it's a shame on City Hall.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Helsinki, Finland

Stockholm, Sweden

About Anita Li

The Film & TV industry debate

In the campaign to be mayor, the constant debates have become one never-ending audition. On Wednesday, things took a decidedly theatrical turn... as the candidates took to their seats at Pinewood Studios for the FilmOntario debate.

Early on, Joe Pantalone came out swinging, comparing his fellow (and yes, it was only the boys in attendance today) candidates to ‘mini-Mike Harrises’, and referring to “Deep Freeze George” in reference to Smitherman’s commitment to freeze taxes. It certainly doesn’t take much to see the Harris-ite connection with Ford, blathering on about the homeless people and the filth and his record as a businessman. All sounded pretty 1995 to me…

With George, on the surface, you get a taste of the creeping conservatism, especially as he attempts to carve out a little of Ford’s support for his very own. But George knew his audience and didn’t take things too far in that direction. Not this day. With George you have to dig deeper.

I’ve heard some commentators remark that Ford clearly didn’t know his audience – film and tv producers, union representatives, actors and technicians and directors. I’m not so sure that he didn’t know his audience. I think he just doesn’t care. We are not his people, his voters. He knows it. He doesn’t think he needs us. He doesn’t care. And he certainly isn’t afraid of us. So he makes these completely unsubstantiated, random accusations about dirty deals behind closed doors at City Hall, while the people in the audience who know about the industry, and are proud of the studio and hopeful for its future, all sit back in complete shock.

Pantalone was the only one to really call Ford out on his outrageous accusations… He rightly countered that Ford should have called the police if he thought something illegal had transpired. But Ford is never one to let the facts or the truth get in the way of a good bluster. And he didn’t care what we all thought anyway.

Smitherman is deflated, unengaged. I remember him in his firey opposition days, taking on Mike Harris. It’s like someone stuck him with a great big needle and let all the fury and passion out… I’m not the guy’s biggest fan, but even I was saddened to witness this. He is apologizing constantly. Not a flicker of Furious George, or even Curious George or certainly Mayor George. And his ‘ideas’ to build and nurture the film and television industry here … well, the guy clearly hasn't been paying much attention. Try telling this crowd that they haven’t had a film-friendly mayor for the last seven years?! Bit of a stretch. Hellooooo, where have you been, George? Oh yes, of course. And so during all those years in the McGuinty government, you admit you weren't really paying attention to this industry. So why should we believe you will now?

Rossi is a great speaker. No question. He is smooth and articulate. But scratch away at the surface and I don’t see anything of substance there. His line that he hasn’t been a politician so he’s never been part of the problem before… Sorry Rocco but I don’t want to gamble my City's future on an untested candidate.

Pantalone is the only one who can speak with any credibility of working with the arts community, the film and television industry. Miller was a great advocate and friend to our industry… Pantalone focussed on the things we have actually accomplished together and what we can do next. He’s not going to throw out ridiculous assertions without facts to back it up. He’s not going to ignore Ford when he makes such assertions. He’s a fighter, that Joe. I liked what I saw.

He also made the most insightful comment of the morning: We are at a crossroads. We need to take the road to Paris not to Detroit,

I wish it wasn’t such a stark choice, but I’m afraid he may be right.

About Marit Stiles

Salary should not be a priority for Toronto's top job

A few weeks ago in class, we were discussing how and when to bring up the issue of salary in the job hunting process. Most people kind are of squeamish about this. Toronto city council, however, has been quite open about this in recent weeks and to much controversy.

A recent report by the consultants of the Hay group recommends the mayor of Toronto receive a pay raise of $16,000, an increase of 9.4 per cent. Currently, Toronto's mayor earns just under $168,000. With the increase, the mayor would earn just under $184,000.

In  2006, Toronto city council recommended that the salaries of councillors and the mayor be studied before each term in office.

One argument for Toronto's mayor to get a raise is that Toronto is Canada's largest city and the mayor's current salary is less than his counterparts in other large cities.  The mayors of York and Mississauga earn over $180,000, and the mayor of Montreal earns over $190,000. Toronto's mayor also earns less than the CEO/Director of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the President of George Brown College and Toronto's Chief of Police.

As well, there is the issue of the job itself. It's been suggested that the democratic process comes at a price and that we have to offer good money to attract good candidates. While salary is important to any job, and being the mayor of Toronto is definitely an important job, I believe there is much more to it.  As an optimist, I think and hope that the candidates want to be mayor because they believe they can change the city for the better.

The issue of salaries, including councillors' salaries which the report recommends stay the same at about $100,000, was deferred at an August 16 meeting of the executive committee until after the election.

George Smitherman, a leading candidate, said he would freeze salaries for four years and suggested councillors pay back the money that the report cost. Other candidates have made similar statements.

Although optimistic, the cynical part of totally disagrees with the fact that the mayor and councillors have the power to give themselves raises. No matter how much we like or what we think of the candidates, there has to be more accountability than voting every four years. Maybe the provincial government should take over that responsibility?

There is only so much money for the city, and we are always hearing our councillors saying they wish they had more money to work with. Some councillors have given back their cost of living increases, which is commendable to say the least.  But money talks, and only time will tell what the new city council will have to say.

About Sarah Evans

When candidates come knocking ... ask for their environmental action plans.

The kids are back in school, the camping gear is back in the closet, the air is getting crisp at night (or should be if it weren’t for climate change) ... now it’s really time to turn our attention to what’s ahead for our City.

The upcoming municipal election is a particularly important one -- we will be electing a new mayor and many new councillors. And that’s why we need to take a close look at what candidates have to say about issues like climate change.

For anyone who thinks climate change is not a municipal election issue, think again: unchecked climate change could cost our city billions in infrastructure damage and health care costs. Inaction on opportunities to improve energy efficiency, harness renewable energy sources and develop new cutting edge technologies will cost us billions more in lost tax revenues and employment, not to mention spending money that supports fossil fuel industry in Alberta, the Middle East and the Gulf.

Dealing with climate change is a bottom-line city-building matter. Any candidate who deserves your support should have some answers.

Thanks to civic-minded folks at the Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto Community Foundation, United Way and others, some of those answers may get an airing at an upcoming series of mayoral debates. Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) was asked to provide some background for this important project – my paper outlining the multiple opportunities and benefits of continued city leadership on climate change can be found here.

And it’s not just an issue for mayoralty candidates. In municipal government, councillors are not toothless backbenchers, but real decision-makers. So when that hopeful knock comes on your door this fall, and hopefully you’ve read my short piece outlining ‘must have’ actions, press candidates for their environmental policies and how they are going to ensure the City reaches its ambitious emission reduction targets.

You and your city deserve serious answers.