Peel Region rapid transit plan a step in right direction

As a transplanted Bramptonian, I am excited to see Brampton finally adopted bus rapid transit (BRT). I am similarly excited to see Mississauga develop its own MiWay BRT system.

Similar to Vaughan’s VIVA system, these services will shorten the frequency between buses during important times of the day like rush-hour.

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. 

Toronto needs term limits for politicians

People don’t trust politicians. It’s easy to see why. They have a tendency to say one thing and do another. 

Some spend our tax money as if there’s an endless supply. All of them are quick to take political discourse to a personal level and never go above playing petty politics.

And then there’s always a handful of them that have managed to be in politics for decades and we wonder how that’s possible. 

We all know politicians past and present like this. They don’t really contribute anything and just seem to go through the motions. Their passion for the job long gone.

I think it’s time to permanently retire some of these “dinosaurs” on city council and introduce term limits and new blood into the political process. 

A few years back the province decided, wrongly in my opinion, to extend the time in office for municipal politicians to four years from three as it was previously. 

Instead of being able to hold our politicians accountable more frequently, this extension further entrenches these types of councillors in city politics. They are holding the city back. They treat their wards as personal fiefdoms. 

They sit on important committees and have influence over things like the police service, the TTC and the city budget, but most never bring the needed experience to do these jobs.

They are no longer senior or wise. They set a bad example when making comments such as: “If Mayor Ford is elected, city council will have a caucus meeting and (will) choose their own mayor.” 

Whether you agree with the statement or not, it’s in bad taste and completely unprofessional and inappropriate to say. 

If I was a constituent of this outgoing councillor, I’d be very upset that my elected representative would choose to circumvent the political process and not attempt to work with someone different.

This is exactly why we need term limits in the city. Politicians like this, who have been around for decades, feel entitled to make these comments as though they speak for an entire city. At some point, the longer they sit on council, politicians go from serving us to dictating to us.

More importantly, they impede others from running for political office. As we all know incumbents have a greater chance to win re-election strictly because of name recognition and an office budget that allows them to shamelessly self-promote. Instead of letting their work do the talking, it’s all about being seen and heard.

Public office should be a noble office to attain. Serving one’s community should be one of the most important things someone can do in their lives.  

Here’s how I would implement term limits in Toronto: 

• I would bring back three-year terms. Residents can hold their elected officials accountable with greater frequency.
• Councillors and the Mayor would have a limit of running for three terms. This would total nine years which is long enough to implement an agenda but not become too stale.
• It wouldn’t matter if this was done consecutively or over a number of years with breaks. It also wouldn’t matter if a candidate, for example, ran for council one term and then decided to run for Mayor for the last two.
• Once a politician has served three terms their commitment and time in office comes to an end.

In this scenario Rob Ford and Joe Pantalone couldn’t run for office any more and David Miller couldn’t run again as mayor for a third term. Many current city councillors wouldn’t be eligible to run for office either under this scenario. 

Perhaps if we had term limits this would encourage better candidates to run for office. Maybe more work would get done because of the limited amount of time to enact an agenda.

Politicians cannot further entrench themselves in the political process. To do so would be a disservice to everyone in their ward and the city. More people need to be given the opportunity to run for office and represent their constituents. 

This can only help strengthen our political process by including people who are passionate about the job and want to make Toronto a better place to live.

At some point, I'm sure, these politicians were passionate about the city and making it a great place to live. However, time has caught up to them, the job has worn them down, and they need to recognize the need to step aside and let others take this city to a different place. 

If these senior politicians cannot recognize the need to step aside, term limits would serve as a notice for them to step aside and leave public life.

About Robert Kirsic

Revisiting debate on licensing cyclists

My most recent article about licensing cyclists created a ton of debate and reaction. I can’t believe something I wrote generated such healthy debate among Torontonians. 

Because of space and time there really is only so much I can put into an article. So I wanted to take this opportunity to address a few things related to my article and the reaction it generated.

My premise is still very sound: have a licensing system for cyclists with the intent of creating a cohesive city-wide bike network, educating everyone on bike safety (motorists included) and eventually create a better transportation network in the city. 

People were too fixated on the price of a licence and the re-testing period. I can appreciate and understand why. The reason I picked the numbers I picked were two-fold:

1. This is not a cash-grab as some have portrayed. Money collected would be used to help expand bike infrastructure by making more lanes, paths, lockers, and other bike-friendly initiatives, including education, and spread the network out into the furthest reaches of the city. 
2. The time in between re-testing was unreasonable on my part but this isn’t set in stone and was just an idea. If it was spread out to every five or 10 years I’d be okay with this too.

Critics will claim that if this idea was worth implementing the city would have done this years ago. 

I think this is the best time to rethink the idea of licensing because of the growth in understanding that transit needs to be expanded and new options to get around need to be found. 

The downtown core cannot handle any more cars and new ways to get around must be found. But the city must also not implement changes unilaterally without consultation from all groups.

Having said all of this, people go looking for conspiracies where there isn’t one. People in this city are quick to shoot first and ask questions second.

In my opinion, debate is a good thing and makes for better conversation. This is what the Your City, My City section is all about. I offer an opinion on the issues I think are important to the city. I stand by what I’ve written. 

I enjoy writing for the Toronto Star and will continue to do so until my commitment ends. 

We’re never going to agree on everything and that’s a good thing.

About Robert Kirsic

Do we really need more hockey rinks?

I’ve been following the story of the all-glass, four-level hockey rink being built out in the east-end. 

The one question that comes to my mind when I read this is: Do we really need more hockey rinks? 

I guess this is a very un-Canadian thing of me to say. I happen to think there’s more to being Canadian than worshipping hockey, lining up at Tim Horton’s for a double-double and every other stereotypical Canadian thing, but that’s a debate for another day. 

The City of Toronto boasts it has a multicultural mosaic and welcomes people from all corners of the world to live, work and play here. 

I’m willing to bet a large majority of newcomers and residents not born here have never grown up with snow, know what hockey is or care for it. 

They’ll most likely never use these facilities so why are we building them? I’m sure the proposed price tag of $88 million could go a long way to fixing and upgrading existing facilities.

If it has to be built why not add something to the design everyone can use? How about adding a recreation centre to the existing plan?

Cricket is exploding across the GTA, why not build more cricket fields? Baseball diamonds are starting to disappear, why not build one more? Or soccer pitches.

I’d like the City to take a step back and re-think this hockey rink complex. If they want more rinks maybe they should call MLSE and their corporate sponsors and get them to build rinks for people to use, if, as MLSE claims, it’s so important to reach out to newcomers and visible minorities and get them into hockey.

There’s a fantastic state-of-the-art practice facility near Lake Shore Blvd. and Kipling built by MLSE a few years ago. I’m sure they can spare a dollar or two to build a few facilities to meet the demand. 

For the longest time Maple Leaf Gardens sat empty on purpose because of MLSE’s stubbornness until Ryerson and Loblaws stepped in with a great design for the entire community. 

Put something in the neighbourhood that all residents can use. Don’t put something in that only a small percentage of people will use. 

The City’s focus should be on growing sports like soccer and basketball and others so Canada won’t be, for example, embarrassed internationally when the soccer team is ranked 101st in the world or when the basketball team can’t qualify for the Olympics even with the best point guard in the world in Steve Nash.

There’s more to life in Toronto and Canada than hockey. Hopefully the City will wake up to this realization and build other recreational facilities for residents before it’s too late.

About Robert Kirsic

Toronto needs to revisit cycling licences

There’s a greater push to make Toronto more bike-friendly. Montreal’s BIXI has been brought in to create a bike-sharing program, the TTC offers bike racks and lockers to passengers and, much to the chagrin of all motorists, bike lanes are being implemented unilaterally across parts of the city.

After this year’s election the city should look into licensing cyclists, again.

It's attempted to do this in the past, with little success. I think if the city is planning to make Toronto more bike-friendly this must be the next logical step.

According to the city’s website, there are three reasons why licensing would never work:

1) The difficulty of retaining a complete and current database.
2) The difficulty in licensing children.
3) Licensing does not necessarily change the behaviour of cyclists.

Here’s how I see this program working to address these issues:

1) The city creates a department of cycling. If it wants to privatize this service, I would have no objections, as it may be more efficient.

Cyclists would be required to test every two years. The system should borrow from motorist testing and make it graduated the first time through.

The city should also mandate that cycling stores and associations be brought into this plan and registered. Not only would these stores and associations help pay for the system, they can help educate and enforce the rules.

There would be a $200 licensing fee for cyclists and $500 registration fee for businesses and associations.

Some of the money would go towards addressing the first difficulty in retaining a complete and current database.

This department would hire a team of people located, for example, in city hall to administer and monitor the system, address any questions or concerns, and do the necessary follow-up and work associated with such a system.

A large part of the money should also go towards funding future bike lanes and projects in the city with input from those licensed and registered.

2) Children under the age of 16 would be exempt from licensing, which addresses the second difficulty, but it would be wise if local bike shops, associations, schools, after-school programs and summer camps could be persuaded to teach bike safety on an ongoing basis.

3) I will grant the city the benefit of the doubt that licensing may not change behaviours; it certainly doesn’t for some motorists.

But I think a functioning system, with input from those registered, plus greater enforcement will go a long way to changing current behaviour.

There would have to be stiffer fines and penalties. Maybe even introduce a points system that can affect registration and suspend licences. An enforcement unit could be created, in conjunction with police, to catch cyclists who don’t obey the rules and enforce the law.

I’m not proposing this to punish cyclists, rather, to make cycling safer and tie it in with the future plans of the city in making Toronto more bike-friendly.

This may even go a long way to bridging the divide between motorists and cyclists if cyclists are subjected to the same licensing, laws and rules motorists are.

By creating this system the city is tapping into a valuable resource by requiring cyclists, bike stores and associations to register, because, by default, they will have created their own group of experts to bounce ideas off of. This in turn will make the current cycling plan a more workable one.

I’m not a cyclist, but I know cars don’t rule the road exclusively. It’s time this petty argument between drivers and cyclists ends. There has to be mutual respect from both sides and the city.

Cyclists need to realize they need to respect the rules of the road just like drivers do.

Drivers need to realize they have to share the road and that people have made a choice to ride their bikes and leave their cars at home. Their commitment should be commended and not belittled out of jealousy and annoyance because your commute is now a few minutes longer.

The city needs to admit it's been fighting a “war on the car” and make its intentions clearer when it comes to making this city more bike-friendly.

My hope is that all mayoral candidates adopt bike licences as a plank to their individual transit plans. The time has come to implement this program.

About Robert Kirsic

Ontario Place just one part of a revitalized western waterfront

With news breaking that a long overdue makeover for Ontario Place is finally going to happen, it’s time focus shifted to how this fits into the waterfront revitalization plan and how it can change the western end of the waterfront.

The west end doesn’t have the abundant space the east end has but had a fun and unique history with the old Sunnyside Amusement Park. The park was unfortunately torn down to make way for the Gardiner in 1955. 

The parts that remain have seen better days and, in some cases, haven’t seen an upgrade since the 1980s.

It’s time for the city, with help from the province, to do a complete update of the west-end starting with Ontario Place and revive the area’s rich history.

This area has a lot going for it. It has a few beaches and parks, the renovated Palais Royale building, the Humber Bay Arch Bridge and part of the Martin Goodman Trail. Unfortunately, all of these feel cut-off from the rest of the neighbourhood even though the area is busy on weekends. 

Any redevelopment should reintroduce the beach to the neighbourhood. Longer-term planning would probably see the entire neighbourhood around Jameson Avenue redeveloped much like Regent Park has been and Lawrence Heights will be.

It’s a challenge, especially with the Gardiner and Lake Shore Boulevard in between, but I’m sure something can be done to repair this situation. Here are my suggestions on what can be done in the immediate future.

Ontario Place would be the crown jewel in the makeover. It should offer more open spaces and places to sit. There should be more opportunities to get out onto the water. 

Attractions should bring people of all ages to the park to enjoy, not just kids, and get away from some of the Expo ’67 architectural look and design that partly plagues the park today along with high admission prices.

It should also allow for some kind of innovation not seen anywhere else in the city but not become similar to Toronto’s other amusement park, Canada’s Wonderland.

There should be less reliance on driving to get there with beefed-up TTC streetcar services with, at the very least, if it is to be a 365-day-a-year attraction, an extension of the 509 Harbourfront route from the Exhibition to the new park. 

The extension of the 509 should extend from Ontario Place further west connecting the beaches and the condos built in the area and eventually merge into the 508 Lakeshore route to Long Branch.

The beaches in the area are, by the looks of it, well maintained throughout the year but could use an update. 

Toronto has some recent success with beaches. HTO Park and Sugar Beach are a hit and manage to bring back some of that old-time fun to the beach while maintaing its modernity. Could this not be done in the west-end as well?

Walkways connecting neighbourhoods to the beach could be updated and improved by making it easier for people to walk or bike over to the beach. 

The smaller buildings and huts around the area should be redesigned to reflect the past and tie them into the remaining structures to offer visitors, young and old, a pleasant ‘blast from the past’. 

More benches and open areas should be added along with things like bocce and horseshoe lanes.  

Ultimately, there are many possibilities to redeveloping this area of the waterfront. I’m only offering one possibility. I hope a new and improved Ontario Place sparks development west.

The opportunity to do this couldn’t be better as the whole city is undergoing a major makeover. It’s time to bring back the history we lost when the city redesigned the neighbourhood for the sake of 1950s and 1960s modernity.

About Robert Kirsic

Police services need to be re-examined

I recently received a copy of my tax bill. I wasn’t shocked at the final bill total, I expected it would be somewhat high; however, I was absolutely floored at what was listed at the top service we pay for. 

You’d think the TTC, city debt, and social services would top the list because these are big ticket items, but they were down the list in terms of actual dollars allocated.  

The police topped the list. The Toronto Police Service and its Board cost each Torontonian more than $600 this year based on an home with an assessed value of $400,000. The TTC came in a very distant second at roughly $350. 

After I picked my mouth up from the floor I had a few questions such as: Why do the police get almost double what the TTC gets? Why are we paying this absurd amount? What are we paying for exactly? More importantly, why can’t these numbers be switched?

In light of the G20 summit the police are being criticized for their actions. I think it’s fair to also question where our money is going.

Toronto police have been eager to show off their newest toys to media to condition us into accepting them. It’s like they taunt us with our money when they show off what they bought. 

I understand public safety is always going to be the number one issue that comes up but that argument doesn’t fly anymore. 

They may be able to use that tactic against older people who see Toronto as big and bad but that won’t be very effective with the rest of us. 

Many studies show crime is declining and has been for many years now. Cities like Edmonton and Winnipeg have a higher crime rate for every 100,000 people than Toronto. 

I’m pretty sure Edmontonians and Winnipegers don’t spend that much on police per person and yet somehow they, more or less, are alive and well. 

The reason we’re paying roughly $600 is because the police are smart. They know they can make any claim under the guise of public safety and the public will go along with it. How could the public go against those charged with protecting us and ensuring our safety? 

They also know arbitrators will capitulate every time when contract negotiations come up. They have to because police, along with ambulance workers and fire fighters, are an essential service. 

Just as a side note: we pay roughly $245 for Fire Services and $45 for EMS, which is more than reasonable.

Now don’t get me wrong, it takes a lot to be a police officer. The danger these people face every day must be amazing. I could never do what they do.

While these people are great I want my tax dollars going towards other issues that need to be addressed in this city - transit, debt, infrastructure, etc. 

Then there’s the Toronto Police Services Board. They are supposed to be the check in the system. They’re supposed to ensure the police are held accountable. 

While I understand this may hold some water when it comes to lodging complaints, this should also include budgetary concerns. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done. All the discussion in the world won’t make a difference because as soon as you cut one dime from the police budget up comes the public safety issue. It’s like the “hidden agenda” tactic used on Conservatives. It’s frustrating.

I’m calling for a thorough review of the Toronto Police Service. The next Mayor of Toronto needs to seriously address the issue I’m raising and find ways to reasonably cut money from the police budget. 

He or she also needs to replace the politicians who sit on the board with people who have experience studying crime and finding ways to save money.

It’s never an easy thing to criticize the police and, unfortunately, it may turn out to be political suicide but it needs to be done. We would all be better off for it. I hope the candidates are listening and decide to take meaningful steps to fix this situation.

About Robert Kirsic

Time to show some love for Sheppard Ave.

There’s a certain Toronto blog that I love to read every day with all the newspapers. One of the entries on this particular blog focused on the release of new maps of certain Toronto neighbourhoods. 

I made the comment and suggestion of having more maps of different neighbourhoods that aren’t in a square bordered by the lake, Spadina to the West, Bloor to the North, and Jarvis to the East should be included in their selection. 

Many people voiced their opinions about the pros and cons (mostly cons) of this idea but it got me thinking that, in general, there are some neighbourhoods in this city that don’t get any love from Torontonians. Willowdale, and Sheppard Avenue from Yonge to Don Mills, specifically, is one of these unloved neighbourhoods.

At first I was going to write about the negative opinion about the subway line, however short, but packed with people during the rush-hour commute. But there’s enough of a general dislike, or misunderstanding, of this neighbourhood to warrant more writing.

Is it because it’s still considered suburban even though it’s not? Are people frustrated because there’s a short subway line in the neighbourhood? Are people angry because there’s six lanes of road and cars still dominate? All of the above, perhaps?

If you haven’t had a chance to come up here, I would recommend you do because there’s a lot happening. 

The first thing you’ll notice is that you don’t need a car to get around. I don’t drive. I gave up driving, on purpose, when I moved to the neighbourhood. Everything is transit accessible and within a reasonable walking distance. 

The second thing you’ll notice are all the condo developments sprouting up near Bayview and further across Sheppard at Don Mills. The subway line has had a positive effect on this street contrary to what most people thought would have happened. It is encouraging development like any subway line should. This development goes largely ignored. 

It’s too bad the subway couldn’t be expanded West to Downsview and East to the Scarborough Town Centre or the Zoo. I think the potential development in this area will eventually overload the planned LRT. 

Don’t get me wrong, LRTs are a good thing. Had the subway never happened, I would have encouraged this technology in lieu of a subway line. But since there's a subway already here, I’d rather see money spent on expanding it bit-by-bit over time.

The third thing you’ll notice are the entertainment choices. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, theatres and cafes. My favourite place is a cafe called L’Opera. The Toronto Centre for the Arts is also nearby. 

There is one public square for people to enjoy in Mel Lastman Square, with another one potentially in the works in the Yonge-Sheppard Square.

If you want to come up for some serious shopping there are three malls in the area. Two are subway accessible in Fairview and Bayview Village and one is accessible by bus, or a short walk, in Centrepoint. More importantly, if you don’t like malls, you can still find smaller local stores all over the neighbourhood to frequent. 

Another bonus to the neighbourhood is its central location. I’m a half-hour (at most) from downtown and at any time I can hop on the TTC, Go Transit, VIVA and Brampton Transit to get anywhere in the GTA in under an hour. 

If this sounds like an advertisement for the neighbourhood, it isn’t meant to be. I just highlight all of this because there is more to Toronto than the downtown core.

Just as we are all taught, rightfully so, not to pre-judge people, Torontonians shouldn’t be so quick to pre-judge a neighbourhood because of what it once was. Unfortunately, this happens with great regularity in this city. 

If Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods, it’s only fair to expand the group and allow for up-and-coming neighbourhoods to join the group.

Maybe one day when my favorite Toronto blog publishes a map of the neighbourhood people will start to wake up, see how great it really is, and finally show it some love.

About Robert Kirsic

Whatever happened to teaching real-life skills in school?

Another school year is quickly winding down, and if you are like me you’re probably wondering where the time has gone. 

I think this is an appropriate time to ask if our school system is really providing a service for our young people or equipping students with information that is more suited to answer a question on Jeopardy.

There’s been a push everywhere to get kids into universities, but strangely never college, which is unfortunate, and in Toronto to push Afro-centric schools and teach other cultural histories but, ultimately, they both fail to teach and equip kids with the day-to-day skills they need to succeed. 

Most students won’t have a practical need for algebra, calculus, physics, religion, and a whole host of other classes that are taught in most high schools across the city. 

The goal should be to make good, successful citizens and not marginal students.

Students should be learning how to stay healthy and in shape, balance their finances, how credit works, how to start up a business, why voting is important, and basic Canadian history and they should be learning these things in ways that are fun but educational.

As we get older health care is going to be a very important issue. Older generations will require much more care and this will strain budgets and resources not only in Toronto but across the country. 

The issues facing future generations will stem from unhealthy eating habits and obesity. It’s important to start teaching students at an early age how to take care of their bodies and stay healthy and in shape to avoid these issues.

Schools do this in part by helping to provide breakfasts but physical activity should be more prominent.

History and politics are important to teach. How can you know where your city, province and country is going without knowing where it has come from? 

Understanding what is happening with the upcoming municipal election is important. It affects us all. I wouldn’t be surprised if most kids couldn’t name a few of the mayoral candidates. 

If students are going to lead this city into the future, they need to know how it works and why it works the way it does. 

This may even help engage students to become more active politically which could help address local calls for more inclusion in civic politics in Toronto.

The recent recession, if anything, should have taught us that balancing our finances is very important. 

Teaching students about credit is also valuable. They should learn that credit isn’t free and indefinite, why credit scores are important, and how banks work and why they target them. 

They should also learn there are severe consequences that occur when you are not able to pay back your loans, mortgages and other things. Living within your means is not easy but it’s important. 

Teaching students about creating and starting up their own businesses gets them to start thinking about their futures and what they want to do while teaching them a very valuable lesson. 

Many people work for, or own, small businesses. It is an important component to the foundation of our economy. 

The city is home to many small businesses and Business Improvement Areas (BIA) are littered with small businesses making a difference in their respective communities by providing jobs and opportunities for Torontonians that may not be found elsewhere. 

This may seem like it’s out of the jurisdiction of Toronto, but this isn’t the case. The examples I provided affect us in the city every single day. They also help shape the city in ways we may not see right away.  

Toronto and GTA schools should be looking for ways to go back and teach these life lessons. The future of Toronto is in the hands of students currently in school. 

If they’ve been studying for a class they have no interest in, other than to help them get into university, and they haven’t been able to learn the lessons I mentioned, what chance does this city have to succeed and prosper 20, 30 and 40 years down the road?

About Robert Kirsic