1. Let’s take a quick look at this. Put aside that John Tory admits he knew. Put aside that he knew and didn’t tell Torontonians (the people he represents). Let’s just look at his reason for supporting this.
2. In the Star article Mayor Tory says he needs more power over Council because it takes too long to get people housed. Is this true?
Apr 20, 2021 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
1. I talk to a lot of the people who are doing the hard, hard work on the front lines. They are all tired and frustrated, but every day they get up and go back to work.
2. I also have a small window into how the Province does it’s planning and management.
Apr 23, 2020 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
1. Today the Federation of Canadian Municipalities put out a statement asking for $10 -15 Billion in direct federal aid to Cities. fcm.ca/en/news-media/…
This raises some deep questions about public finance, public services and the relationships between orders of government.
2. The COVID outbreak put an enormous strain on all governments, the fact that municipalities “broke” under that strain reveals an underlying weakness in the current financial and service arrangements between orders of government.
Jan 21, 2020 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
1. Hey transit people. You may have been following the issue of the additional streetcars. There's a wee bit of news. For those who haven't been following I'll summarize what's happening.
2. Back when @iamdavidmiller was Mayor the City ordered 204 streetcars to replace the aging existing fleet.. The deal permitted the City, at its sole option, to add another 100 cars. Neither Rob Ford nor @JohnTory have pulled the trigger on that option.
Dec 4, 2019 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
1. Today our Mayor proposed a plan to increase property taxes substantially over the next several years. It's the right thing to do. thestar.com/news/gta/2019/…2. Many people have been arguing for this since the Mayor first took office. He has not been kind to us. cbc.ca/news/canada/to…
Oct 17, 2019 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
1. When I was a kid my Dad was into horse-racing. (This is an election thread - really). He taught me how to read the racing form. Because I had a newspaper route, I could afford to make small (two dollar) bets, which he would place for me.
2. For a while I lost every time we went. Then I came to understand the betting system. Race tracks use something called parimutuel betting. The odds (and therefore the payoff) aren't set in advance. Instead the pool of all money bet is shared out to all winning bettors.
Jul 29, 2019 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
1. Read this piece. It shows some very ugly things about how Scheer thinks and communicates.
2. The worldwide evidence is very clear. Harm reduction saves lives. Treatment and education are not substitutes, but compliments. For example people who want to quit often have to try several times.
Apr 25, 2019 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
1. Yesterday the Chair of the Board of Health @joe_cressy held a presser on cuts to public health. The Province sent an operative down to City Hall to undermine Joe. The operative succeeded because he told such a complex lie that most people are fact checking the wrong thing.
2. The operative said that we had overstated the size of the cuts and the cut only amounted to "one-third of a percentage point of the City of Toronto’s annual budget".
Apr 10, 2019 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
1, A number of people are discussing the relative merits of the provincial transit proposal and existing or previous transit plans. They should not. Let me explain.
2. The single most important fact about the proposal is that it substantially differs in design and technology from existing plans. It therefore means going back to the drawing board, doing new engineering and land use work. That work will take years.
Mar 8, 2019 • 18 tweets • 3 min read
1. The relationship between taxes and affordability was hotly contested during this year's Toronto budget debate. Let's explore.
2. Mayor Tory and his allies have been saying that the main reason to keep taxes low is that people can't afford higher taxes. There's a lot wrong with this claim. I want to spend time on two ways it's wrong.
Feb 12, 2019 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
1. I have more "Not Really For the People" News. A couple of weeks ago the Minister of Municipal Affairs proposed some changes to planning law the would likely make some rich people a LOT richer.
2. Current planning law allows Toronto to make sure we have land for industry and high employment commercial uses. Basicly, we protect them by forbidding condos and other residential uses.
Feb 12, 2019 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
1. The Province and the City have reached a terms of reference on how to discuss the possible upload of the subway system. I read it so you don't have to. Here's what I learned.
2. We still don't know what the Province means by uploading the Subway. The Terms of Reference describes all kinds of scenarios and possibilities, but doesn't help us understand what they are really after.
Feb 5, 2019 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
1. I'm used to the fact that the City budget is complex and it's hard to form a clear simpme picture of what is happening. I've spent the last few days digging through hundreds of pages to form a picture and I have two main things to say
2. First, in oder to keep taxes low we are ditching huge amouts of regular maintenace and repair work. Some examples: we are going to be closing a large number of public housing units starting in 2021 because of lack of repairs
Jan 11, 2019 • 19 tweets • 3 min read
1. Another transit upload (theft) thread. This one is on public finance and it's gonna be looong.
2. There is a lot of speculation about the why of the the issue. Some think the upload is about mean vengeance and others talk about the development rights around subway stations. What I am hearing more and more often is the issue of financing.
Jan 10, 2019 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
1. Transit upload (theft) again! Shorter this time.
2. People keep saying the Province can upload the subway and we can't stop them. This is not true. I say that because we use the word "can" in a loose way. There is a distinction between "can' - has the necessary ability - and "may" - has the necessary permission.
Jul 29, 2018 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
1. Andrew's implication is correct, but he made a technical mistake. If we correct it, his point is even stronger
While we aren't a cabinet, we aren't a legislature either. We do not legislate (bylaws aren't laws). There are a few main differences.
2. We don't have a government "side" and an opposition "side". Most council chambers are circular to symbolize the fact that all members are part of the government. We also do not have an executive (cabinet) function.
