Toronto Transit Strike - The people are mad as hell!

A midnight strike by the TTC caught many people off guard, some showing up early this morning expecting a train, bus or streetcar only to find the lines abandoned. Last night, clubgoers poured out of bars when news of the strike spread.
“No way, no way,” Jorge Bayona, out with friends at Yonge-Dundas Square, said at [...]

Is replacing John Tory and going neo-consertive a bad move in Ontario? Yes!

As I have mentioned before if the PC’s decide to go the “neo-conservative” route, and it plays out in the public eye as an “internal turf” of their leader, it maybe many years before they ever hold the seat of power in Ontario again. Insiders have also said that the people who want John Tory [...]

Is Toronto wasting money?

The past few years have definitely been interesting for the city of Toronto. Various groups have indicated that Toronto is full of waste and inefficiencies. On the other hand, the Federal government is awash with cash. There is definitely a problem with money on all three levels of government. However, what David Miller needs to [...]

Mayoral smackdown: Miller wins, but compromises

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has backed down over her attempt to supplant the “One Cent Now” campaign led by Toronto Mayor David Miller to wring one cent of the federal GST from Ottawa to fund Canadian municipalities. Ms. McCallion emerged from a lengthy meeting today of the mayors of Ontario’s 15 biggest cities to announce [...]

What to do about the Queen Streetcar and King Streetcar? Time for a “Transit Mall”!

With the amount of vehicle interference in the downtown area once again the issues of streetcars has surfaced. With the need to improve transit, the debate over mixed traffic and streetcars, now and again pops up with the discussion turning to the old idea of a Queen Streetcar Subway. Unfortunately there is just too much [...]

One year later: A Miller progress checklist

Tuesday marks the first anniversary of the resounding election victory that gave David Miller his second term as mayor.
During the 2006 campaign, Miller’s critics charged that his first term was lacklustre, devoid of major policy directions or accomplishments, and that he didn’t deserve a second shot. When it comes to politics, that’s the nature of [...]

Toronto unveils ambitious works agenda

“The TTC takes up 46 per cent of the 2008 capital budget. It has to replace aging streetcars, buses and subway cars. Some $79.4 million will be spent on 234 subway cars to replace aging ones and boost capacity. A further $175.5 million will pay for 193 conventional and 50 Wheel-Trans buses and $55 million [...]

Critical of perks? Take pay cut, councillor challenges

Fed up with fellow councillors who fulminate about their pay and perks (Michael Walker, Rob Ford, come on down), Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby made them an offer last week.
In her speech on the mayor’s tax plan (she voted with the majority to approve it), Ms. Lindsay Luby waved a form for councillors so inclined to [...]

Porter Airlines- What goes around comes around, eh!

I am a fan of the Toronto Island Airport. I like the idea of flying out of the downtown Toronto area, using a convenient connection to places like Ottawa, Montreal and points beyond. I also like the Porter Airline concept, along with the use of Canadian technology in the Q400 from Bombardier. I believe [...]

Control of TTC deserves study

Transit advocates at Toronto City Hall passionately oppose any suggestion that Queen’s Park might snatch the TTC from municipal hands and put it under a region-wide transportation authority.
“I would fight that tooth and nail,” Mayor David Miller said in a recent interview. “It would be worse than stupid,” declared Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, a member [...]

Everything is proceeding as Dalton McGuinty has foreseen

“Everything is proceeding as Dalton McGuinty had foreseen”. John Tory was supposed to lead Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives to certain victory over the “supposed” dark side; however he led them instead to a resounding defeat. Emperor Dalton McGuinty became the province’s first Liberal leader in 70 years to claim a second straight majority government. Albeit, one [...]

SECRET PLAN? Ontario Government may highjack the TTC and merge it with GO under GTTA control

The Toronto Star, CityTV (Breakfast Television) and other media outlets are reporting that the TTC maybe “high-jacked” by the Liberal Government of Ontario, which may have been secretly planned all along. Rumors are flying high that the TTC may be taken over by the Government of Ontario and merged with GO Transit, under the umbrella [...]