Let's Beautify Nathan Phillips Square

If I was one of the homeless or panhandlers who have made this their base of operations I would certainly approve this project but being just a lowly taxpayer I would rather see my tax dollars go to increasing policing or rent subsidies for the working poor or reducing the city debt or one of your favorite projects.

Tickets pay for square

With the city swimming in debt, do we need a Nathan Phillips retrofit?

By JOE WARMINGTON

If you have been given a parking ticket lately, remember these names.

Dinu Bumbaru, David Crombie, Eric Haldenby, Frances Halsband, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Michael Ondaatje. Your $30 fine is helping pay for their expertise.

They have all been selected by Mayor David Miller and the City of Toronto to help adjudicate a big project so vital to our future as a city. The new Gardiner Expressway replacement, you ask? How to deal with the crime problem? The shootings? The homeless? The smog? The gridlock? The Maple Leafs' lack of scoring punch?

'COMPETITION JURY'

No. These people are a "competition jury" to decide who gets to redesign Nathan Phillips Square, for which bidding is now open at www.toronto.ca/npsquarecompetition.

Now there's a high-priority project for the city! Apparently it is. "It's a complete waste of money if you ask me," says Councillor Rob Ford. "I could see it if we had a surplus but we are in serious debt."

Of course penny-pinching Ford wouldn't turn the heat on down there if they would let him get away with it. Wear heavy coats folks. Candles anyone? They illuminate so let's turn off the lights too.

But you have got to give it to Ford -- an important part of that council because he's not afraid to challenge the spendaholics down there, of which there are a more than a few.

Do we really need this done at this time? A news release says "city council approved multi-year capital funding of $16 million towards implementation of the project, which has an overall estimated cost of $40 million."

JOB SECURITY

At least the parking ticket officers have some job security. The remaining $24 million is supposed to come from the private sector and other levels of government. The city has put out a slick brief of what's there already, what can be moved and opened it up to new ideas.

That's what scares Ford. "Once the artsy-fartsy people get ahold of something it can often turn out to be a nightmare."

One hopes they don't want to have a safe-injection site.

But it does make you think. What will they chose? A giant intestine called art to replace the statue of Sir Winston Churchill? Hopefully one of their artist pals is not in need of money!

Free of charge, the Scrawler suggests a bigger rink so the Maple Leafs could practice there once in a while, an indoor (atrium-style) playground so families can go there year-round, a skating path to go right around the whole square and city hall to create a special, quaint experience that people will remember forever. Again no consultant's fee!

Right now you can't even get a hot chocolate down there at the rink -- no need for a committee and money spent to fix that. It will hardly cost $40 million.

And if it does, do you want these people deciding?

- Dinu Bumbaru, Policy Director for Heritage Montreal. Probably a Habs fan. We can't have that.

- David Crombie, president of the Canadian Urban Institute. How's that waterfront coming Dave? And should a guy working on Miller's campaign be on this committee?

- Eric Haldenby, an architect and the director of the school of architecture at the University of Waterloo. Is that the place where all the world's grandest projects go for advice?

- Frances Halsband is a New York architect. Can you smell an architectural tour of Times Square for a committee of city council coming?

- Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, a Vancouver landscape architect. There'll probably have to be a few extra parking tickets written if we are stuck with her plane ticket.

- Michael Ondaatje, a celebrated author. He writes good books.

Sheila Glazer, manager of Strategic Policy and Projects, said they will be paid on a "per diem" basis. Hopefully, Rob Ford decides the amount of that per diem and keeps an eye on how much red wine and shrimp they consume on our backs for a project we don't need.

But at least if you get a ticket just know you are helping with the important work of redesigning Nathan Phillips Square.

Go easy on those parking assassins folks.