On The Election Trail

Miller wants to buy a new suit, shirt, tie and shoes but can't see that first you should change your dirty underwear and socks. He wants to beautify the city he could start with getting rid of panhandlers, taking positive action against the non-artist graffitiers, etc.

Miller promises $17.6M to clean, beautify city

CTV.ca News Staff

Mayor David Miller promises to invest $17.6 million towards beautifying Toronto's neighbourhoods and create a 311 telephone number residents can call to report illegal dumping and littering.

Miller also vows to build new partnerships with businesses, community groups and residents' associations to strengthen existing agreements for beautifying public spaces.

"To me, this is more than just another election plank in a re-election platform," he told supporters and the media on Wednesday.

"It is about choosing to make our city livable, and it's a choice available to us all."

Miller made the announcement at the Bathurst-Wilson parkette, a space that underwent a major transformation about a year ago.

"It took almost 60 years for something and someone to give that space back to the people of Toronto as a place of enjoyment and beauty," said Ian Leventhal, who painted the park's mural.

The mayor says his four-year plan builds on the accomplishments he has already achieved in making Toronto "clean and beautiful," including hiring more litter pickers, street sweepers and by-law enforcement officers.

Miller's new beautification plan would see each ward receive $100,000 every year.

He also promised to:

• Expand the city's graffiti eradication and prevention program;
• Implement a ravine improvement team that would clean and improve access to the city's ravines; and
• Create a litter action team to respond to serious litter and dumping problems identified by residents calling a new 311 hotline.

"Toronto has a great opportunity to distinguish ourselves from other North American cities," Miller said.

"A clean and beautiful city is so much more than ensuring Toronto cleans up its litter. I envision a Toronto with great public spaces to be shared by all and a Toronto that is a pleasure to live in."

With a report from CTV's Desmond Brown

Pittfield on the other hand wants to deal with meat and potato issues and while I am in favor of many of the ideas it comes down to whether we go to Burger King
or Ruth's Steakhouse.

Pitfield would extend subway, stop streetcar plan

CTV.ca News Staff

Mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield said Toronto should build two kilometres of subway line every year for the next 25 years to help alleviate gridlock, and she vowed to cancel the St. Clair streetcar right-of-way.

"Add-day rush hour, transit disruptions, crowded buses and subway cars -- that's 'Miller time' in Toronto," Pitfield said Wednesday.

"My transportation policy is about moving people and goods throughout the GTA efficiently, quickly and cost-effectively."

The city councillor was vague on explaining how she would pay for the new subway service. She pegged the yearly price tag at $250 million.

Pitfield suggested she would look into having private funding cover part of the cost, and would maybe sell naming rights to subway stations to corporations, The Toronto Star reported.

She said she rarely uses the TTC -- about once or twice a month -- but that number is even less now that she's running for mayor.

"I am all over the city these days, and the TTC doesn't even go where I need to be," she told reporters.

"If I relied on the TTC, I would get nowhere on time."

Pitfield also promised to:

• Establish a regional transportation council in collaboration with GTA mayors for requesting help and funding from the provincial and federal governments;
• Add citizen representatives with expertise in business management and transportation to the TTC board;
• Hold a ballot-box referendum on the future of the Gardiner Expressway;
• Suspend any further expansion at Bathurst Street of the St. Clair streetcar right-of-way project; and
• Eliminate the backlog of road repairs over the next 10 years;

Pitfield criticized Miller for avoiding to participate in GO Transit meetings and work with mayors in the GTA and across the province.

"Furthermore, he was given funds from the province so that a (TTC) fare increase wouldn't be necessary and then he pocketed the money and raised fares anyway," Pitfield charged.

She said Miller "did nothing and accepted no responsibility" during an illegal TTC strike in May.

Pitfield said the backlog of road repairs has increased to $300 million over the past three years, and resulting traffic congestion costs the city's economy $1.8 billion each year.