Get Serious........

For anyone to say that waterfront revitalization is a major issue to anyone but a small group of waterfront condo owners/island squatters is insulting the intelligence of the rest of the city. If there is an "unfortunate" aspect to the report it would be the many failures of No Plan B Mayor Miller.

Unfortunate report
Nov. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM

A disappointing federal report has given tacit approval to the Toronto Port Authority for its handling of the Toronto Island Airport. And despite the city's views to the contrary, it states categorically that the agency's operations are not interfering with efforts to revitalize the waterfront.

It is unfortunate that Roger Tasse, a veteran civil servant and now a Montreal lawyer, failed to grasp the significance of the waterfront revitalization issue to Toronto residents.

Instead, he states that signing a contract to build a bridge to the airport days before David Miller was elected mayor on a promise to scrap the bridge was good business.

And spending $35 million on settlements with private firms for cancelling contracts to build the $22-million bridge was "good governance."

The report does not explain why a relatively minor port like Toronto's needs a major federal agency with seven appointed members. Or why the authority has been a chronic money loser, racking up a $3.4 million deficit last year alone.

Among issues the report fails to properly address is why the agency spent $15 million to upgrade service at the airport, including purchasing a new ferry, when the new Porter Airlines is the only scheduled air carrier using the island facility.

In fact, the only area where Tasse chose to criticize the authority was over its poor relations with the city, residents and community groups who oppose the airport, urging it to be more proactive because "the status quo is not acceptable."

Perhaps the authority could begin that process by dropping its many ongoing lawsuits, including one against Community Air, the main lobby group opposing the airport.

Since it is apparent this ineffectual and unaccountable agency is not to be scrapped, it should at least begin to act like a responsible citizen.