What A Difference An Election Threat Has.....

The budding bromance of David Miller and John Baird

Posted: September 11, 2009, 6:38 PM by Rob Roberts

Kuitenbrouwer

The “ceremonial entrance” to the Direct Energy Centre is at its east end, just inside the Princes’ Gate at the Canadian National Exhibition, a spot to which the Government of Canada convoked the press this morning for the coming-out party of the budding new bromance between John Baird and David Miller.

The hall on the second floor is a glorious spot, where light enters from a 15-metre high wall of glass, outside which flutter Canadian flags on the gate itself. No coffee or doughnuts though; I guess the feds are worried about the deficit.

David Miller, the Mayor of Toronto, pulled up first in his new Malibu Hybrid. His press aide, Stuart Green, went out to meet him, and they disappeared somewhere. Then came John Baird, Canada’s Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, in a teal-blue Mazda 3 (were no domestic cars available?)

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Don Valley East), a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, stood outside the entrance, making chit-chat with Baird’s people, and giving a kind of electoral tone to the proceedings. Councillor Adam Vaughan (Trinity-Spadina) arrived and accused Mr. Minnan-Wong of sucking up to Ottawa and trying to circumvent council to fund his pet projects.

(“I’ve had lunch with Minister Flaherty to talk about infrastructure projects,” Mr. Minnan-Wong said later. “I’m not going to apologize for going to Ottawa and trying to encourage them to fund projects in the city of Toronto and what I think are priorities for my ward.”)

Jim Flaherty, the federal minister of finance, then appeared in a limousine, got out and ran a comb through his hair. At 10:10 a.m., the mayor and the ministers walked the front of the room; Mr. Baird took the stage first and Mr. Miller jumped alongside, until someone whisked him off and sat him down.

(Pssst! Mr. Mayor! It’s his announcement! Look deferential! You don’t want him to tell you to f--- off again!)

Mr. Baird introduced Mr. Flaherty, who spoke briefly, then Mr. Baird again, then the mayor, all smiles.

“I’d like to say thank you to my good friend John Baird,” Mr. Miller said. “This is the second announcement I have made with these ministers in the recent weeks. I could get used to this.”

Mr. Baird promised to get money flowing right away. Mr. Miller joked, “We’ll start tomorrow!” A reporter asked what project would actually start tomorrow?

“I was just kidding around with Mr. Baird,” Mr. Miller said.

“You know the mayor and I. We love to kid around,” said Mr. Baird, as the two gave each other an awkward hug.

There’s just no more stimulating way to spend a Friday morning than chumming around and announcing $600-million (including $190-million from Ottawa) of infrastructure money. This press event was a kiss-and-make up session after the mayor famously flamed out in his attempt to get $400-million of federal money for streetcars. The feds, it turns out, have money for potholes.

Ottawa also has millions for “upgrades” to the Direct Energy Centre itself; I asked the mayor whether upgrading a building that’s barely a decade old trumps new streetcars.

Mr. Miller countered that this announcement also includes federal cash for transit projects -- $61-million in all, including the Kipling inter-regional bus terminal.

“These plans are already approved by council. We didn’t have the money to do it,” he said.

Oh well. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. And there’s better news. Mr. Baird said, “We pay our invoices within 30 days, and we’ve been able to deliver on that.”