Welcome Aboard David Shiner

Like Dale I question how municipal politicians can run in provincial or federal elections without reliquishing their seat on city council but then we would have to expand that question to include liberals and ndp councillors, notably Olivia Chow, who didn't give up their seats. As far as whether he can be labelled a Davis or Harris supporter let's not forget that Harris pulled this province away from the brink of bankruptcy.

City Hall: Shiner to run for Tory’s Torys

June 6th, 2007

Dale Duncan

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Councillor David Shiner has announced that he’ll run for a seat at Queen’s Park on
behalf of the Conservative party in the fall. John Tory was probably smart to get him on board — a councillor in Willowdale since 1991, Shiner may have the name recognition and ties with voters needed to beat current MPP for the area Liberal David Zimmer, who won his seat in 2003 by a mere 1,866 votes. According to the Globe and Mail, Shiner plans to keep his seat on council throughout the campaign as long as things don’t get too hectic, and he won’t quit his job as city councillor unless he wins the provincial riding. But with all the work that being a being a councillor entails, it’s mind boggling to imagine how someone could run a campaign and represent a ward at city hall. Will Shiner’s Willowdale ward suffer?

Leader of the Provincial Conservatives, John Tory, seems to be out to win the hearts of Torontonians and fielding a candidate who will address local issues won’t hurt. Shiner, who actually voted for the Liberals in the last provincial election, told the Globe that he is disappointed in McGuinty’s failure to reform the OMB. He also criticized the Liberal’s plan to extend the Spadina subway line to York region, instead of increasing funding for public transit in general, something Tory has promised to do.

Asked how he could then support the party of premier Mike Harris, which cut funding for public transit in the 1990s, Mr. Shiner said he supported the Conservative ideas of premier Bill Davis, who invested in public transit in the 1970s, and for whom Mr. Tory worked.

I’ve made this argument before, but it’s worth bring up again (and again, and again): John Tory may have some good ideas. He may be more of a Bill Davis than a Mike Harris, but more than half of the 24 conservatives now at Queens Park are leftovers from the Harris days. Unless bigger changes in the makeup of Tory’s party occur, Tory can model himself after Davis all he wants and it won’t make much of a difference.