It Is Obvious Where Carroll's Head STILL Is...

News


Levy: The Tax Toronto Residents to Death Plan
 

Comrade Miller

Haven For Losers

You Have To Ask How Many Senior Beauracrats Have Been Fired...

Sue-Ann Levy

Dundas done wrong, a Toronto disgrace
 
* St. Clair right-of-way - over budget and massive delays
* $4-million over-budget and oft-delayed Bloor St. W. transformation project
* Roncesvalles Californication project
* Avenue Road Pipeline

Let's Not Forget Under Whose Watch This Occured...

...Comrade Miller and his Clown Council.....

...and a few of these porkers are still on council; Vaughan, Mihevic, Perks, Layton, McConnell, etc.

Toronto housing CEO shamed by rampant misspending


The CEO of Toronto's public housing agency said she was outraged by an auditor's report revealing thousands of dollars in misspent public money.

Don't Break Out The Champagne Yet...

...like the bedbugs there are still some of the lefties at silly hall!

2010 awards time at City Hall
By SUE-ANN LEVY, City Hall Columnist

There’s no doubt it has been a whacky 12 months at City Hall. The year saw an upset by a candidate deemed least likely to succeed and the end of, shall we say, The Gravy Train for the David Miller regime and those who hitched their wagons to the socialist star.

Comrade Miller and His Cabal

Symbolism Redundant...

Pink protest follows Don Cherry's 'pinko' rant

...their voting record, antics and being Comrade Miller's lap dogs speaks volumes.

Today’s letters: Cherry’s wake-up call for Hogtown’s leftists


Re: Mayor’s Pink-Clad Friend Rips ‘Pinko’ Media Foes, Dec. 8.

Don Cherry is the clown of masculine protest, and he’s very good at what he does. Unfortunately, incoming Toronto Mayor Rob Ford allowed Mr. Cherry to vent as a preface to his own, more conciliatory remarks. This serious error in judgment could be a warning of the Reign of Error to come. The city of Toronto’s ombudsman is on record as saying that the reimbursement of the “little old lady [Mr. Cherry’s words]” for her beloved, fallen tree was not the result of Rob Ford’s efforts; but hey, when it comes to clown shows, truth and propriety take a back seat.

Ron Charach, Toronto.

Re: No, I’m not angry at Don Cherry, Chris Selley, Dec. 8.

Chris Selley seems incensed that Don Cherry “proceeded to insult giant swaths of the population of a city he doesn’t even live in.” For Mr. Selley to complain about being insulted is a bit rich, given his condescending and denigrating tone towards Mr. Cherry and others who disagrees with him. Read More »

Legacy Reality...

This is what Comrade Miller and his cronies left...

Hepburn: Farewell David Miller: Your legacy is Rob Ford

You Couldn't Build A Better Case For Term Limits...

...we need to take back the city from the unions and petty bureaucrats!

The underdogs: Levy


Here are four of the many hopefuls trying to do the near-impossible, beat an incumbent

By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun

Last Updated: October 13, 2010 10:08pm

 She’s the candidate who decided to take up seven-year incumbent councillor Paula Fletcher’s invitation to “c’mon down baby” and run against her.

Celebrity TV reporter Liz West may not have been in council the March night Fletcher lost her cool and lashed out at Torontonian John Smith over the city’s operating budget.

Nevertheless, the married mother of two and first-time candidate decided to throw her hat into the race in mid-August after a couple of residents — desiring change at City Hall and knowing her passion for the community — approached her to consider it.

West, John Campbell in Ward 4, Robert Walker in Ward 31 and Shimmy Posen in Ward 21 are four brave souls who decided to take their chances against long-standing incumbents in the Oct. 25 election race.

Whether the four win or lose, they are some of the many unsung heroes who should be commended for doing their part for democracy despite nearly impossible odds.

West said she knew full well it would be tough to go up against an incumbent who can not only take advantage of name recognition and a $50,000 office budget — but in Fletcher’s case has the full muscle of the labour unions behind her.

Fletcher, the former head of the Manitoba Communist Party, is married to John Cartwright, the president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

“Good or bad, I don’t consider how difficult things are going to be ... I just set my sights on what I want and put my head down and go for it,” said West.

She calls herself fiscally responsible and supports getting rid of the personal vehicle tax. West also feels it is important to “respect” her constituents and engage in two-way dialogue — not to dictate decisions that impact on them.

Asked whether she was surprised with a recent poll from the Rob Ford camp that showed her at 32% of voter support, just eight points behind Fletcher at 40%, she said, “No.”
“There is a real desire for change in the ward,” she said.

Twenty-six-year-old recently married Shimmy Posen agrees name recognition is the “biggest battle” in his bid to win against 18-year council veteran Joe Mihevc, who recently endorsed George Smitherman (no doubt in a bid to secure the chairmanship of his coveted TTC).

Posen, an entrepreneur and first-time candidate like West, also knows Mihevc has the “clear support” of the unions, which help him out on a constant basis.

He said he jumped into the race because he wants to make sure any transit line on Eglinton — whether LRV or subway — is not a repeat of the St. Clair boondoggle, a project his opponent championed.

He said he feels it is clearly a “change election” — that City Hall is broken and he’s trying to help get it back on track.

“Joe is part of what’s broken ... he needs to retire because we need to bring fresh ideas to City Hall,” he said.
Posen, who placed within six percentage points of Mihevc in recent polling from the Rob Ford camp, said it’s voter apathy not his opponent that he’s really fighting in the countdown to election day.
Sales agent John Campbell says he’s battling a 25-year “institution” in Ward 4 ­— Gloria Lindsay Luby, a political chameleon who cozied up to Mayor David Miller in order to get herself a key position in his inner circle.

Campbell, who was known for his fiscal conservatism when he served as chairman of the Toronto school board in 2008 and 2009, says it’s a “tall order” to go up against a 25-year incumbent who has a ready team of people to post her signs and a hefty office budget to issue newsletters extolling her virtues as a councillor.

“I don’t think that she has shown leadership at City Hall ... you don’t show leadership if you’re willing to just say something because you think the majority wants to hear it,” he said.

First-timer Robert Walker, a technological project manager for a law office, has been working like heck since May — following hip replacement surgery — to try to get rid of seven-year councillor Janet Davis, the best friend of the CUPE unions and tenant activist groups.

I’ve been particularly impressed with his dedication and his use of social media to spread his message against Davis’ repeated flurry of taxpayer-funded newsletters and newspaper ads.

He knew it was a tremendous uphill battle but felt he needed to do it to fight the “attitude of arrogance” at City Hall.

“I hate the idea that I’m sending a lot of money to City Hall and when I phone up I get treated like an idiot,” said the 48-year-old divorced father of two.

“I thought, ‘put up or shut up,’ so I put up.”
He added he’s having a ball.

“If I don’t get elected I’m definitely going to run again,” he said.

Christie Blatchford

The logic behind Rob Ford’s bid to derail the ‘gravy train’

...at the same time we have to appreciate that politicians do tend to embellish the facts:

Rob Ford can’t take full credit for Woodbine Live

The mayoral candidate says he was instrumental in bringing the $1-billion project to the city Aug 27, 2010 

‘We’ve accomplished enormous things,’ Miller says at his council’s last meeting

 

Character Is Important BUT...

...getting the job done in the best interest of the electorate is IMHO is more important. Comrade Miller and Premier Dad McGoonty for all intents and purposes seem to be squeaky clean and look at the mess they created.

Rob Ford’s honesty in question: Editorial

Character counts in Toronto’s mayoral race.

• Rob Ford Denies DUI
• Rob Ford 'clears the air'
• Ford Admits To Being Busted For Pot

Scandal won't stop Ford, nor should it

Chris Selley: If drinking and driving couldn't bring down Gordon Campbell, and "party drugs" couldn't bring down George Smitherman, drinking and driving with a joint in his pocket seems unlikely to bring down Rob Ford

• Timeline: Rob Ford’s gaffes

Tasha Kheiriddin: Rob Ford: the Barack Obama of Toronto

Sarah Thomson Faced Assault Charge In 1999
The candidate for mayor of Toronto face an assault charge from an ex-employee.

Smitherman admits he had addiction problem

By DON PEAT and IAN ROBERTSON, Toronto Sun

George Smitherman has also tangled with illegal drug use.

Toronto Has a Handgun Ban...

Bright lights, big city...

...another dead teenager...Toronto police say the teenager whose body was pulled from the Humber River on Friday has been identified as Andrew Dowden, 17. He had been shot and dumped in the water.Dowden was Toronto's eighth male homicide victim under the age of 20 this year. There have been 33 homicides so far this year.No word yet... from Mayor Miller's office... which gun club the shooters...

halls of macadamia |

Denizens Of Reichstag Proceed Over Objections Of Taxpayers...

 ...but with the blessing of Comrade Miller and his flunkies; Giamboner and Mihevic.

TTC votes to go ahead with new subway exits

Wed, 2010-07-14 21:57.

Shane Mercer

The TTC voted to move ahead with second exit construction plans at the Greenwood and Donlands subway stations. 

Unfortunately, Donlands residents feel left out of the loop. 

They wanted the Toronto Transit Commission to defer the vote on construction plans until August. 

This would provide more time for consultations with the community, but the commission voted against a deferal.

"We're diappointed that the commission didn't actually hear us...and we feel the TTC didn't hear us," says Lisa Dymond, a spokesperson for the Donlands Strathmore Action Group. 

TTC Chair Adam Giambrone admitted the consultation process has been rushed, but says "I'm not convinced another month will change anything."

The construction plans will affect 13 properties in the Donlands and Strathmore neighbourhood. 

Dymond says she's also worried about how a second exit will impact traffic in her neighbourhood.

"I hope everyone heard them say today a traffic assesment study has not been done and that gives me grave concern for children in our area."

The TTC says it will continue to work with the community and will consider any alternative construction plans they put forward. 

Giambrone says the TTC has learned a lesson in public communication.
"If we could turn the clock back it would have been different the way we did things," he says.

Note To Silly Hall And Queens Park...

 ...there is only one taxpayer! Things like the TTC paying legal fees in a dispute with Queens Park, city bureaucrats not being able to control cost overruns, allowing public grants to be used to spew "hatred,"  etc.  is paid by that one taxpayer and takes money needed to provide services like supporting day care.

Fire over homeless shelter, Ford says

By JONATHAN JENKINS, Toronto Sun

Someone should be fired for the cost overruns and delays at the Peter St. homeless shelter — now more than two years late, $6 million over budget and still not built, Councillor Rob Ford said Monday.

Make Pride pay up: Mammoliti

By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti says he's more determined than ever to have Pride pay back this year's $123,807 grant after learning that the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid marched in Sunday's parade with their anti-Israel messaging.

Tax fight costs TTC $450,000

It cost the TTC about $450,000 to win a spat with Ontario’s finance ministry over $3 million in provincial sales taxes that it paid on a fleet of Wheel-Trans buses, city council’s audit committee heard Monday.

Toronto Silly Hall, Queen's Park, Ottawa Don't Walk The Talk...

Early childhood

Relocation of Shaw Street daycare filled with angst

Trinity Spadina Early Years Centre’s move to temporary quarters compromises programs, parents and staff say Jul 01, 2010 

...$10 million, originally $5 million, for a homeless shelter but the city can't find space or subsidize a daycare center. Definitely something wrong with this picture but then we have to look at the players, at least at the local level:

Comrade Miller, Clown Councilors & Bureaucrats  

The Only Solution For The Toronto Taxpayer...

ensure they have Vaseline and  Preparation H in their medicine cabinet.

Retiring Kyle Rae's off on another junket

By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun

Outgoing councillor Kyle Rae will spend more than $20,000 on good-bye fetes and junkets before he leaves office in November.

Robert Kirsic Is Preaching To The Converted...

...problem is there are not enough of us, we're too busy trying to make a living so we're not able to get out and "march" and demonstrate for the latest trough project put forward by Silly Hall.

 

Quote: Having a balanced budget would be a good start, we all benefit from that. Spend our tax money like it’s yours. Cutting back on services the city really shouldn’t be providing but feels it must. Building a subway on important streets like Eglinton instead of a light-rail line. Building a smart and useful bike network instead of putting one in for the sake of putting one in because everyone else in Europe is doing it. Europe is a great place with wonderful ideas and people but sometimes we need made-in-Toronto ideas to fix made-in-Toronto problems. End Of Quote

 

Robert Kirsic: The left has done enough for Toronto

I’ve read with interest the last two articles from Tonika Morgan and Marit Stiles, and while I...

GIGO!

This decision has two potential gains; 1) will offset some of the new costs created by the HST that common sense dictates the owners would eventually have to pass on to tenants. 2) call in to question Comrade Miller canceling private and cheaper garbage collection in the old city of York and whether this was the price of union support in his last election. 

City will can high garbage rates for apartments

By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun

Faced with an exodus by hundreds of apartments and condos to private haulers, the city is poised to introduce new garbage rates that could reduce costs to those buildings by at least 30%.

Another Day In Miller La La Land....

Parking enforcement an industry

By JOE WARMINGTONToronto Sun

If you were nailed by a parking assassin on Victoria Day (they love to get people around the fireworks celebrations), you are contributing to the $80-million the city of Toronto raises each year in parking fines.
To get that $80-million, in 2009, 2,794,460 parking tickets were handed out.
All it really is, is a sneaky tax on people with cars who already pay and pay and pay. In fact Torontonians pay two registration fees.
Meanwhile, the city has about 2,500 Municipal Law Enforcement Officers set out to feed the tyrannical money monster. The only prompt city service you will ever receive for all the tax you pay is from these people.
It’s no longer parking enforcement. It’s a parking industry. Drop down to the collection office at 55 John St. and you’ll find this parking office looks like a bank, which is fitting. There are so many parking grievances, you have to take a number in the hospital-style waiting room. Also fitting.
The only good news for me the other day was sitting beside me was TSN’s Jennifer Hedger, who was dinged after her condo building forced all of the cars from the underground to the street for spring power washing.
“My building was granted exemptions from areas such as 3 hour un-posted, one-hour limit parking, expired meters, pay-and-display areas, and ‘No Parking Anytime areas’,” during the time of this washing.
But there was a catch.
“The street I parked on has a one-hour limit parking, but it doesn’t become that until 10 a.m each morning. From 12:01 a.m until 10a.m, it is permit parking, and our condo building did not receive an exemption. If I had of pulled up at 10 a.m, I would have been fine. I pulled up at 9:40am, and it cost me $30.”
Gotchya. Zero tolerance.
“I understand the rule, but I still feel as though I’ve been ‘tricked.’”
You were tricked. There are traps like that all over the city.
Turns out she lined up for an hour to find out that nobody cared. But it might be good because Jennifer’s husband, Sean McCormick, of Sportsnet fame can help change this. He is running for councillor in Ward 19 and is one of a bright, young, fresh crop of commonsensers who are prepared to put their high profile career’s on hold to attempt to bring City Hall back to serve and not to be served.
“Parking enforcement has simply become another unpalatable form of tax collection,” says Sean. “The problem is taxpayers in Toronto have been the victims of so many new taxes and surcharges over the last eight years that receiving a parking ticket has become even more infuriating because it is the symptom of a bigger problem — taxpayer fatigue. Taxpayers should be the last option, not the first, when City Hall attempts to solve budgetary problems.”
He’s got my vote.
*****
East York does not need a parkette named after the great John Candy to show their collective love for him. But, still, it would have been nice. And maybe one day it could still happen.
Just not right now.
The comic legend’s widow has respectfully declined the offer by the City of Toronto, spearheaded by Councillor Case Ootes, to rename a small park, a little north up Broadview and Danforth, after the former Second City funnyman. “If John were here at this time he would say, ‘Trust me, this is definitely not the right time,’” Rose Candy told me in a recent e-mail. “I hope everyone will not be upset and have patience.”
So the project has been shelved out of respect for the Candys who lost John all too early in 1994.
“My answer is personal,” said Rose. “This answer comes from myself and my children, Jennifer and Christopher. We love Toronto. John’s uncle and cousins are there along with my brother and sisters.”
Maybe this is an idea that will come down the road — or perhaps the other idea of re-naming Hwy. 404 “The John Candy Parkway” will be adopted.
But we have to go easy on these things until his family is more comfortable with them.
“I want to say I have strong feelings on how John’s name is used,” she said. “I am very protective.”
Ootes said he understands her concerns — saying the idea came about with the best of intentions.
******
What a great Victoria Day weekend. Hopefully you got to do something special — whether it was to go somewhere out of town like Algonquin Park where my pal, Pete Fisher, and his son, Corby, got some great close-up pictures of moose or to just hang around in the city at Harbourfront or on Toronto Island. Either way works.
You definitely don’t need to go out of town to be a tourist. There is plenty to do in the city.
As for the waterfront, despite the criticism, if the weather is on that place is on. I love sitting on the patio at the Pier 4 Storehouse right across the Billy Bishop airport, and adjacent to the Toronto Police’s fascinating Marine Unit, for fish and chips, clam chowder and to watch the planes land and ferries bring people back and forth.
It’s a neat place to hang and Pier 4 staffers Antoinette Headley, Radha Pithodia and Kyla Medeiros tell me there is no better summer job.
The bad news is it’s Tuesday after a long weekend. The good news is it’s only three days to Friday.
joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca

Hey Abbott...

If Moscoe's claims are true, which would be a first,  then this list should be made public and the "exemptions" justified and those that have knowledge and deny existence of the "book" should be disciplined including possible termination.  If it is untrue then Moscoe should be publicly censured by city council and made to perform community service; 100 hours of picking up dog poop in city parks.

Secret parking ticket exemptions costing millions

By TOM GODFREY, Toronto Sun

A secret 25-page City of Toronto booklet, containing a list of people, services and streets exempt from paying parking tickets, is costing taxpayers millions of dollars in unpaid fines and should be reviewed, says a veteran councillor.
Howard Moscoe, chair of Toronto’s licensing commitee, said he has seen the ticket cancellation book and is not pleased by its contents.
“This book is not available to the public and I am not allowed to speak about its existence,” he said.

Full Story 

Once Again Petty Beauracrats Haven't Heard Of C ontingency Planning...

...and is just more proof that "the fish always stinks at the head!"

Fore cryin' out loud!

By DON PEAT, Toronto Sun

While golfers spent the weekend teeing off at private courses around the GTA, the City of Toronto’s five courses have yet to open.