Talk Toronto

Mayoral Platforms/Ideas Finally Coming Out

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9/9/2010 Mr M. says:

Sarah Thomson came out with a great idea. Makes sense, and will help reduce costs for the film industry in Toronto, although its a minute cost in the grand scheme of a production, but it still is a cost saved afterall.

Filmmakers shouldn't be forced to hire highly-paid Toronto police officers when private security could do the job for much less, says mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson.

If elected on Oct. 25, Thomson said she would work to remove red tape, hassles and excessive fees that discourage film and television producers.

Her film policy, unveiled Thursday morning outside city hall, includes making it easier to obtain film permits, as well as criticism of the current paid duty system where officers make $65 an hour to provide security.

"I've talked with the Toronto film board, I've talked to a lot of people in the film industry, and that's one thing that seems to be discouraging a lot of people," Thomson told reporters.

"It's a cost, it's an extra cost they have to pay in Toronto. They don't have to pay it in other cities."

  1. 9/9/2010 Mr M. says:

    Rocco Rossi has some good stances below.

    If elected mayor, Rocco Rossi says he would cancel the $88 million waterfront arena, $200 million new headquarters for the TTC, freeze transit fares and stop promoting the 5-cent bag fee that he claims benefits retailers.

    But he won't freeze property taxes, as other candidates have pledged, saying that will only make the city's annual budget shortfalls worse.

    Rossi, who also wants to cut the size of city council, made his announcement prior to Wednesday night's debate featuring the five leading candidates.

  2. 9/9/2010 Mr M. says:

    Ford has some good stances regarding expanding the transit system, but I dont agree with the removal of streetcars entirely. I think they will still serve a purpose, but like the 10 station extension

    Rob Ford says it's time to call a ceasefire in Toronto's "war on cars" by building subways and scrapping streetcar lines -- some of the old downtown routes, as well as the new Transit City light rail.

    Instead of light rail into all the suburbs, Ford wants to build a 12-kilometre, 10-station extension to the Sheppard subway for $4 billion, taking it east to Scarborough Town Centre. He would convert the Scarborough RT into an extension of the Bloor line to close the loop, which he says would cost only $1 billion.

  3. Photo of Karl R.
    9/9/2010 Karl "Kid Don Cornelius" R. says:

    This Smitherman/Ford thing just turns me off. I might just vote for Rossi in protest.

  4. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/9/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Hey Mr M, when was the last time you took a streetcar anywhere?  I take them to & from work everyday & have been for 25 years.  I believe I should be considered a bit of an expert then.         They are undependable, over-crowded & nothing more than metal dinosaurs.      Sure, I see the tourists gawk & point at us as we roll by the hotels, but in this day & age, they simply are living up to the whole 'mass transportation' thing.   Keep them down at Harbourfront or the Entertainment District perhaps.       Then they can pick up drunken tourists & take them to their next destination.     They won't care WHAT time they get there as they're sloshed & it'll keep them off the roads.            Then, the rest of us can get to work on time (and maybe even get a seat for once) on a bus or something close to it.        It's time to let go of something some find delightful or kitchy & look after the rest of us who are just pissed off that when we DO get to work we're in a bad mood for yet ANOTHER streetcar delay!!!

  5. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/9/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    'Aren't living up" that should read.  So pissed, forgot to proof read first!!!

  6. Photo of Karl R.
    9/9/2010 Karl "Kid Don Cornelius" R. says:

    A good point, Paul. I'll use them on the weekend and they're enjoyable but right 8 am during rush hour and there's one accident and the things are backed up for an hour.

  7. 9/9/2010 Mr M. says:

    I'm not opposed to creating subway lines to replace the streetcars, but would still keep some streetcars running occasionally. Maybe I'm just talking from a tourist perspective, like San Francisco's above ground trolleys.

    But if the subway lines are running simultaneously, I think the streetcars would be less crowded. People can get to work on time via the subway, and those who want to enjoy the riding of a streetcar (like me on the weekends), can still do that above ground if desired.

  8. Photo of Chris P.
    9/9/2010 Chris "How quickly can I hit 4 digits?" P. says:

    Ford's transit plan looks like something a teenaged valley girl would plan. ""Mom, I can't get from Sheppard to Scarborough Town Centre to buy my new shoes. Will you build me a subway line to the mall? Do it now! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!"

    I agree that street cars should go. OR they should reduce the lines have dedicated roads for them with no other traffic.  Like Calgary's 7th Ave in the downtown core.  It's transit and emergency vehicles only on 7th ave; no traffic delays; you get from one side of downtown to the other in 10 minutes via LRT.

  9. 9/9/2010 Aaron H. says:

    I'm all for subways and forgetting street cars, that and not mixing pedestrian and car crossing at major intersections. tunnel a pedestrian path underneath and don't allow people to cross in front of cars which snarls traffic (this coming from a 100 percent pedestrian)

    Tokyo subway map http://speedymole.com/...
    Toronto subway map http://subway.umka.org...

  10. 9/9/2010 Mr M. says:

    I also agree that our subway is vastly inadequate when compared to systems like Tokyo, London, New York, San Francisco, etc. where the lines cross and enable access to a variety of lines.

    Like by connecting Scarborough Town to the Sheppard line, it creates a quicker way and an alternative route option for those who work at Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge and Shepphard, etc. By simply having an alternative it would also relieve congestion along the sole line going East to West.

  11. Photo of Roma M.
    9/9/2010 Roma M. says:

    I agree with Chris. There's the RT at Scarborough Town Centre, Toronto does not need a direct link from Shopping mall to shopping mall. If they're looking at building another subway line, they should keep it within downtown, but even then I can just imagine the issues.

    Also,
    -The 5 cent bag fee *does* profit corporations, and externalizes the damage it does to the environment, forcing the consumer to pay for something that shouldn't be available in the first place. The idea has always been ludicrous.
    -There is no war on cars created by the city, and there never has been. It's been a market cost of lugging your car to and fro downtown, so it has no place in politics, unless they want to tackle regulation.
    -Why does the TTC need new headquarters?

  12. Photo of Brenda S.
    9/9/2010 Brenda "the world's first insulting detective" S. says:

    What a loser slate to have to pick from.  I'm forced to vote for Kevin Clark.

  13. Photo of Brenda S.
    9/9/2010 Brenda "the world's first insulting detective" S. says:

    Okay, Thomson has some interesting ideas about public transit. For 'interesting' read 'doesn't want to destroy it'. That already puts her head and shoulders above the others in my book.

  14. Photo of Tony F.
    9/9/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    I don't think we can compare subways to other cities without considering population size.

  15. Photo of Paul R.
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    9/9/2010 Paul R. says:

    Close all the street car lines downtown and run a subway line across Queen street West and East and run a line all the way across Eglington. I knew this was the answer to the city's transit wows after living in this town for a month. Why has it taken so long to figure this out?? The operating costs of running independent street car lines on Queen, King and College is huge and screws up so much traffic, replace them with bus routes and you're done.

    Ford is a blubbering, football loving, beer drinking goofball but he has the right ideas here. Who the hell wants street cars? In 50 years if he city gets their act together they're just going to have more crap to rip up and finally replace with Subways. This metrolinx light rail, sorta underground sorta not gong-show is a disgrace.

  16. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/9/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    @Paul R From one Paul to another...I tip my hat to you sir!!!  It makes so much freaking sense, you know they'll never figure it out.  Something like a streetcar that so many find unique or worth taking photos of is not getting me to work on time anymore!

  17. Photo of Peter M.
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    9/9/2010 Peter "Bulletproof Soul" M. says:

    So I have been thinking about this for a minute...

    It seems to me that the elephant in the room is the city's relationship with the province. One of the (stated) reasons for a less than desirable public transportation infrastructure is that the province subsidizes it at a horrible rate relative to other cities in NA. Similar arguments can be made regarding health and education expenditures. An interesting and unstated question is who can improve our relationship with Queen's Park.

    In relationship to the prior two points, I'll be convinced that the dismantlement is streetcars is anything but dumb when a substantive (i.e. funded and plausible from an engineering POV) subway expansion plan is presented. I like the idea but like Chuck and Flav "Can't Truss It."

    p.s. Paul S.: "Never as Good as the First Time."

  18. Photo of Tony F.
    9/9/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    The biggest reason I assume that you can't expand any subway system in the downtown core is the infrastructure below the city.  Most people don't even know there's a water well the size of three football fields below the area near the beaches.  I can't even imagine just moving the pipes alone.

  19. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    That people think building more subways is a new idea is just hilarious, to me - or at least it would be if none of those people were running for mayor. There's a pretty decent reason most of the new lines proposed over the past half century haven't been built - this includes Queen and Eglinton, by the way. Subways are hellishly expensive to build in good conditions, and when you've got decades - if not centuries - of infrastructure to contend with in the same place, costs are only going to go up. General estimates for subway construction are $300 million per kilometer, and LRT is half or a third of that. Keep in mind LRT doesn't have to be street-level.

    Another big reason for the lack of construction? Lack of ridership as you get further from the core. Take a look at the Sheppard line for an example.

    If you want more info on some of the history of TTC construction plans and what not, http://transit.toronto.../ is a good read, and http://www.stevemunro.ca/ is good for analysis of current TTC issues. Both actually have some articles crunching the numbers and coming to the conclusion that replacing streetcars with buses at rush hour actually makes traffic *worse*.

    This "War on the Car" rhetoric has me really worried, though: the car's own worst enemy is other cars. They're the reason for all the traffic, the difficulty finding parking and what not - there are too many cars, not enough roads, and more than enough idiots who can't drive. How much better would driving in Toronto be if people stayed out of the damned intersection if they couldn't get through to the other side? Further, why punish the people who don't drive - who take up less road space because of it - by diminishing their service?

    I see Ford wants to sell of streetcars - that's hilarious. We've got a huge batch of new streetcars on order specifically designed for Toronto. Who else is going to want them? We've got our own track gauge, and everyone else uses pantographs rather than trolley poles. He also nicely appropriated 700 million dollars that the Province is spending on Viva for his White Elephant line in the TTC subway system. Never mind, too, that his cost estimates are off by about $1 billion for construction, and that 2015 is juuuuust a touch optimistic for these new lines.

    I think the only thing we can clearly say about Ford's transit plan is that we'd be much better off if he shared what he was smoking with Toronto drivers - I doubt anyone that high could find their car, let alone their keys, and getting cars off the road is the only way you're going to take care of this traffic problem.

  20. 9/10/2010 Aaron H. says:

    @randy, the only way that is going to happen is to make it too expensive for them. i.e. tolls...

  21. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Aaron: Then do it. Heck, make it a toll that only applies to single occupant vehicles. Funnel all of the proceeds into road work so people don't feel like they're subsidizing other people.

    But I don't see traffic getting any better, even if you were to remove the buses and streetcars entirely - unless the number of cars is reduced.

  22. 9/10/2010 Mr M. says:

    Randy brings up a ton of valid points. The biggest thing causing congestion in this city are the number of single passenger vehicles! Its ridiculous. The tolling on only single passenger vehicles only is a good idea. Want to use the road and congest it just for yourself, then pay a fee.

  23. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    Tolls are the worst idea for the city, imo. Survey the number of people who come in with cars and keep the economy going, then determine if it's worth it. If it was a wise decision it would have happened already. Don't assume for a second that no one considered it.

  24. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Roma I know people have considered it before, I just don't see any other way of solving it. Any ideas?

  25. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    I'd be open to the concept of tolls, depending on how it's done.  This isn't a 416 v 905 rant, but it is.. 416 partially subsidize 905ers.  Nothing wrong with it, as they contribute sometimes in sales taxes and support businesses in the, but as a 416er you're paying for their use of the roads, the garbage/recycling they dispose, the water/sanitary services they use, the safety services (police, ambulance, fireservice), and heck maybe even the TTC (which is mostly subsidized, and not fully covered in the cost of a ticket -- yes yes.. much of that is provincial and federal, so they are really paying for it too, but a 416er does contribute a bit more).  

    So essentially when they come into town, they get all of that for free, then goes home and says, why can't 416ers pay for their own trash and clean up their own budget.  

    Aside from a service tax, a toll is one of the only tools you have to recover some of those costs.  There are no 905 taxes to use 416 services.  How often do 416ers go to 905 and use their services?

  26. Photo of Karl R.
    9/10/2010 Karl "Kid Don Cornelius" R. says:

    Tony, promise me you'll at least run for city council next election. And when you step up to mayor, I'll vote for you.

  27. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    Well, clearly everyone has issues with daytime traffic & the market weeds out the unnecessary (auto) commuters who have to pick choose between barring ridiculous traffic & paying expensive parking fees over taking the TTC, obviously many choose the TTC, but clearly not everyone(and many don't live far from the downtown core at all), so the question is why not.

    When I was on the Toronto Youth Committee I suggested carpool lanes on the Don Valley, and it was sent to the Toronto Committee, implemented, etc, but that, too, comes with huge issues. I've never seen the funnel at 404 and 401 anything but chaotic, because of ridiculous one lane exits and so on.

    I would suggest building better infrastructure on the roads, it's got to happen one way or another but highway construction is always ridiculously innefficient. I know that's not a municipal issue by any means.

    When it comes down to the municipality dealing with traffic, the clear answer is they need to work with neighbouring cities to extend the subway beyond what is the current plan, and focus on the subway system. I'm not against the privatization of transit, either. The Viva bus system is a private-public ownership and it's extremely efficient, actually, it's light-years ahead of the TTC. I know they vary in size, but they connect 11 cities, York University, many colleges, and they work together with the YRT and Brampton transit.

  28. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Tony that subsidy argument borders on insulting. If I live in 905 and work in 416, then my employer will pay property tax - either directly or indirectly through rent - which covers garbage / recycling, water / sanitary, police, fire, etc. Further, they pay a lot more property tax than residential taxpayers. See http://www.toronto.ca/....

    If I come to Toronto to shop, then not only am I paying some sales tax on my purchases, but my very purchases contribute to the economy of the city - jobs for people in the stores, jobs for people where they shop, etc. I could spend my money back here in Oakville and Toronto's economy wouldn't see as much benefit, or I could come to Toronto to spend it.

    As for the TTC, they operate at 75% farebox recovery, meaning 75% of their operating budget comes from fares - so forget "mostly subsidized". The only one I can see in North America with a higher recovery rate is GO Transit, at 89%. http://en.wikipedia.or...

    Seriously: the concept of freeloading 905ers is utter crap. Stop it.

  29. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    The moment tolls are implemented, -you'll see the city suffer huge economic losses. It's just a no-brainer. You can't place obstacles to a path without rerouting the crowd, and suggesting the TTC for a method to get to the core is not a decent alternative for vast majority of commuters.

    In regards to the question of how 905'ers contribute to 416'ers' taxes is fairly obvious when you take consumers, tourists, travellers, employees, students, and business owners(employers) out of the question. Is the alternative to move downtown? If so, the next issue will most definitely be about invariably solving real estate pricing woes.

  30. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    @Karl: Thanks! But I'm not a people person. :)  However, I have been know to provide some of my humble thoughts for a few folks in politics.  Unfortunately, a few very bright and energetic people who I'd love for to become a councillor have declined my offer to help manage their campaign.  [I know you people are reading this so you have a few years to change your mind!!]  Hmmmmm.. what about YOU Karl?  Ever thought about running?

    @Roma: I think when it comes to transportation infrastructure in downtown Toronto, there's not much left.  It's pretty much at capacity, and the only way to expand is up or down, which is very expensive.  My dream would be to follow Boston's lead and build down, but that really is a pipe dream.  We just don't have the population to support a crazy 25 year zillion dollar plan like that.

    Public-Private transport could be good.. but considering the amount that is subsidized, what would happen is we'd shift what would be saved in land taxes to a user fee.  I'm not necessarily against that either, but your ttc fare would probably quadruple.  Operating costs for Viva is considerably lower, and much less complex.  I do agree though we MUST extend public transpo out to the regions..  But that's a provincial issue.

  31. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    @ Randy, I agree. I know my neighbourhood very well, and the majority of home owners here, work downtown. They're driving, and they are small-business owners, consultants/self-employed, and employers, take them out of the equation and while all of them could easily find some other city to work in, I wonder how much damage it would cost to the downtown core.

    Pointing fingers at 905'ers is just a scapegoat for actual commuting problems everyone faces.

  32. Photo of Rob B.
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    9/10/2010 Rob "crazy legs" B. says:

    How about a subway line to the airport instead of scarborough town centre, is he serious? The 192 is a joke.

  33. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Roma I definitely think there need to be some TTC improvements, and I'm not against some subway expansion - for example I think the Downtown Relief Line would be a tremendous help, whereas dumping more people onto the Yonge line helps nobody. Ford's concept of abandoning any LRT projects and phasing out streetcars just sounds like an expensive, painful way to accomplish nothing about the actual traffic problem.

    I haven't noticed - have any of the other candidates mentioned the Downtown Relief Line? http://en.wikipedia.or.... One problem with it is that Union becomes even more of a zoo.

  34. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    (forgot to add to that message: but something still needs to be done to incentivize leaving the car at home / disincentivize driving. I suggest the tolls just because it's the most up-front & transparent way I can think of doing it.)

  35. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    @Randy: Unfortunately a tax based on property value even though it's higher for commercial and industrial doesn't come close to generating enough revenue to matching the value per person via residential tax.  I actually wrote a paper eons ago now that having an archaec tax system based on "land value" is not sustainable because it doesn't properly reflect true value of the cost.

    Plus in your arguement, if a 416 lives and works in 416 he's paying twice (once via land tax, and another via employer), which I'd say is a large majority of 416ers live and work there.

    Plus the city has been moving towards the reduction of Commerical tax rate for a while now (http://www.toronto.ca/...) which I'm actually pro.  But that still doesn't deal with the overall issue of generating revenue.

  36. Photo of Karl R.
    9/10/2010 Karl "Kid Don Cornelius" R. says:

    Roma does make a point that if it makes it more expensive for the work force to get to their jobs, they'll demand higher wages, and it will make it more attractive for banks etc to move their offices out to Mississauga etc. At the end of the day, however, something needs to give. The city is subsidizing keeping these good jobs in the city by taking from toronto property tax payers. Ultimately, I'm a big believer in just making us pay the true cost of anything. Lower my income/property taxes and make me pay for the true cost of using the subway, roads, parks, libraries, etc.

  37. 9/10/2010 Mr M. says:

    I used to drive downtown to work, but because of the traffic congestion, I now take the Go Train. I think by implementing tolls, more people would just use public transit. Which isn't a bad thing.

    I dont think $5 a day for tolls will cause businesses to leave the downtown core for those that are self employed, etc. Worst case it may just cause corporations to provide a transportation subsidy to their employees. If downtown is where the jobs are, people will just have to pay it if they want the luxury of driving and filling up our roads.

  38. 9/10/2010 Mr M. says:

    Car pool lane is a joke because it ends at 401. It should extend all the way downtown.

  39. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    Oh plus two new revenue streams that are 416 only (the new land transfer tax and the personal vehicle tax).

  40. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    Well Karl, you're right, and that's what's happening. There are more tech companies than ever within the Richmond Hill-Markham border and I see more commercial buildings and head offices being created up here than ever. So if that's where we're headed, with property pricing and municipality incentives in neighbouring suburbs I wonder if the city will need to get back on its heels and attract more businesses.

  41. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    ARGH... I knew I shouldn't have started on this.. but here's another issue facing the GTA.

    Because the single largest revenue stream for Toronto is through Property taxes (which equals 42% or $3.3 Billion), the way property value have been assessed, the rest of the GTA has experienced significant growth based on value assessments, and in Toronto we're only returning to 1992 levels!  The CVA assessments (as much as I took a hit on it) only grew 11% between 98-09, meanwhile in reality true growth was at 13%.  What's worse, industrial values true growth was 6% yet DECLINED by 17% over that same period.  

    Ok.. too much nerdy talk.. Commerical/Industial properties are paying much less than what they contributed back in the 90s... and based on how many people they bring into the city to work for them, are paying cents to the dollar per person of what Toronto residents contribute to overall revenue.

  42. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    @ Mr M. I assume you're thinking of the large companies when you state they won't move. As far as small businesses are concerned, they're already paying huge premiums for being downtown, what makes you think they won't be considering alternatives?

    As far as the car pool lane is concerned, it ends at the 401, and perhaps should continue to Eglinton, but really it need not go further since you'll notice traffic always clears up after Eglinton going south and there aren't enough lanes on the Don Valley post-Eg. to make it a net-improvement.

  43. Photo of Roma M.
    9/10/2010 Roma M. says:

    Personally I like what San Francisco just introduced with regards to parking, -it's now calculated on demand-based pricing.

  44. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Tony I may not generate as much revenue working in Toronto and living elsewhere, but I don't use nearly as many city services either. Recreational services, the majority of Toronto's roads, the school system, the library, health services - for the most part people who live elsewhere never touch these kinds of services.

    I would point out that people living in 416 and working in 905 are more than welcome to do so, and are in fact encouraged to use our fire, water, sanitation and garbage services and what not, as opposed to letting buildings burn down and taking care of their trash and what not on the lawn.

  45. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    @Randy: I'm not against 905ers coming into 416.  I tried my best during lunch to find the study, but it was in the early 90s and essentially the gist of it was, it costs someone who doesn't live in 416 but works in the 416 about $0.03 an hour during their duration within the city and receive about $0.10 per hour of services, while the average Torontonian pays about $.20 an hour and receives $0.17 of services an hour.  

    Those aren't the exact numbers, but I'm pretty sure it's fairly close.  Obviously you can question the sources yadda yadda, but from what I remember, the professor at York that did the study did factor in quite a bit of various variable.  And from and educated guess point of view, I'd be willing to say that the gap has widdened.

    What I'm saying is, those costs need to be more aligned a bit more so that it's more effective and fair, however there are very very very very limited ways to do that.

  46. Photo of Renata R.
    9/10/2010 Renata "nyanyanyan" R. says:

    I like streetcars. If you had lived streetcarless you would understand why they are much better than buses. I can't expect subway routes to take me everywhere in the city (construction takes a long time and the space between one station and another is about 2km). You are supposed to take the subway to the nearest station and then take the bus or streetcar to your final destination.

    About bike lanes, if you see a picture of Mr. Ford you can totally understand he doesn't care about cycling (and he should), and, as far as I don't believe in turning every driver into a cyclist, but if you can stimulate more people to commute by bike instead of public transit, oh, yeah, it helps. And it makes people healthy, you know?

    These are just opinions based on what I've been experiencing on my first semester here in Toronto. I am not even able to vote.

    This Mr.M guy is the "Immigrants are taking our canadian money" ?  I'd like to invite you for coffee some day. You seem to have strange ideas about people like me. The problem is I could end up having coffee with Rob Ford himself.

  47. Photo of Randy G.
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    9/10/2010 Randy "200 by Dec. 31" G. says:

    @Tony I'd like to see that study, if you come across it. It sounds like it would be a good read.

  48. 9/10/2010 Mr M. says:

    Renata, the fact that immigrants take advantage of Canada's generosity is nothing new. You will meet tons of people in University from Asia whose parents have Canadian citizenship but dont live here. They come back for the free medical, and yet work overseas and dont report income to Canada (avoiding income taxes).

    I'm not overly complaining about the benefits for immigrants as when my grandparents immigrated here from China, they got $1200 a month from the government and subsidized housing in a complex for seniors; and they never worked in Canada at all. But that was 20 years ago, and with it being exposed more and more over the years, more people are doing it.

    I'm just stating a reality that happens.

  49. 9/10/2010 Mr M. says:

    We can continue walking around life thinking all is Merry and thinking the best of everyone. But I live in a real world, where things ain't perfect, no matter how much you want to pretend them to be.

  50. Photo of Tony F.
    9/10/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    @Randy: I'm not sure it was a "good" read, if I didn't have to do a paper on it, I probably wouldn't have purposely read it.  Then again.. I did take a municipal politics course voluntarily and then went to do some more public policy stuff. :P

    @ Mr M: So it's YOUR family that's given immigrant families a bad name.  I grew up in the PJs (Regent Park) and all of my friends were immigrants and I can tell you that very few of their parents were free loaders.   In fact many of them started small businesses that ran the local variety stores, dry cleaners, restaurants, and electronic shops.

    Just with my immediate family, my grandfather worked as a barber, my grandmother a seamstress (well plus my mother and various aunts who worked in the garment industry until it dried up), my uncle and aunt made dim sum in chinatown, another uncle who was a leather tanner, several mailmen, some opened up several small businesses including a photography business, a couple of stores, and a wedding gown business.  I can safely say that absolutely no one spent a day on welfare as that would have brought on great shame.

    Do other families freeload?  Probably.  I just don't happen to know them.  Hmmm wait a minute.. maybe we should send you back?? ;) [see the winky face.. I'm kidding!]

  51. Photo of Mozart A.
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    9/10/2010 Mozart A. says:

    I guess it's time to measure other people's ethics with your ruler, Mr. M.

  52. Photo of Mozart A.
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    9/10/2010 Mozart A. says:

    ... it's time to stop measuring other people's ethics...

  53. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/10/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Yes, Renata I can understand that you 'like' streetcars.  A lot of people do.  But ask the commuters that HAVE to take them everyday how good the service is with them.  I would've been late for work today had I not taken a cab to work, yet again.          Streetcar trouble again.  Kiss that 20 bucks goodbye.  Stop defending streetcars people, unless you take them EVERYDAY & you're happy with the service!

  54. Photo of Mozart A.
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    9/10/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Mozart A. says:

    um... I take the 512 SC to work everyday and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm sorry.

    I won't say that I've never been let down by it on the rush hour, because it was really a mess when they were rolling out the extension to Keele, specially at the evenings. But after two months of chaos they seem to have fixed that.

    Would I prefer to have a subway line instead of SCs? Of course. But I know how expensive they are. Ford is only taking the money that would help many areas of our city and spending it all into a small subway line.

  55. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/10/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Hey Mozart, I'm happy that you're happy with your service, believe me!  Like I said before, you haven't been angry until you've tried to take the freaking 504/506 Carlton/High Park streetcar to & from work.  It's a freaking joke & it's been going on for 25 years now!!!   Sorry, there are just no excuses for their incompetence.  Put buses on the route if you have to.  It should NOT take 45 to 60 min to get from Gerrard & Pape to College & Spadina!  Think about it!  Please!

  56. Photo of Mozart A.
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    9/10/2010 Mozart A. says:

    LOL, for a sec I though you were going to say "yo, I'm happy for you and I'm gonna let you finish, but Rob Ford has the best platform of all time!"

    My guess is you're not gonna beat that 45-60 min with buses instead of streetcars... from my small experience I found buses to be slower.

  57. Photo of Richie S.
    9/10/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Richie "Food Slut™" S. says:

    Randy G., you're my hero. Fo' reals.

  58. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/10/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Yeah Mozart, but at least a bus can get AROUND an accident or car breakdown.  That's the difference straight up!

  59. Photo of Mozart A.
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    9/10/2010 Mozart A. says:

    Paul, so it all comes down to what is the frequency of a car breakdown. I can remember two or three times when there was a streetcar mishap and we were forced to ride replacement buses, in a year and something of daily commute. If I recall correctly it added some 30 minutes to the trip. Is the St Clair line that awesome? What is the frequency of car breakdowns in the 504/506 line?

  60. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/11/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    In the past 8 days I have had to take a cab to work because of a streetcar breakdown one time & an accident we couldn't get passed the other.  Now remember we also have all the JCI kids going to school too. A large group of passengers that don't get off til Jarvis St.

  61. Photo of Renata R.
    9/11/2010 Renata "nyanyanyan" R. says:

    Mr. M so, your grandparents are dickheads and you think everyone else is a dickhead. That's amazing. I can't beat this argument. "I suck, therefore everyone else sucks".

    Paul, I take streetcars on a regular basis, and I like them. I can't live without them. I think some of them are slow, like 511 Bathrust, but I can rely on 510 Spadina. And I really don't think 506 is that bad - 504 is now my commute, and I'm ok with it.

  62. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/11/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    When you say regular basis Renata, do you mean everyday Mon to Fri to be at work for 9:00 AM?  I'm just curious why you think it's all gum drops & jellie beans with the streetcar service (?)

  63. Photo of Renata R.
    9/11/2010 Renata "nyanyanyan" R. says:

    You think the only people who are able to have an opinion are those who ride Mon to Fri at work hours? There's nobody else in the city with tight schedules?

    You guys are so dramatic. Or my standards are really low after living in Rio and São Paulo. Just a nice picture of São Paulo subway for your delight.

    http://topicos.estadao...

    I bet there's 1 million people there...

    I've commuted in Brazil for 30 years. Toronto is pretty ok.

  64. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/11/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Dramatic?!?  If being dramatic means being concerned for my staff that I get to work on time so I can open a business I guess I'm dramatic then.     I really don't give a shit who has better or worse transit systems.      I've lived in Toronto for over 25 years & I've watched the steady decline of the whole system.  Especially streetcars!  I've seen better & it's right here, not in another country

  65. Photo of Tony F.
    9/12/2010 Tony "tells the truth, even when I lie" F. says:

    @Paul: Have you brought it up to the Customer Service Advisory Panel or been to a TTC Commission Meeting?

    http://ttcpanel.ca/
    http://www3.ttc.ca/Abo...

    You actually get to make a public presentation if you wanted to, and the entire committee has to try and answer your question.

  66. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/12/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    Thanks Tony, I'll definitely give it a shot.  I have 2 other employees who have trouble with the same line.  Cheers!

  67. Photo of Renata R.
    9/12/2010 Renata "nyanyanyan" R. says:

    Please Paul, post your experience to us later.

  68. Photo of Paul S.
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    9/12/2010 from Yelp for iPhone Paul "Shop first....eat later" S. says:

    I will Renata.  Sorry if I was short with you or anyone else about all this.  It just gets so frustrating sometimes & then when I see the drivers being so rude & indifferent to people simply asking them what's going on, it makes my blood boil!

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