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Election is a turning point for Toronto
By Ken Warn reports
Published: November 7 2003 21:11 | Last Updated: November 7 2003 21:11
Toronto mayoral candidate Barbara Hall recently summed up how many of her fellow citizens feel about the city: "I want to get back to the scenario where New York film crews have to put garbage on the [Toronto] streets to make it look like New York."
Canada's largest and richest urban centre goes to the polls on Monday to elect a mayor amid a pervasive sense of decline. Once lauded across North America as a beacon of intelligent urban development, US academics and civic leaders would come and gaze in wonder at "the city that works".
But rising crime, traffic gridlock and growing homelessness have quashed that sense of easy superiority.
"In the past decade or so there has been a slow wearing down of the infrastructure. The level of dynamism on the cultural and economic front is also not what it was," says Nelson Wiseman, a politics professor at the University of Toronto.
The city is also still recovering from the Sars epidemic earlier this year, which battered tourism. Then came the August power blackout, which brought industry to a standstill for several days.
More than 40 candidates are running for the post of mayor. But the contest appears a two-horse race between David Miller, a Harvard-educated Toronto councillor, and businessman and community activist John Tory.
Mayoral candidates do not run under party banners. But Mr Miller is closely identified with the leftwing New Democratic party, while Mr Tory is a long-time Conservative insider.
Former front-runner Ms Hall has fallen to a distant third place as voters appear to have shunned her centrist pitch.
Both Mr Tory and Mr Miller are presenting themselves as "can-do" types with the ability to bring a more energetic management style to the city. Mr Miller has found a compelling campaign issue with his pledge to stop expansion of the small Toronto City Airport, on an island opposite the downtown area.
The airport has both passionate defenders and opponents. But Mr Miller's claim that expanding the facility will blight the downtown area and hold back regeneration of the long-neglected waterfront has been gaining traction with voters.
Mr Tory, a former chief executive of Rogers Cable, Canada's biggest cable company, is basing his appeal largely on his successful managerial record. He has also cast himself as the law-and-order candidate.
Much of the debate revolves around issues familiar to any city dweller, such as garbage collection and disposal. But the winner's main challenge will be to reverse the sense of political drift and increase the mayor's limited powers into a forceful role, analysts say.
Much of the blame for the city's malaise has been laid at the door of Mel Lastman, the colourful outgoing mayor.
The accident-prone and populist Mr Lastman frequently appeared out of his depth on the national and international stage.
When the city was desperately seeking leadership in the Sars crisis, Mr Lastman horrified Torontonians by saying on CNN that he had "never heard of" the World Health Organisation.
Dogged by illness and increasingly out of touch with the day-to-day running of the city, Mr Lastman leaves behind an administration beset by financial scandals and an air of cronyism. "There has been very poor municipal stewardship and leadership," says Myer Siemiatycki, a politics professor at Ryerson University.
But Mr Lastman's successor will come to power at a time when things could be looking up for urban Canada. Mayors of big cities across the country are demanding greater autonomy from the provincial governments and a bigger slice of the tax cake.
Former finance minister Paul Martin, who is set to take over as Canada's prime minister before the end of February, partly shares that agenda. He has promised a "new deal" for the cities, including more predictable funding.
The province of Ontario's new Liberal government also professes to be more "city-friendly" than its Conservative predecessor, which was frequently at loggerheads with Toronto.
"The election is shaping up as a turning point for the future of the city," says Mr Siemiatycki.
By Ken Warn reports
Published: November 7 2003 21:11 | Last Updated: November 7 2003 21:11
Toronto mayoral candidate Barbara Hall recently summed up how many of her fellow citizens feel about the city: "I want to get back to the scenario where New York film crews have to put garbage on the [Toronto] streets to make it look like New York."
Canada's largest and richest urban centre goes to the polls on Monday to elect a mayor amid a pervasive sense of decline. Once lauded across North America as a beacon of intelligent urban development, US academics and civic leaders would come and gaze in wonder at "the city that works".
But rising crime, traffic gridlock and growing homelessness have quashed that sense of easy superiority.
"In the past decade or so there has been a slow wearing down of the infrastructure. The level of dynamism on the cultural and economic front is also not what it was," says Nelson Wiseman, a politics professor at the University of Toronto.
The city is also still recovering from the Sars epidemic earlier this year, which battered tourism. Then came the August power blackout, which brought industry to a standstill for several days.
More than 40 candidates are running for the post of mayor. But the contest appears a two-horse race between David Miller, a Harvard-educated Toronto councillor, and businessman and community activist John Tory.
Mayoral candidates do not run under party banners. But Mr Miller is closely identified with the leftwing New Democratic party, while Mr Tory is a long-time Conservative insider.
Former front-runner Ms Hall has fallen to a distant third place as voters appear to have shunned her centrist pitch.
Both Mr Tory and Mr Miller are presenting themselves as "can-do" types with the ability to bring a more energetic management style to the city. Mr Miller has found a compelling campaign issue with his pledge to stop expansion of the small Toronto City Airport, on an island opposite the downtown area.
The airport has both passionate defenders and opponents. But Mr Miller's claim that expanding the facility will blight the downtown area and hold back regeneration of the long-neglected waterfront has been gaining traction with voters.
Mr Tory, a former chief executive of Rogers Cable, Canada's biggest cable company, is basing his appeal largely on his successful managerial record. He has also cast himself as the law-and-order candidate.
Much of the debate revolves around issues familiar to any city dweller, such as garbage collection and disposal. But the winner's main challenge will be to reverse the sense of political drift and increase the mayor's limited powers into a forceful role, analysts say.
Much of the blame for the city's malaise has been laid at the door of Mel Lastman, the colourful outgoing mayor.
The accident-prone and populist Mr Lastman frequently appeared out of his depth on the national and international stage.
When the city was desperately seeking leadership in the Sars crisis, Mr Lastman horrified Torontonians by saying on CNN that he had "never heard of" the World Health Organisation.
Dogged by illness and increasingly out of touch with the day-to-day running of the city, Mr Lastman leaves behind an administration beset by financial scandals and an air of cronyism. "There has been very poor municipal stewardship and leadership," says Myer Siemiatycki, a politics professor at Ryerson University.
But Mr Lastman's successor will come to power at a time when things could be looking up for urban Canada. Mayors of big cities across the country are demanding greater autonomy from the provincial governments and a bigger slice of the tax cake.
Former finance minister Paul Martin, who is set to take over as Canada's prime minister before the end of February, partly shares that agenda. He has promised a "new deal" for the cities, including more predictable funding.
The province of Ontario's new Liberal government also professes to be more "city-friendly" than its Conservative predecessor, which was frequently at loggerheads with Toronto.
"The election is shaping up as a turning point for the future of the city," says Mr Siemiatycki.