[Richard White]

Don’t give him ideas unless you want to see Mikey as mayor

No no no... I can see him eliminating Toronto City Council and placing Mikey as a "Special Adviser to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing". What better way to deal with an ineffective and bloated council than getting rid of it all and placing the City of Toronto under the direct control of the Ontario Government. It would allow them to assume control of policing, the subways and other key things..

 

[Allandale25]

Spadina-Fort York update:

@jpags: [URL='https://twitter.com/ausmalik/']@ausmalik, who is running in the new ward 20 under 47-ward system, releases statement that she will not run in a 25-ward election. "Together we will face down the bigoted attitudes and dangerous ideas of candidates who propose to take this city in the wrong direction."[/URL]

https://twitter.com/jpags

 

[christiesplits]

Spadina-Fort York update:

I heard that was coming. I hear Chris Moise will be doing the same, too, in Toronto Centre.

 

[Palma]

I heard that was coming. I hear Chris Moise will be doing the same, too, in Toronto Centre.

the councillors that know they cannot win won't run. This is what is happening. Its one way to retire half of these politicians

 

[christiesplits]

Fragedakis announcement incoming?
https://twitter.com/maryfragedakis/status/1040646254336860161

 

[Admiral Beez]

the councillors that know they cannot win won't run. This is what is happening. Its one way to retire half of these politicians

It will be nice to clear out some of these incumbents. City councilor is not supposed to be a life career. Of course with 25 seats no new blood is going to get in, so we'll still be stuck with the surviving incumbents. I'd support DoFo putting two term limits into place for 2022.

 

[ShonTron]

Joe Cressy will be running in Spadina Fort-York and Mike Layton will be running in University-Rosedale. No surprises there. I definitely expect Wong-Tam to run in Toronto Centre.

A lot of good people (both incumbents and promising challengers) are being squeezed out.

 

[ShonTron]

It will be nice to clear out some of these incumbents. City councilor is not supposed to be a life career. Of course with 25 seats no new blood is going to get in, so we'll still be stuck with the surviving incumbents. I'd support DoFo putting two term limits into place for 2022.

Only two new councillors are guaranteed, in Beaches-East York (both Janet Davis and 3M are retiring) and Scarborough North, where there is no incumbent (Chin Lee and Raymond Cho both gone, and Neethan Shan running in Scarborough-Rouge River).

 

[steveintoronto]

Whoa...hold on. I totally understand the doom scenarios, we're not there yet. In fact, I don't think Ford can pull this off. The magic word you haven't heard the last little while is "injunction"! And that means no matter if or what Ford Dynasty get in terms of staying the Belobaba judgement, that is trumped by an injunction to stop dismantling the 47 ward council.

There are now so many highly qualified opinions stacking up against Bill 31 that getting an injunction should be easy, as there's many quality cases that can and will be brought before the Superior and perhaps higher courts that it will take weeks or more to rule on it. In the meantime, an injunction most surely will be granted.

What astounds me is how pallid the City's own legal department is in missing some of the excellent angles from legal 'experts'.

 

[Admiral Beez]

What astounds me is how pallid the City's own legal department is in missing some of the excellent angles from legal 'experts'.

Because the legal department has no skin in the game, nor do we want them charging hourly on this.

 

[steveintoronto]

Add three more:
The Canadian Press
Published Friday, September 14, 2018 5:48PM EDT
TORONTO -- Three prominent former politicians who negotiated the inclusion of the notwithstanding clause in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are condemning the Ontario government's use of the rare provision to push through legislation that was deemed unconstitutional by the courts.

Former prime minister Jean Chretien, former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry have issued a statement saying the clause wasn't meant to be used to circumvent proper process.

The three men say they are calling on Ontario's Progressive Conservative legislators to stand up to Premier Doug Ford, who announced Monday he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to override a judge's ruling.
[...]
https://www.cp24.com/news/chretien-romanow-mcmurtry-condemn-use-of-notwithstanding-clause-1.4094812

 

[steveintoronto]

Because the legal department has no skin in the game

And the 'The Elders' have even less.

My point was that the City's legal eagles can't fly. They need outside counsel. And it's for free at this point in time. And it keeps growing.

Here's some retrospect on the Three Amigos and their involvement in this over the years:
https://globalnews.ca/news/1816424/understanding-the-charters-notwithstanding-clause/

[...]
But Chrétien, McMurtry and Romanow said in their statement that Ford is misusing the clause. The three men were justice ministers for Canada, Ontario and Saskatchewan during the negotiations that created the Charter in 1981: Chrétien was then justice minister in Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government, while McMurtry was Ontario’s Progressive Conservative attorney general and Romanow was deputy premier and attorney general for the NDP administration in Saskatchewan.

“It was not designed to be used by governments as a convenience or as a means to circumvent proper process,” they said.

“That was clear at the time, and it has been clear ever since. That is one reason it has never been used — even once over the last 37 years — by the Ontario legislature, a point of pride with the people of Ontario.”

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...doug-fords-use-of-notwithstanding-clause.html

 

[Admiral Beez]

And the 'The Elders' have even less.

My point was that the City's legal eagles can't fly. They need outside counsel. And it's for free at this point in time. And it keeps growing.

Here's some retrospect on the Three Amigos and their involvement in this over the years:
https://globalnews.ca/news/1816424/understanding-the-charters-notwithstanding-clause/


https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...doug-fords-use-of-notwithstanding-clause.html

Well said Chretien and crew.

Caroline Mulroney can't be wearing this easily. But there are no easy choices, either resign in protest and kill your nascent political career or stick with it and try to influence positive change or policy. Dinner at dad's place would be interesting.

 

[ttk77]

Well said Chretien and crew.

Caroline Mulroney can't be wearing this easily. But there in no easy choices, either resign or stick with it and try to influence positive change or policy.

Assuming she's made any effort to influence Ford against this bone headed and frivolous use of NW, it must be becoming fairly clear that she doesn't have much of a chance of making any positive change with him. Now it's just a choice between integrity and ambition.

 

[BurlOak]

It will be nice to clear out some of these incumbents. City councilor is not supposed to be a life career. Of course with 25 seats no new blood is going to get in, so we'll still be stuck with the surviving incumbents. I'd support DoFo putting two term limits into place for 2022.

In the last election, only 1 incumbent lost.
Increasing council just to create a couple of new spots is not the best was to get good new Councillors.
Reducing their numbers, and thus putting more of a spotlight on each - is a better long term strategy.