[SimonP]

• leverage toronto’s emerging status as a world financial centre;
• creating real economic partnerships with toronto’s three universities and several community colleges;
•reduce red tape for small business, and enter formal job creation partnerships with toronto’s bia’s (business improvement associations) and multi-cultural chambers of commerce to build trade and bridges with emerging economies;

And you are accusing Smitherman of vague platitudes?

 

[The Mad Navigator]

Please don't portray this thread as a left-wing domain (however you happen to personally characterize that).

Portray?

Hate to break it to ya, but that cat's already been let out of the bag!

 

[GraphicMatt]

Based on his platform and announement, you'd almost swear Rocco Rossi was running for mayor of a 905 municipality, and not Toronto.

 

[SimonP]

Based on his platform and announement, you'd almost swear Rocco Rossi was running for mayor of a 905 municipality, and not Toronto.

I don't think Rossi can really believe he has much chance of becoming mayor. Perhaps his game is to go the John Tory/Jack Layton root and parlay a credible mayoral campaign into a party leadership position. If his plan is to succeed McGuinty, winning support in the swing seats of the 905 would be essential.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

To set the record straight, Layton has a PhD in poli-sci and was a respected academic before entering politics. (Though if we are picking leaders by academic records, Ignatieff wins running away)

...and JS97's multiple degrees from the University of Phoenix blow everyone out of the water.

BTW, of Harper, Layton and Ignatieff (and Martin, for that matter), Layton is the only one who wouldn't have had Canadians at the head of the Iraq invasion. I guess we're lucky Da Little Guy from Shawinigan is such a ruthless politician.

Oh here we go. When the going gets tough, it's time for leftists to play the "gay" card. Listen, Rob Ford has proven his worth. He is like you and I. He does not profess to know the answers and he does not straddle the fence on issues to protect his approval rating like Mr. Rossi and Smitherman. I give the gay community more credit than to be played by a candidate just because he is also gay. What a cheap stunt. It shows me that Mr. Smitherman now realizes that Mr. Ford better represents the layman, who represents the majority vote. The "layman" comes in all colours and sexual orientations. We are those tired of being played by professional politicians like Mr. Smitherman.

Torontonians are united from downtown to the suburbs, that incumbent councillors' chronic spending in support of left leaning unsustainable ideologies for transit or other core and non-core services must be stopped in 2010.

Right...that pesky "gay card". Can't people just learn to live and let homphobes live (homophobically if at all possible)? And worry-not about his racism, stupidity, alcoholism and propensity for violence against his wife. Those don't exist, because, you see, all criticism of Ford is part of a plot against Ford by the queers -- who, for the record, Rob Ford has no problem with.

Rob Ford a folk hero? Are you 14 years old or just on some serious drugs? lol I seriously question the sanity (and the agenda) of anyone who thinks Rob Ford would make an acceptable mayor of Toronto. We would be laughed at by just about everyone. I'm sure all the Toronto haters and comedians across Canada, would be quite happy to see it.

Rob Ford as mayor, are you f#%king kidding me!

I would share your disbelief, except that Mel Lastman was only marginally more electable than Ford.

I don't think Rossi can really believe he has much chance of becoming mayor. Perhaps his game is to go the John Tory/Jack Layton root and parlay a credible mayoral campaign into a party leadership position. If his plan is to succeed McGuinty, winning support in the swing seats of the 905 would be essential.

An interesting thought. Personally, I'm betting on a freshly exonerated Mike "the cyclist mower" Bryant and his vigilante image capturing much the same demographic. But Rossi might be the safer bet.

 

[js97]

Based on his platform and announement, you'd almost swear Rocco Rossi was running for mayor of a 905 municipality, and not Toronto.

You forget that Toronto goes all the way to the ZOO.... north at Steeles.. and West to river/airport....

It would be the equivelent of planning just for manhattan, when in reality, NYC includes the rest of the burroughs....

Not everyone lives in the buble of 'south' of bloor.... it seems like only 905'ers that move into the city think of Toronto in that way.

 

[SimonP]

Our friend over at 299 Bloor Call Control breaks down just how ridiculous Rossi's claim of creating 250,000 new jobs in his first term is:

To put into perspective, Downtown Toronto currently has 420,500 jobs. Yonge and Eglinton is home to 30,800 jobs. (source: Toronto Employment Survey, 2009) Through this campaign promise, Rocco Rossi is basically promising over half of a Downtown Toronto or eight Yonge and Eglintons worth of new jobs. In four years. Or, based upon the current total employment in Toronto of 1,291,000, that would be an increase of 19.3%. In four years. That type of growth has never been experienced in Canadian history. Calgary, undeniably the fastest growing economy in the country over the past decade, saw only a 28% increase in employment over ten years.

 

[GenerationW]

I would share your disbelief, except that Mel Lastman was only marginally more electable than Ford.

Looking at the numbers, Mel defeated the sitting City of Toronto mayor by 40,000 votes in the first megacity election, and then won the next time with 80% of the vote albeit without any credible opposition.

If Ford is only slightly less electable than Lastman, then he's got a chance in an open field. But I still think he'll implode somewhere down the line.

 

[Roy G Biv]

But I still think he'll implode somewhere down the line.

Physically. I agree.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Looking at the numbers, Mel defeated the sitting City of Toronto mayor by 40,000 votes in the first megacity election, and then won the next time with 80% of the vote albeit without any credible opposition.

If Ford is only slightly less electable than Lastman, then he's got a chance in an open field. But I still think he'll implode somewhere down the line.

By saying Ford is only "slightly less elecatble" than Lastman, I was drawing a parallel between Ford's criminality/buffoonery/bigotry and Mel's bigotry, corruption, scandalous personal life and stupidity. I agree that Mel trounced his election opponents, which is why I have trouble writing off Ford's candidacy. That is, I have great faith in the stupidity and bad taste of a large swath of Toronto's voters.

 

[adma]

But Mel had something Rob Ford (thus far?) lacks: an effective Tammany network behind him, courtesy Paul Godfrey et al.

And you have to remember, too: at least at the time, there was something kind of campily endearing about Mel's brand of stupidity-and-bad-taste. He appealed to the same reflex that seeks to have William Shatner as GG...

 

[adma]

I found this image, which is probably the perfect Sue-Ann Levy illustration of Toronto in the aftermath of a Miller-Pantalone mayoralty

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

damn commies and their multivitamins!

 

[Fresh Start]

I found this image, which is probably the perfect Sue-Ann Levy illustration of Toronto in the aftermath of a Miller-Pantalone mayoralty

Hmm, reminds me of what they're doing to the Central Waterfront.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Actually considering what we've got between York and Yonge Street along Queen's Quay (and quite a few choice examples of superlative developments beyond the said strip), I'd say the private sector did a mightily fine job building the "socialist paradise" at the Central Waterfront.

AoD