[typezed]

Ford's father started a printing business that may have been a small concern at the time the new mayor was a child. For all we know it didn't expand into its present large contracts served by plants in the US until Doug was older and active in the business. Having a father slugging it out on the presses in the middle of the night to keep his business afloat is mostly blue collar culture. Ford may have had it easy finding a put up your feet front desk job with great income as a young university dropout but his is not an old money country club experience, much as we'd like to pin that irony on him.

Mr. Layton on the other hand is a councillor today only because of his father's prominence. He was supported by the NDP establishment, including the outgoing area councillor and mayoral candidate Pantalone. He had name recognition. He was a white male from a prominent family who ran against a visible minority female with a longer history of progressive activism in the area. This seems to be counter to everything the Layton family party harps on about. The irony of his privilege seems far greater than Ford's.

 

[Irishmonk]

Having a father slugging it out on the presses in the middle of the night to keep his business afloat is mostly blue collar culture.

Actually, that upbringing sounds more Dickensian than blue collar. I can just see the scrawny, little urchin, Robbie--age 12-- toiling next to his dear father during one of those late night runs, reaching his tiny fingers into the press to extract a vexing paper jam, and ever so careful to not waste a drop of precious ink.

 

[adma]

Plus ca change

 

[adma]

Mr. Layton on the other hand is a councillor today only because of his father's prominence. He was supported by the NDP establishment, including the outgoing area councillor and mayoral candidate Pantalone. He had name recognition. He was a white male from a prominent family who ran against a visible minority female with a longer history of progressive activism in the area. This seems to be counter to everything the Layton family party harps on about. The irony of his privilege seems far greater than Ford's.

Though that sounds closer to *Doug* Ford than Rob Ford...

 

[GraphicMatt]

Will there be a Mayor's Levy in the new year?

Yes. She writes for the Sun.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Mr. Layton on the other hand is a councillor today only because of his father's prominence. He was supported by the NDP establishment, including the outgoing area councillor and mayoral candidate Pantalone. He had name recognition. He was a white male from a prominent family who ran against a visible minority female

What would you want him to do to have a fair campaign? Change his gender, race and dissassociate himself from his family and network? Let's tell the minority females who win job offers, elections or any competition that they only won because they're female, non-white and used their family and network to get elected - sounds like something Barbara Hall might haul you in for saying.

 

[typezed]

I suppose I would have hoped that voters could overlook the brand name and the connections and elect the better candidate, just like I wish they could have disregarded the bluster and sloganeering to not elect the worst of a bad lot in the mayoral race. It is the NDP and their core supporters who want to make statistical impact on a boatload of supposed disadvantaged demographic groups the prime concern in all decision making, not me. How quickly they set aside high principles when it's time to start the leader's boy in the family business. It's actions like this that give dumb notions of 'downtown elites' their grip. Then, in his first action as councillor, Layton starts trading in identity politics, with the empty censure of Macleans for its too Asian article. Where's the silver spoon (or the privilege, to use leftist speak) here - in the mouth of the son, stepson and grandson of career politicians, or in the son of a family that turned a small dirty business into a large employer?

 

[Admiral Beez]

in his first action as councillor, Layton starts trading in identity politics, with the empty censure of Macleans for its too Asian article.

]That was a silly article. Of course many of UofT's students will be of Asian descent. Asia is the largest and most populous continent and our largest source of immigrants. What Layton should have pointed out was that Asian does not mean Chinese, but in fact refers to all Asian descendants, including those from India, Israel and the Middle East, eastern Russia, all the 'Stans, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Burma, etc, etc.

 

[Torontovibe]

I posted some videos on Youtube to try to bring some light to the degraded public realm in this city. Ford said he was going to clean up the city and I will be very glad if that happens. People go on and on, about architecture and design but what good is a beautiful building if you have to look past dirty sidewalks, ugly over-head wires and dirty posters covering everything? (including bits of paper, dirt and glue) It's damned ugly! Let's hope Ford keeps his promise.

It wouldn't hurt for Torontonians to call their Councillor or the Mayor. (or email) If we demand better, we might get it. Well, this video is my attempt to get the conversation rolling. I hope it helps in some way.
[video=youtube;eJZvwpk3pIk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJZvwpk3pIk[/video]


I caught some guys breaking the law, by postering on Church Street.
[video=youtube;On-3yaOHxtQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On-3yaOHxtQ[/video]
I hate seeing this all over town. The glue, stuck all over everything, is the worst. If the city could at least get these guys to switch to tape, it would be an improvement. Ford said he is going to get tough with laying charges on these guys and sending more cleaners to wash the street furniture. (phone booths, parking meters, newspaper boxes, light poles)

This is illegal, yet look at some of the large companies and organizations on the posters. Sue the MoFos!

Indigo Books
U of T
TSO
Government Entertainment Complex
(to just name a few)

 

[Automation Gallery]

Wow..disgusting

 

[MetroMan]

Torontovibe, I suggest you start a thread on the topic of raising public awareness and holding the Mayor and city councillors accountable on the issue of postering in Toronto. I volunteer to help out with this as I see it as one of very few advantages to having Ford as Mayor. He will probably take this seriously and doesn't require much of a budget to enforce this, just political will.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Good work Torontovibe, I'm glad to see people finally realizing what a huge problem this is.

Have to warn you though, the people these companies hire to put posters up are, generally speaking, the absolute bottom-feeders of society, just very, very nasty people. I once confronted a guy putting up GI Jane bootcamp ads all along Mount Pleasant, told him what he was doing was illegal and ruining the neighbourhood, and he got very confrontational. I'm a big guy, I can take care of myself and there were lots of people around, but don't confront these people. Companies like U of T, Indigo, and others "outsource" postering to people from dedicated postering companies, and they hire pretty much anyone off the street they can find. The guy I confronted fit the bill (squeegee guy-type), but basically dug his own grave when he yelled out, in front of numerous families and others, "F--k off you f--king f----t!". Some research into the ownership of company (never piss off a librarian), stern letters sent to them, the local councillor, and Municipal Licensing, and I haven't seen them again since. Vigilance is key.

Keep at it, you have no idea the service you'll be doing to the city.

 

[gabe]

Ford poised to kill the plastic bag fee
Mayor Rob Ford seems closer than ever to trashing Toronto's bag tax.

"The priority was to eliminate the unfair (car tax), and as the Mayor speaks with residents everyday, the thorny issue of the bag tax keeps coming up," Ford's press secretary Adrienne Batra stated in an e-mail. "People are sick and tired of being nickle and dimed to death so he would like to address the elimination of the bag tax."

Ford himself told another newspaper he wants to abolish the five-cent fee.

Earlier this month, Ford was fairly lukewarm to tossing the tax.

The new mayor — who didn't campaign on killing the bag fee — has said he hadn't made up his mind on what to do about the charge, brought in by former mayor David Miller's council.

"I don't like the idea of the private sector keeping the money," Ford said at the time of the Sun interview, adding the tax appeared to do some good.

"In the grand scheme of things is it better for the environment? Yes. Are people using less plastic bags? Yes," he said.

"But the money is going into the pocket of the private sector which I disagree with. If we're going to use that five cents let's put it towards some sort of environmental program or let's just scrap the five cents."

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/12/30/16709336.html

 

[Torontovibe]

Good work Torontovibe, I'm glad to see people finally realizing what a huge problem this is.

Have to warn you though, the people these companies hire to put posters up are, generally speaking, the absolute bottom-feeders of society, just very, very nasty people. I once confronted a guy putting up GI Jane bootcamp ads all along Mount Pleasant, told him what he was doing was illegal and ruining the neighbourhood, and he got very confrontational. I'm a big guy, I can take care of myself and there were lots of people around, but don't confront these people. Companies like U of T, Indigo, and others "outsource" postering to people from dedicated postering companies, and they hire pretty much anyone off the street they can find. The guy I confronted fit the bill (squeegee guy-type), but basically dug his own grave when he yelled out, in front of numerous families and others, "F--k off you f--king f----t!". Some research into the ownership of company (never piss off a librarian), stern letters sent to them, the local councillor, and Municipal Licensing, and I haven't seen them again since. Vigilance is key.

Keep at it, you have no idea the service you'll be doing to the city.

I don't intend to get into any physical confrontations with anybody but I do intend to keep calling politicians and asking them to keep their promises. I also intend to keep filming, even though it is of little interest to most people. I wish Torontonians weren't so apathetic to their own city and demanded better. Why do we have to be the worst? If other big cities can clean up their public realm, there is no reason why we can't do the same.

Anyway, Rob Ford seems very serious. When I talked to him on the phone, he said he will change the way things are done. People will be hired to clean the postering and he will legally crack down on companies who are responsible. So at least there is some hope. If things don'e change, PLEASE, CALL THE MAYOR! I know I will.

 

[Torontovibe]

Torontovibe, I suggest you start a thread on the topic of raising public awareness and holding the Mayor and city councillors accountable on the issue of postering in Toronto. I volunteer to help out with this as I see it as one of very few advantages to having Ford as Mayor. He will probably take this seriously and doesn't require much of a budget to enforce this, just political will.

Nobody would read that thread. They would rather read about the newest glass box that looks exactly the the glass box across the street. You could call Mr. Ford and make sure he hears you.

(Ford's cell phone 416-233-6934, his office is 416-397-2489 or email to mayor_ford@toronto.ca)

The more people calling and writing politicians, the better. It will let them know that some people actually care about what this city looks like. Yeah, we were an ugly duckling but we don't have to stay that way forever. Our buildings are getting better, so why not our public realm, to go along with it?

Do your part guys, Toronto needs some love.