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John Tory as Mayor of Toronto

mariomike

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pbi said:
John Tory, the Mayor of Toronto, is a moderate conservative in great contrast to the bombastic populist who preceded Tory, but who would also have styled himself as a "conservative".

Mayor Tory re-established a sense of stability, respect, integrity and honesty in the office of the mayor.

For the first time ever, the city has an agreement on a long-term network transit plan. Including $150 million from the province to begin planning work on the Downtown Relief Line.

Free transit for kids 12 and under. A low-income transit pass. Two-hour fare transfer. Hundreds of new buses. Restoration of the dozens of bus routes cancelled by Ford Nation. Sunday subway beginning at 8 o’clock.

The Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension.  Bloor Street bike lanes and the King Street transitway project.

A thousand new affordable housing units a year, and $300 million for the repair of Toronto Community Housing.

In electing Mayor Tory, the people of Toronto made the choice of going forward in a calmer environment, rather than go back the angry chaos of the Ford Nation era.

Mayor Tory did that while keeping our property taxes low. 


 
It would appear that Tory's little slice of nirvana is coming apart at the seams. The TO sanctuary city experiment has bankrupted them. BLM tells the city and police what to do. It's universities are cesspools of marxist dogma and the city can't control their gangs.

Tory also appears to be coming unhinged. You can smell the desperation and panic in his voice lately.

That's what happens when you try to appease everyone, even when they are wrong.

It's going to take a mayor with great big ones to stop this sanctuary city stuff, no matter if Rob Ford voted for it or not. The millions Tory is spending on welfare housing alone is enough to fund some of the other, more useful projects.

Is Tory also not the mayor that is allowing islamists to ghettoize the neighbourhoods?
 
recceguy said:
It's going to take a mayor with great big ones to stop this sanctuary city stuff, no matter if Rob Ford voted for it or not.

So did Doug.

Mayor Tory inherited it from them.
 
Which is why I mentioned it, before you did, because I knew that's where you'd place the blame. They were two people out of how many that voted yes? You really have to stop bringing that up every time TO and santuary are mentioned in the same sentence. Doug and Rob Ford, were not the sole approvals of the motion. There is a whole other bunch of people on city council at the time that voted yes, but you've never included them in your condemnation of the Ford brothers for voting yes.
 
recceguy said:
Which is why I mentioned it, before you did, because I knew that's where you'd place the blame. They were two people out of how many that voted yes? You really have to stop bringing that up every time TO and santuary are mentioned in the same sentence. Doug and Rob Ford, were not the sole approvals of the motion. There is a whole other bunch of people on city council at the time that voted yes, but you've never included them in your condemnation of the Ford brothers for voting yes.

Was John Tory there when they voted this in?  I know he reaffirmed it though after the fact.

The city is asking for help from the province and the feds.  Both leaders, Trudeau and Ford have been sympathetic to the Sanctuary status (Doug being one of councillors voting for it) so it should be no surprise that Tory is asking for help from both of them. 

 
Split all the Mayor of Toronto stuff off into its own topic.
 
mariomike said:

Then I am not sure how to read this......

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2017.MM24.23


Cheers
Larry
 
Larry Strong said:
Then I am not sure how to read this......

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2017.MM24.23


Cheers
Larry

Hope this helps ......

Mayor Rob Ford, Councillor Doug Ford, and other councillors ( including mine ), voted this in on Feb-21-2013.
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CD18.5

Remius said:
Was John Tory there when they voted this in? 

No. Mayor Tory assumed office on December 1, 2014.

The link Larry posted is dated Jan-31-2017,
"This Motion is urgent, as given recent events, City Council should reaffirm its status as a Sanctuary City."




 
mariomike said:
Hope this helps ......

Mayor Rob Ford, Councillor Doug Ford, and other councillors ( including mine ), voted this in on Feb-21-2013.
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CD18.5

No. Mayor Tory assumed office on December 1, 2014.

The link Larry posted is dated Jan-31-2017,
"This Motion is urgent, as given recent events, City Council should reaffirm its status as a Sanctuary City."

Thanks for the clarification...

:cheers:




Larry
 
I think that opinions and understanding of sanctuary cities, both here and down south, have changed somewhat since 2013.

It sounds noble until one's own city becomes overburdened.
 
Toronto is not the only sanctuary city in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city#Canada

If concerned about murder and violent crime in Toronto,  this is how it compares to other Canadian cities,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Canada#Crime_by_region

.....................................................


Getting back to the original post about transit. And more importantly, how to fund it. 

"SmartTrack" was the centrepiece of his successful 2014 mayoral election campaign.
http://smarttrack.to/

Tolls on the City owned Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway would have funded transit options for out of town commuters, but Queen's Park vetoed Mayor Tory.

Registration for candidates for the office of mayor closes on July 27, 2018.

At this time, Mayor Tory is not facing any serious competition for re-election on October 22, 2018.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_mayoral_election,_2018#Registered_candidates
 
Loachman said:
I think that opinions and understanding of sanctuary cities, both here and down south, have changed somewhat since 2013.

It sounds noble until one's own city becomes overburdened.

The idea of sanctuary cities, and of providing safe haven for people fleeing war, persecution, or other savagery is a very fine one. Very Canadian and very Christian (at least, as I understand Christianity...)

These days it is being countered by two things: one valid, one not. The invalid thing is the historical Canadian reaction to immigrants who are different, be these Catholic Irish, Chinese, Russians, Italians, Portuguese, Jews, Vietnamese boat people, Indians, Pakistanis, etc, etc. There has always been a significant nativist outcry against all of these people, who were going to "ruin Canada"  but ended up being useful and productive members of society. That type of thinking, which would deny entry at all, is bigoted nonsense and not a part of our history to be proud of.

The  other reaction countering offering of haven or sanctuary is, IMHO, a much more reasonable and understandable one. That reaction asks what are the costs, fiscally and socially, of bringing in large numbers of destitute people in a hurry, without really thinking it through?  If they ghettoize, how much longer will it take to adapt (or assimilate, if you prefer that term)?  If we can't do proper background checks on people, what risk are we accepting? (Maybe none-maybe lots) Even the best of good intentions runs smack into reality at some point. One of these nasty realities is that services have to be paid for, and this can't just be dumped on cities already awash in red ink.

I have no problem with legal immigrants, nor with helping people who need a new start in a safe place. Those are the people who have built this country and are still building it today. I don't care what colour or religion they are, as long as they are ready to work hard, obey the law, contribute and adapt, and ready to live where their labour is needed.

But we need to do this carefully, thoughtfully, and in a way that doesn't turn these poor people into targets or whipping boys. We can't just do this based on emotion or gut: that is what happened under Merkel in Germany and look where that got her. It may yet cost her her seat as Chancellor, and it has given fuel to every gang of far-right racist nasties you can think of.

We need to have the courage to slow things down to what we can sustain, and  to what  Ontarians are willing to accept.
 
I think this way of thinking isn't some smarter way of thinking, I just think its a newer way of promoting nativism and being against immigration. Saying, we need to slow down is nicer way of saying stop, severely reduce.

Your notion that taking more time, "thinking it through, doing it thoughtfully, etc..." isn't going to do much. What is an appropriate time frame? Can you name a ghetto in Toronto (i'd love to see ghetto rent/prices)? Is time not a factor for refugees? Would your solution be to take our time and do what... hope somewhere else will take them instead (or worse)?

In regards to being a sanctuary city, what was happening before we declared ourselves one? Were people who were here outside of their work permits would be afraid and not go to seek medical attention for their sick kids? What is the actual cost, has it really cost us that much? Isn't treating people that need help more important than adding a way to catch illegal immigrants?

What's with the anti-commie comment? Who takes them serious anyways? Has there ever been a big worry with them?

I think Tory has been decent as Mayor. I'm no fanboy, I don't like everything he says but I think he's right on some things.
 
>What is the actual cost, has it really cost us that much? Isn't treating people that need help more important than adding a way to catch illegal immigrants?

When proposing to help people, don't forget the people already legitimately here.  We can't help the entire world, so by definition we are going to draw a line somewhere and everyone on the other side of it is SOL.

I suppose citizens and legally admitted residents have a greater claim on public resources than foreigners - even potential refugees.  Every public dollar expended on someone who somehow managed to set foot inside our borders without doing so legitimately is a public dollar denied to someone already here (again, legitimately).

If someone proposes to increase taxation to help more people with a view to helping more foreigners, my counter-proposal is to immediately plow that revenue back into the people already here.

When we have solved our internal shortcomings, we should look to open up the taps.  Until then, I prefer Canada to set a good example of one method of governance and to export assistance rather than import problems.
 
LoboCanada said:
I think this way of thinking isn't some smarter way of thinking, I just think its a newer way of promoting nativism and being against immigration. Saying, we need to slow down is nicer way of saying stop, severely reduce.

Your notion that taking more time, "thinking it through, doing it thoughtfully, etc..." isn't going to do much. What is an appropriate time frame? Can you name a ghetto in Toronto (i'd love to see ghetto rent/prices)? Is time not a factor for refugees? Would your solution be to take our time and do what... hope somewhere else will take them instead (or worse)?

In regards to being a sanctuary city, what was happening before we declared ourselves one? Were people who were here outside of their work permits would be afraid and not go to seek medical attention for their sick kids? What is the actual cost, has it really cost us that much? Isn't treating people that need help more important than adding a way to catch illegal immigrants?

What's with the anti-commie comment? Who takes them serious anyways? Has there ever been a big worry with them?

I think Tory has been decent as Mayor. I'm no fanboy, I don't like everything he says but I think he's right on some things.

I'm not sure where the "anti-commie" remark comes from, since I didn't make one, but I'll try to address the rest of your points.

Obviously I didn't express myself clearly, because I'm not against immigrants. I'm married to one, for a start. I am well aware of how my wife's ethnicity was first treated when they arrived in the 1960's. They persevered, and moved onwards and upwards. Just like the huge majority of immigrants always do, in my opinion.

My argument is not a screen for nativism.  Nativism, at least as I understand it, is a historical belief in North America, particularly prevalent amongst people of English Protestant descent, that there  is no room and no welcome for immigrants of other cultures, ethnicities or races . This is based on the conviction that these immigrants are inherently inferior and dangerous. IIRC  It was first directed against Catholic Irish, but later expanded to include non-English Europeans of all sorts., then further to include anybody different at all. The KKK are original nativists.

Please don't conflate me or my argument with nativism. That is like saying that if you support the police you support police brutality, or if you support LGBT rights you support  pedophiles. If we can't make distinctions in political views we are back to screaming at each other over the barricades.

I do believe very strongly that a country must have the rights and powers to control its borders,  as unpleasant as this may seem sometimes. Without  that power, I'm not sure of the meaning of sovereignty.

I also believe that introducing large numbers of immigrants or refugees in a rushed, disordered and ill-considered manner risks benefitting nobody, and making  the immigrants the targets of the real nasties, not pretend nasties like me😁.

If, on the other hand, provinces and municipalities are properly consulted, involved and funded, I think it can work quite well and the transition can be relatively easy. That seems to be what is missing here. I am a fan of John Tory, because he represents a form of conservatism I can identify with. He has a hugely difficult job in a city with growing problems.

My post means exactly what it says, and nothing more. I am not some alt-right nutcase (in fact sometimes my posts on here have  been pigeonholed as "lefty"  by some.) I actually try to avoid sticking myself in one box or another, preferring to look at each issue on its merits rather than through a lens of dogma.
 
LoboCanada said:
I think Tory has been decent as Mayor.

pbi said:
I am a fan of John Tory,

I voted for him in 2014, and intend to do so again in October. Baring unforeseen circumstances, I expect he will be easily re-elected to a second term in October.

I served under four Metro Chairmen and two mayors ( Lastman and Miller ). I would say that Mayor Tory is as good as any of them.

Mayors Ford* and Tory were elected to office after I retired. 
* By an overwhelming margin, city council voted to transfer his executive and emergency powers and most of his staff to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

Mayor Tory promised to make transit his number one priority in 2014, and I hope he will continue to do so in his second term.


 

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mariomike said:
I voted for him in 2014, and intend to do so again in October. Baring unforeseen circumstances, I expect he will be easily re-elected to a second term in October.

I don't live in TO, but I would certainly vote for Tory if I did. He seems to be an example of common sense and moderate conservatism, standing out from a rather questionable list of incumbents over the years, some of whom may actually have been insane in some way.

No doubt he doesn't please all voters, but I'll bet he pulls more of a consensus than his predecessor, and is a far less divisive figure. Right now, IMHO, Toronto needs a very steady hand at the tiller. It's no longer the city I grew up knowing, and I can't see things getting better too soon.
 
pbi said:
No doubt he doesn't please all voters, but I'll bet he pulls more of a consensus than his predecessor, and is a far less divisive figure.

Anyone who thinks they can run this town better than John Tory can register for the fall election during the next ten days.  :)

If not, they will have to wait until 2022 for another chance.

Already 18 ( and counting ) candidates registered to challenge him.



 
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