Torontoist » politics

After the Vote: What Does the Future Hold for Council and the TTC?

Light-rail proponents were thrilled by Wednesday's transit vote, but the path forward is far from clear.

This week’s historic vote to resurrect parts of the Transit City network is unprecedented in the history of the relationship between the Toronto Transit Commission and city council. Never before has a sitting TTC chair challenged and defeated a mayor on a major transit-policy issue. Light-rail transit (LRT) supporters may have partied into the night, [...]

Truth and Fiction in Toronto Politics

The Fords are trying to divide Toronto against itself. But the downtown vs. suburbs rhetoric is both wrong and irresponsible.

When Rob Ford ran for mayor, his campaign was based, in ways both implicit and explicit, on a sense of suburban alienation. We were, he told us, not giving a fair shake to people across Toronto; years of urbanist development had come at the expense of parts north, east, and west of downtown. We saw [...]

Ontario to Ford: Council is Supreme

In a press conference this afternoon, Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli encouraged Rob Ford to work as a partner with the council and the province.

Yesterday, after city council voted to overturn Rob Ford’s decree and reinstate a previously agreed-upon plan for light rail lines with the province, the mayor dismissed the decision entirely. Speaking to reporters a few minutes after voting, he said he was “very confident” the province would continue building subways. And then he went on: “Technically, [...]

Queen’s Park Watch: Ontario’s Population Increasingly Bound for Alberta

The 2011 census data show what we already knew: jobs and people are headed west. What can Ontario do about it?

The first dump of 2011 census data released by StatsCan yesterday was a wake-up call for those of us here in Canada’s burgeoning rust belt. The numbers show that more and more Canadians, both new and old, are heading west to find their fortune. While Ontario’s population growth since the last census was 5.7 per [...]

Transit Debate Crib Sheet: Key Votes and Reaction Roundup

If you missed the play-by-play of yesterday’s transit debate, we’ve put together a summary of all the key facts, figures, and reactions to get you caught up. The Proposals That Passed This is based on a binding Memorandum of Agreement the City signed with the province in 2009, with a plan to build several light [...]

Liveblog: Transit Showdown at City Hall

After months of debate and weeks of mounting tension, city council meets today to decide what transit plan they support.

COUNCIL OVERTURNS FORD, RESTORES LIGHT RAIL PLAN BY A VOTE OF 25-18 Quick reference; live updates follow below: The Coalition Plan This is based on a binding Memorandum of Agreement the City signed with the province in 2009. Karen Stintz is introducing a multi-part proposal that extends that MOA (which would making it council’s endorsed [...]

Minding the Gap

A new report authoured by 44 average Torontonians sheds light on Toronto's growing economic inequality.

Toronto neighbourhoods are increasingly becoming polarized by income. The middle class that once reigned supreme is quickly eroding—part of a trend that has become more and more apparent over the past four decades. Housing prices in the city are skyrocketing as the recent recession continues to cause job loss. Considering all of this, it is [...]

Rebellious Councils

Today's special meeting is not the first time city council has acted against a mayor's agenda.

Rebellion has been brewing at city council. Today’s special meeting points to the increasing frustrations some of our elected representatives have had with the bull-headed management style of Mayor Rob Ford. But today’s debate on the future of public transit in Toronto is hardly the first time a large segment of council has decided not [...]

Introducing (Most of) the Candidates for Jack Layton’s Former Riding

A brief look at the candidates in the upcoming Toronto-Danforth by-election.

It’s official. Yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the by-election for Jack Layton’s former riding, Toronto-Danforth, will take place on March 12 March 19. (UPDATE, 1:25 PM: Prime Minister Harper just changed the date of the by-election.) The riding has been without a representative in the House of Commons since August, when Layton died [...]

What’s On City Council’s Agenda: February 2012

In which we highlight key items from the month’s city council meeting. You can also watch it live. City council is meeting today (February 6) and tomorrow (February 7). Here are a few items from this month’s agenda that have been in the news, or should have been. City council will weigh whether or not [...]

Transit Pros Support Eglinton Subway-Surface LRT Plan

More details on the letter that calls for a return to "sensible" transit planning in Toronto.

Under the umbrella of the Cities Centre at the University of Toronto, a large group of academics, professionals, and concerned citizens has announced its support for the at-grade alignment of the Eglinton LRT’s eastern branch (i.e. keeping it above ground on less congested portions of the route, as originally planned). The group includes: Eric Miller, [...]

Planners, Urban Designers, Academics Call for Restoring Sense to Transit Planning

Paul Bedford, Ken Greenberg, David Crombie among those asking councillors to return to planning a transit network rather than pursuing individual and often politicized projects.

In a letter released at a press conference at 11 a.m. today, a host of leading academics, urban planners, and one former mayor called on city councillors to take hold of the now very fractured transit planning process in Toronto and “restore transportation planning in this City to a sensible path.” We’ll have a report [...]