Results tagged “publicworks”

On April 5, 1893, The Empire's headline, "Legislators in Fairyland," reflected the jubilant atmosphere that greeted the opening of the province's handsome new Parliament Building in Queen's Park. As throngs crowded in to explore the building's corridors and gaze at its ornamental carvings, few likely noticed initials carved into a stone above the columns on the right side of the main entrance. Belonging to Christopher Finlay Fraser, the initials were "fitting tribute," according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, to a man whose role over a twenty-five year political career remained similarly invisible to the public. As the long-time Commissioner of Public Works, Fraser had overseen the erection of the Parliament Building from conception to completion over the course of twelve years. While the monumental project never succumbed to the financial scandals seen in the construction of legislative buildings in Quebec or Manitoba, Fraser's project was not without its controversies.

Do you think you know what items go into the blue bin, what items go into the green bin, and which things go into the garbage? You don't. Even if you've studied the charts in the collection calendar, attended several meetings of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, read all the municipal news all the time, you don't. Sorry.

"Uh, I'm gonna hold that one up," said Councillor Bill Saundercook, raising his hand to put a hold on item 21 at last Wednesday's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The report in question was "2008 Bikeway Network Program – Phase 5 Installation of Bicycle Lanes [PDF]," and it's likely that committee chair Glenn De Baeremaeker tensed up in the split-second before Saundercook, with perfect comic timing, dropped his punch line: "Just kidding."

Photo by --richelle-- from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

City Council finally voted on the vexed question of Annette Street cycling infrastructure, and after a fairly easy-going discussion approved full bike lanes in a 20-11 vote. Councillor Saundercook's bid to delay implementation of the bike lanes in favour of the lower-impact (and less safe) sharrows for two years failed. Councillor Heaps, chair of the Cycling Committee, introduced the motion which restored city staffers' original recommendation for full bike lanes, and was strongly supported by Councillors Perks and Giambrone. The 209 citizens who wrote in to council, every single one of them in favour of bike lanes rather than sharrows, and the cycling advocates that have tirelessly made their case to the community, deserve equal billing for bringing this one home.

Photo by Dylan Passmore from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

The last time we looked at accessible pedestrian signals (APS), those chirping and cuckooing crossing indicators for the visually-impaired, it was with some surprise at the city's claim that it simply couldn't afford to install APS at more than a handful of intersections each year. Instead of allocating enough money to improve availability of a fairly basic service to visually-impaired residents, the city instead looked for corporate sponsors to pick up some of the considerable slack, resulting in pedestrian signals "funded by IBM" and other organizations dotting the city, a virtual declaration that the city was abdicating its responsibilities.

A couple interesting flip-flops in the new government today - namely a crossing of the floor and an unelected senator and Minister of Public Works and Government Service.