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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 2:38 AM
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2014 Municipal Elections

A good proportion of us will be going to the polls next fall to elect our municipal representatives. Tell us about the issues in your city, the candidates, attack adds... Keep the Rob Ford talk to a minimum unless it actually has to do with the municipal campaign. For dip-shit stunts, he has his own thread.

Biggest news so far IMO, though not surprising:

Quote:
Olivia Chow launches Toronto mayoral campaign
Olivia Chow launches Toronto mayoral campaign

Posted: Mar 13, 2014 10:23 AM ET| Last Updated: Mar 13, 2014 6:34 PM ET

Olivia Chow officially launched her campaign to be Toronto’s next mayor, saying that "it's time for change" in Toronto, promising to take the city in a new direction from the "failed" leadership of incumbent Rob Ford.

"We need a new mayor for a better city and I'm here to apply for the job," Chow said.

Speaking of her humble beginnings in a struggling immigrant family, Chow told the crowd in St. James Town — the neighbourhood where she grew up — that she learned not to spend what you don’t have, to work hard for what you want and how that has shaped her view of Toronto and what the city needs to thrive.
■Trinity-Spadina byelection not necessarily 2015 election preview
■Olivia Chow's bid to be Toronto's mayor: 5 key questions
■News of Olivia Chow's mayoral bid sparks big reaction

“I’ll be talking about a plan to put children at the heart of this city. A plan to strengthen our small businesses to promote jobs and prosperity, a plan to get people moving faster now, not in 20 years from now and we will do all these things while minding the public purse – responsibly,” she said.

Chow praised the public schools, libraries and parks as especially important to those “growing up in a poor neighbourhood” like she did.

She then went on the attack against Ford.

'Current mayor failing at his job'

“In the last four years we have paid more and more and got less and less. We are paying more to take the TTC, but we’re waiting longer for buses and packed into them like sardines," Chow said, also speaking of the unemployment rate and the vulnerable younger generation.

Although Chow made no direct mention of Ford's admission that he smoked crack cocaine and bought illegal drugs while mayor, nor his videotaped booze-fuelled rants, she emphasized how disappointing he has been and how he is not someone who could ever be a role model for children.

“The current mayor’s disappointing leadership has let us down over and over again. He has failed to make the critical investments our city needs to stay competitive … the current mayor is failing at his job and he is no role model for my granddaughters,” she said.

The major candidates that have declared their intention to run for mayor have so far been right-leaning, fiscal conservatives. Chow, a notable New Democrat, has already tried to contrast comments about left-wing overspending her rivals have spoken about.

Chow, appearing on CBC News Network later Thursday afternoon, noted she was on the city's budget committee, under then-mayor Mel Lastman, for five years, during which time the books were balanced.

"It's important to have a balanced budget, and I've done that with my five years on the budget team," said Chow.

Chow also pointed to her family's financial struggles when she was growing up — when her mother, who was a teacher in Hong Kong, worked as a maid and laundry worker upon arriving in Toronto because there were no jobs.

"We really didn't have much. We worked hard and we struggled. And we saved every single penny," said Chow.

TTC promises

On transit, an often polarizing topic in Toronto, Chow has backed light rail instead of a subway in Scarborough, and has said a downtown relief line needs to be built — but when is a question of funding and timing.

Chow has said her transit plans will come later. She offered no specifics and made no mention of cancelling the Scarborough subway, though she continued to tout the advantages of other plans.

An above-ground transit expansion in Scarborough would cost $1 billion less, putting less pressure on taxpayers who foot the bill, and could be built quicker, Chow told CBC News.

Chow resigned her seat in Parliament as NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina on Wednesday following confirmation Tuesday she would enter the mayoral race. Her campaign video was released Thursday morning and can be seen here.

Coun. Mike Layton and Sarah Layton, the children of her late husband, former NDP leader Jack Layton, were in attendance along with Sarah Layton’s children.

Chow had previously said she was "seriously considering" a run for mayor but was waiting to make a decision. She is considered one of the frontrunners vying for the mayor's job.

Other candidates include Ford, one-time provincial Progressive Conservative Party leader and failed mayoral candidate John Tory, city councillor Karen Stintz and former councillor David Soknacki.

Since Wednesday, Chow's competition has already welcomed, debated and criticized her decision to run.

Ford said Wednesday that Chow's entrance into the race was the "best news he heard all day" and that "she makes David Miller look like a conservative."

Ford has said he's not concerned about the new high-profile candidate, saying his re-election support is strong despite the string of scandals he's faced over the past 10 months.

Chow’s late husband Jack Layton was elected to Toronto city council in 1982 and had a failed mayoral bid in 1991.

Municipal elections will be held across Ontario on Oct. 27.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toront...aign-1.2570884
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 3:13 AM
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Last edited by shreddog; Mar 14, 2014 at 5:40 AM. Reason: more than ON - oh really??
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  #3  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 3:17 AM
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This thread belongs in the Ontario section.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 3:18 AM
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Are there any other provinces with municipal elections in 2014?

Olivia Chow would make a fine mayor for Toronto. She embodies the image of Toronto far more than Rob Ford and his ilk do.
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  #5  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 3:31 AM
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It's not just Ontario..... Manitoba, BC, PEI, and parts of Saskatchewan, NWT and Nunavut also have municipal elections this year
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 5:10 AM
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Whoops! I was under the impression that municipal elections were only going on in Ontario.
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  #7  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 5:25 AM
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We can be sure 95% of this thread will be dedicated to Ontario's elections, however.
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 5:25 AM
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Any challengers for Gregor in Vancouver?

I noticed that an amalgamation referendum is happening in Victoria... always thought there were a lot of municipalities (13) there for the size of the city (360,000 in the Capital Region District)
http://amalgamationyes.ca/
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  #9  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 6:09 AM
Allan83 Allan83 is offline
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I’ve seen a couple of interviews with Olivia Chow recently and she doesn’t seem all that strong, or dare I say very bright. If she becomes the left wing candidate I fear that another right winger will win. Surely Ford couldn’t win again, could he?
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 6:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan83 View Post
I’ve seen a couple of interviews with Olivia Chow recently and she doesn’t seem all that strong, or dare I say very bright. If she becomes the left wing candidate I fear that another right winger will win. Surely Ford couldn’t win again, could he?
Well, John Tory's running too. He may not be left wing, but I think at this point I'd take anyone with some semblance of dignity.

Though in all likelihood, they'll cannibalize each others votes. This election isn't going to be about left-right, it's going to be about who can replace Rob Ford. And I'm afraid thats going to get Ford re-elected.
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  #11  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 6:38 AM
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Well, John Tory's running too. He may not be left wing, but I think at this point I'd take anyone with some semblance of dignity.

Though in all likelihood, they'll cannibalize each others votes and let Ford win the race with his 30% share of the vote.
Oh dear.
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  #12  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 7:01 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by waterloowarrior View Post
Any challengers for Gregor in Vancouver?

I noticed that an amalgamation referendum is happening in Victoria... always thought there were a lot of municipalities (13) there for the size of the city (360,000 in the Capital Region District)
http://amalgamationyes.ca/
Please God.

Gregor Robertson and his band of merry green idiots in Vision Vancouver are the worst thing to happen to the city in a long time. Inappropriate spot rezonings, willfully ignoring the wishes of neighbourhoods and accelerrating the slide of Vancouver into unaffordable resort city.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 10:11 AM
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I honestly don't know what to think of the mess in Toronto. Ford is an embarrassment, but he has effectively managed city coffers, has he not? Or is that just misinformation?

The general impression of him here seems to be that he's a racist, sexist, hick, uncultured drug addict but one who knows how to get a city in the black.

I wouldn't be traumatized if he was re-elected.

As for Olivia Chow... I'm very socially liberal and I can never decide whether its better to have that represented at municipal, provincial, or federal level. It always comes with wasted spending as a result of Canada's political party dynamics, so where do you want that waste to go?

She'd definitely be a high-profile mayor. She doesn't have the qualifications or the cool of Calgary's Nenshi, but she's worthy of being Toronto's Mayor at least.

And the rest, I don't know. Although, Ayreonaut did point out to us in exhaustion one day that CBC interviewed a couple of the unknown candidates and presented it as national news.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 12:11 PM
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Incumbent Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz is third in polls. Lots of allegations on conflicts of interest during his last term
http://globalnews.ca/news/1139076/po...-in-city-hall/
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 1:16 PM
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In Hamilton our current Mayor just announced he's not running for re-election. Instead he's running for MP with the Liberals.

So basically the two main candidates are progressive leaders, McHattie and Eisenberger. Both strong LRT supports.

Eisenberger was Mayor before Bratina but lost mostly because of the stadium debate, he wanted it on West Harbour.
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  #16  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 1:29 PM
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Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker View Post
I honestly don't know what to think of the mess in Toronto. Ford is an embarrassment, but he has effectively managed city coffers, has he not? Or is that just misinformation?
MISINFORMATION. He's successfully positioned himself for many people as the money-smart fiscal manager, but he's actually been a massive financial disaster for the city, cutting revenue sources, incurring contract-cancellation penalties, and killing a fully-funded transit plan that would have brought rail service to most of the city, in favour of a tiny subway stub that will serve the fewest possible people for the most money, creating a tax and debt burden that Torontonians will be paying off for at least 30 more years in exchange for barely improved service.

He has the economic intelligence of an infant.

Relative to what he's cost the city, his savings have mostly been symbolic peanuts--a few million from councillors' budgets, eliminating City Hall's plant watering, a few million from contracting out garbage collection to the private sector. He's cost the city hundreds of millions more than he's saved. He is awful.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 1:37 PM
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Damn it. I was afraid of that.

Well, thanks for the correction/additional info.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 1:41 PM
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Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker View Post
Damn it. I was afraid of that.

Well, thanks for the correction/additional info.
It's a common perception because he's been so good at branding himself as the money-smart candidate. You'll find loads of people, even Torontonians, who will tell you they like him because he "saves the city money." So you're not alone...
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 2:00 PM
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YAY!!!
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2014, 2:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theman23 View Post
Well, John Tory's running too. He may not be left wing, but I think at this point I'd take anyone with some semblance of dignity.

Though in all likelihood, they'll cannibalize each others votes. This election isn't going to be about left-right, it's going to be about who can replace Rob Ford. And I'm afraid thats going to get Ford re-elected.

I personally don't see Ford getting more than 15-20% of the vote. His base has eroded hugely, despite the constant media attention.

My choice for the election so far is actually Socknacki. I have a faint hope that his platform will gain traction. Of course when it comes down to it I will probably vote for whoever has the best chance of defeating Ford. Unlike last election we actually have some decent candidates. Smitherman is a terrible, terrible person and knowing what I know now, I'm actually somewhat glad he lost in 2010.
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