Morning Brew: September 3rd, 2008

I am assuming the landlords (for the most part large corperations) will recieve large tax insentives.

I love how despite being a cash-strapped city we can still afford to pay for the mayor's pet projects when we are starving other more important environmental initiatives of cash. How about keeping parking available at TTC lots and refurbishing TTC stations?

no?

"I am assuming the landlords (for the most part large corperations) will recieve large tax insentives."

I'm sure they'll find a way to take advantage of the tax incentives and still find a way to avoid any sort of work and maitenance on their part.

as long as there are rancid armpits on the TTC, there will be random fainting spells. my crusade against transit stank continues...

Mayor McCheese needs to allot that apartment money into getting more inspectors out there and also into more rigorous prosecution and fining of slumlords.

so long McCabe, may you be the last of the shoulda been Leaf superstars. yeah right. Kathryn Humphreys had it right when she said that McCabe sat out part of last season with a sore uterus (ouch!).

I'm always surprised to see how many cyclists are riding around without a helmet on downtown. I'm not sure whether most are suffering from some kind of invulnerability complex, but all it takes is one spill and a knock to the head to kill you or turn you into a vegetable.

Forget the fact that it's all too easy to get hit by a car. I'll go without the brain damage, thanks.

@Adam: There are US states where it's not legally required to wear a helmet on a motorcycle. So, people don't! Yay for natural selection.

Helmets are good. But it amazes me how many cyclists wear helmets but still listen to iPods while riding -- or who ride at night with a helmet but no reflectors or lights (or a red light on the FRONT of a bike).

Regarding kids with helmets -- great idea. But this summer I saw a kid in an Annex playground whose parents had decked him out in a helmet, shin pads, elbow pads AND sunglasses --- just for playing on the swings/monkey bars.

Where should the line be drawn?

What a joke. This city seriously needs better underground transportation-both in speed and size. New York City is currently building the 2nd Avenue line. Enough of the NIMBY syndrome here in Toronto and all the bullshit bureaucracy. You can cross the city north to south on an express train without stopping at every station. Who ever thought of that? No more glamorized streetcars.

I live right in between Dupont and Spadina north station and alternate between the both, and those stations are SUFFOCATINGLY hot, even when its cold and dank outside. When it's hot outside? Forget about it.

I think you guys commenting on Miller's highrise retrofit scheme missed this most important part: It's not costing the city a cent. They've reorganized the deck chairs, so to speak, so all the same staff who were working in this area before are now working together. All the building/development costs are borne by the property owner and they obviously aren't going to be eligible for the only municipal development incentive that exists, which is exclusively for economic development.

Jerrold, your comment about the executive committee is misleading. The committee was entirely supportive of the new city manager. Councillors who are NOT on the committee went to shit disturb.

My apologies. I didn't mean to be misleading. From the linked article, it wasn't clear to me that reticence was coming from non-executive councilors at the executive meeting. I assumed that only execs were at the exec meeting (and didn't realize that other councilors were also present).

I've edited the post to reflect this.

Ratpick: I guess the line should be drawn on judging a law based on one instance of overparenting.

Obviously Giambrone and Miller have never taken a ride on the Eglinton bus, otherwise their opinions would be different. But hey, you can't blame people that don't know any better.
They should ask their limo driver to take a detour on Eglinton next time they head to city hall.

Thanks, Jerrold. Though really it wasn't a debate about elected vs. appointed. No one says the city manager should be elected. It's Miller's contention that a city staffer, even the most senior, should not be subject to a public job interview. The right-wing wanted to grill the new guy and score political points, even though they're all on the record saying Pennachetti is a very qualified candidate.

Mango: I ride the Eglinton bus and I know the overcrowding sucks and running the bus in mixed traffic is a killer. Clearly rapid transit is required for Eglinton. But do you want to make a decision on what type of rapid transit is needed based on your gut reaction or the professional analysis of engineers and planners based on facts? I'm going to choose the latter.

@ Danielle

Me too! Good Little area there.

Anyone who wants to ride the TTC for free head to Dupont station, half the time the collector is either asleep or not even there. I love the little "Please deposit fare" signs they leave in the window while they're MIA.

Me three. I was at Dupont that morning too...thankfully i'm still alive.

I saw some kids (teens) playing on the tracks at dundas west the other day. I figured security would be down there in 30 seconds, but nada, so yeah, open season on the ttc.

@ Ratpick

It may be overcautious parents, but consider the possibility that this child has ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpurea... I know, a mouthful). Some children with ITP are at risk of brain hemorrhaging, or other serious bleeding situations if they so much as bump their heads. In an acute case, it would be prudent for such a child to wear a helmet in a playground. I'm sure there are other conditions that I'm not aware of that would require protection from falls, etc. Sure, these are rare situations, but maybe it would be best not to jump to conclusions. Parents get judged enough as it is (and in my experience, the most outspoken judges are those without children... just an observation I find interesting).

@o_O:

The article says that Metrolinx analysis recommends that there should be a SUBWAY running along Eglinton, not a rapid transit line. Read the article first and if you have read it, read it again.
Perhaps YOU should get your facts straight.

Government elected official are greedy and only care about keeping their jobs while they give themselves raises and tax the hell out of us to do so.
Miller does not know what is best for this city. He is too busy kissing Union ass. The first three things that should be on a politicians agenda are education, health care, and PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.