blogTO | Posts by greg

Election 2008: Shopping the Party Environmental Platforms

Greg Davis — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:24:22 PDT

With the federal election just four days away, I hope voters are considering the environmental platforms of each party. Such issues have taken a backseat in the last few weeks given the international economic turmoil. But as Andrew Coyne points out, things in Canada might not be so bad, so let's not forget the other election issues.

Adding to my review of plans by the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, and Greens, a brief comparison is in order.

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Conservative Environmental Platform: Skimpy

Greg Davis — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:33:02 PDT

Harper's Conservatives announced yesterday in Toronto their highly anticipated (waiting until the last week of an election will have that effect) party platform.

But for our purposes, now is the chance to review the environmental component of their platform, as done for the Liberals, NDP, and Greens.

I'm admittedly sympathetic to (small-c) conservative policy, but what the Conservatives have released as their environmental plan cannot possibly avoid being labeled "skimpy". Under the heading "Ensuring Health and Environmental Well-Being", there are only four sub-points dealing with environmental issues, so it won't take too long to break it down here:

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Green Party Ready to Pitch Platform

Greg Davis — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:10:24 PDT

The Green Party, headed by outspoken leader Elizabeth May, is gearing up this week to take part in its first ever federal election debates tonight and Thursday.

In previous posts, I've highlighted the environmental platforms of the Liberals and NDP parties. I guess just the Green Party is left (that's a dig at the Conservatives, who still haven't released their platform).

Obviously the Green Party continues to make environmental issues the backbone of their campaign. In fact, their environmental objectives are so comprehensive that it's hard to find a decent dissection in the mainstream media. So let's break it down here:

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NDP Senses Changing Environment in the Polls

Greg Davis — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:18:08 PDT

*Note: Post was edited Monday morning in light of details released in written platform.

As NDP leader Jack Layton is set to officially unveil his party's program here in Toronto today, what better time to take a look at the environmental platform?

It appears that Dion is worried about growing NDP support in Toronto and will be heading to Toronto as well to compete for support in this important battleground. Last week I took a look at the Liberal Green Shift and this week we'll see how the NDP plan stacks up.

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'Tis the Season for Grass-Fed Beef

Greg Davis — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:56:47 PDT

Unbeknownst to most, the next few weeks present the best time of year to get your hands on grass-fed beef. That is, meat from animals fed a proper, natural diet.

The arrival of fall means that pasture-raised animals have had all summer to fill up on grassy goodness and are prime for keeping us well-fed over the winter months. You won't find the stuff at your average grocery store or butcher though. In fact, asking for grass-fed beef in these locations tends to illicit blank stares. But a little research reveals some great sources in the Toronto area.

If grass-fed isn't on your meat buying radar, read on and it just might change the way you think about premium meat. And if your butcher hasn't heard of grass-fed meats, well, send him here too (and/or find a new one).

Okay... back up. What are cows usually fed? Well, with the advent of factory farming in North America, we've switched them on to a diet of grain because it's cheap and it fattens them up quickly. So practically any meat you buy in the area, unless otherwise stated, is "grain-fed". It's the cheapest thing you could possibly feed an animal and brings them up to slaughter weight abnormally fast. Farmers don't have to let the animals graze on grassland pastures; they can just pile them into stalls where they have nothing to do but stuff their faces with grain feed.

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Green Shifting Doesn't Have to Make Your Head Spin

Greg Davis — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:05:22 PDT

Since Liberal leader Stephane Dion was apparently downplaying his party's Green Shift plan by not mentioning it when speaking recently in Toronto, and then avoiding it again when visiting Western farmers, I figured a highlighting of said plan is in order.

When asked about the centrality of the Green Shift to the Liberal platform, he was quoted as saying "You have said it was, but never me." That's a bit confusing, but perhaps an understandable statement given in the context of announcing big handouts to farmers (who are worried about being hit financially from the plan).

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TTC: Give Us A Route Planner

Greg Davis — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:15:20 PDT

Okay... I've agreed with too many people lately on this point: it is ridiculous that the TTC does not offer some sort of route planner tool on their website. You know... go to a website, punch in where you are, where you want to go, and tell me how to get there.

They have just approved $9.9 million to be spent on a satellite system to give travelers an accurate update on for arrival times. GPS data will be relayed to bus and subway stations to let you know precisely when to expect your ride.

That's great. But someone please give me a good reason for not making a trip planner a priority. Although they have recently unveiled their new website, a trip planner is still M.I.A.

How many times have you had to download the huge PDF version of the system map, zooming in with your fingers crossed that your computer doesn't hang up, so that you can try to plot out a decent route to get somewhere? An automated trip or route planner seems like such an easy way to drastically improve service.

There is the TTC phone hotline but believe me, you won't get much help there. Call expecting someone to tell you how to get from point A to point B - they're about as helpful as a candy store is to a diabetic.

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Metrolinx Transit Plan Unveiled

Greg Davis — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:13:19 PDT

Details of a massive plan for the future of public transit in the GTA have finally been unveiled to the media. A report surfaced today pegging the required budget at $55 billion. Now that is if all the recommendations in the plan were to actually go ahead (unlikely). Expect this to blow up into a huge issue around who should be responsible for funding it. Timely, given the talk about an impending federal election.

Back in July we reported that Metrolinx had again delayed this same plan after it was originally scheduled to come out in the spring. This is the organization otherwise known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, and this highly anticipated "master plan" is the culmination of a lot of hoopla over the benefits of making transit plans for the whole region rather than each municipality acting independently.

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Oil & Spice on Queen

Greg Davis — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:54:39 PDT

Spending time at high end oil or spice shops might not be the mandate of a typical graduate student, but I managed to find some real value while venturing inside two of Queen Street West's finer food retail shops.

The addition of The Olive Pit and The Spice Trader to our grocery section brings an inside look to two somewhat related specialty shops. They are located on top of each other (owned by the same family) and both play to the old adage "you get what you pay for".

Waste Costs (You?)

Greg Davis — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:45:38 PDT

The City-wide roll out of the new garbage bins is now just about complete but that is not the end of changes to our collection system.

A recent article has drawn attention to a call for "welfare for waste" to create better ways to eliminate special waste items. Apparently as of November 1, the city is set to implement a unique recycling program for the bulky items no one is quite sure what do with, save putting them out for local treasure hunters or otherwise going in with the garbage. City solid waste manager Geoff Rathbone is quoted as saying even though for many of these types of items the City has no idea how exactly they will be recycled, they are going to "just jump in" and figure it out as they go along. We're talking about big items such as mattresses, carpets, and furniture.

I was pretty surprised to hear the City talking about a program that doesn't seem to be announced yet. Details are missing from the City Garbage website. It still just simply says "..place bulky items (furniture) out on your regular garbage collection day." Of course if the biggest items could be recycled instead of thrown in a landfill, there would be huge potential to reduce our waste burden (environmental and cost).

November 1st happens to be the same day users will start paying for the new trash bins. Forking over cash directly to deal with waste will be a new concept for Torontonians might have to get used to. Fees are set to be levied on manufacturers of electronics in the province starting next spring, ranging from $5 to $15 depending on the type of item, to pay for proper recycling (about time!).

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Metrolinx Delays Transit Plan. Again.

Greg Davis — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:50:29 PDT

What ever happened to the talk of a new approach to transit planning that takes into account the whole GTA region?

A report due this summer was expected to kickstart implementation of a plan. Unfortunately it has been delayed until the Fall. Delays happen, but this wasn't the first time, as it was originally expected in the Spring. July 25th was the second scheduled date the "Regional Transportation Plan" was to have been provided to the Metrolinx board. Now it's moved back to September 26th this year.

Metrolinx, (otherwise known as the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority) is the public authority set up to oversee the new approach to regional transit planning. Not surprisingly, it's been reported that the major holdup is due to reviewing of the funding aspect of the plan.

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2008 Record Summer Rain

Greg Davis — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:01:20 PDT

Photo: StarbuckGuy's photostream

Last night's storm brought the City closer to a new record high summer rainfall. We're now certain to surge past the 28-year old record of 1980 with rain in the forecast through to the weekend.

The previous record for the months of June and July was 271.5 mm. Surpassing this level, we are well above average rainfall levels for the region (last year over the whole summer we had 88 mm). Interestingly, back in 1980 a good chunk of the rainfall was in the last week of July!

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What Was Grappa Thinking?

Greg Davis — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:14:16 PDT

As a resident of Little Italy, I just have to ask: what is a fine Italian dining location like Grappa thinking putting this eyesore of an advertisement on their storefront?

This Yellowpages zeppelin of an ad showed up a few weeks ago and leaves me scratching my head. How did Yellowpages possibly pitch this idea? They better be offering some serious compensation.

Fingers crossed that this is not part of a wider campaign to hit more spots in the city.

The Green Majority - Broader Local Environmental News

Greg Davis — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:50:00 PDT

As the name implies, The Green Majority radio show aims to bridge the gap between polls that show Canadians want action on environmental issues and the political barriers to that happening. It's the "nation's first and only all-environmental newshour" and it airs live from here in Toronto at CIUT 89.5.

The show is produced and hosted by Jordan Poppenk, a UofT PhD Pyschology student who has been working on it in his spare time since 2005. He thinks his show is unique in that it "de-regionalizes" national environmental news by bringing to light stories from small communities you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to in the mainstream media. While each show covers Canadian and national headlines, there are also two 15-minute segments of "non-condensed" feature content, usually with an expert on an issue.

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Building An Eco-Modern Home

Greg Davis — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:51:08 PDT

Take a good look because this house at 360 Winnett Avenue is about to be demolished in favor of a new "Eco-Modern" house to be built in its place.

Jeremy Bell and his wife have embarked upon quite a project- to document their experience designing and constructing a brand new home on the lot they have lived in for the last five years. They have set up a blog with the aim of sharing the details involved in choosing to build an eco-friendly home over simply buying something new.

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