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Morning Brew: Ford calls for resignation of TCHC members, McGuinty refuses Toronto's request for financial aid, police recover $150,000 worth of vacuum cleaners, it's gonna be a cold spring, and the Leafs have a quiet deadline day
Well, the report was scathing all right. Mayor Rob Ford called for the resignation of members of the Toronto Community Housing Corp. board on Monday, hours after the city's auditor-general, Jeffrey Griffiths, blasted the housing agency for wasting millions in untendered contracts and lavish employee expenses, including: a $40,000 Christmas staff dinner, $1,000 for Holt Renfrew chocolates, $5,000 given to one staffer without documentation of how it was spent; $800 for massages at a staff picnic. The TCHC is one of North America's largest landlords, housing about 164,000 tenants in a $6 billion housing portfolio.
The Ontario government has shot down Rob Ford's request for $350-million in financial aid for Toronto. Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday the province is running a record deficit, forecast to hit $18.7-billion this fiscal year, after borrowing money to help stimulate the economy and bail out the auto sector during the recent global recession. So Toronto will have to "chart [its] own course."
Here's something to warm you up.The Riverdale community is rallying behind a loved corner store that's been frequently targeted by thieves. Since taking over the convenience store on Logan Avenue two and a half years ago, Paul and Juliet Kim have suffered four robberies, each one more brutal than the last. The most recent one landed Mr. Kim in the hospital with multiple stab wounds. He was released Monday to find a sign taped to the store door: "You are kind and valuable members of the community and our thoughts are with you at this difficult time. We wish Paul a speedy recovery -- The Withrow/Riverdale Community." It was signed by hundreds of locals, who also raised $900 for the Kims.
Maybe someone had a severe case of OCD. Or maybe they were for a very large, dirty house. Whatever the case may be, police recovered $150,000 worth of vacuum cleaners in a stolen transport trailer. Police have charged 4 people with the incident.
IN BRIEF:
- Leafs trade Mitchell for 7th round pick in 2012
- Groundhog Schmoundhog: Environment Canada says expect colder spring
- Agent Orange was widely used in Ontario
Photo by Bruvyman in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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we should hold him to the same standard of
performance as he is trying with the TCHC.
Unfortunately, the board is appointed and
he is elected. Maybe it time for a non-
confidence plebiscite about the mayor or
some other recall device.
Everything Ford has done, so far, is
contradictory and slavishly cleaving to his
platform which is unworkable.
How people voted for him is beyond me.
You should hear how strongly he is being
defended at CFRB. That station has been
torpedoing its own credibility for a long time.
Boo Democracy!
Nothing wrong with hating Ford but man, some people never give it a rest.
Would you rather he didn't ask and just raise property taxes?
I was hoping the TCHC will get nailed to the wall but with people talking more about every little thing Ford does I'm being increasingly disappointed with what's getting more attention.
And secondly yes, I would pay yet another increase in property taxes before having the city go crying to daddy for help.
But hey, that's just me...
I agree with him. I'd like the heads of TCHC to resign... Followed by Ford.
I didn't know there was a macho aspect to municipal politics.
Do you yell "pussy" when people say the TTC should receive more provincial funding or talk about Transit City?
So really your comparison doesn't work. And, are you saying that you think the abolishing of the car tax was a good thing? I own a car because I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford it and even I think that the tax should have stayed put.
Also - transit city would have been brilliant and would have reduced the need for people in the suburbs to have a car to get to their downtown jobs, so I'm in full support of it and always was. So no, I don't yell pussy (of course I would never put it that way in the first place)...
The 'jobs for life' firstly came from Mel Lastman
And what 'entitlements' are you talking about, I here this phrase yet little to support it.
I don't get why people are so set against any kind of tax increase around Toronto. I was in Burlington at my parents house recently and the newspaper reported that city council was making the tax hike a minimum of 2.5% (up to 3.5%) and that Halton had already approved a 1.4% tax hike. That's considering we've always had to pay for pools, rinks, day camps, etc., while the garbage is contracted out, snow removal is both contracted out (mainly to local farmers) and done in house by the city, and road maintenance is contracted out (with work that takes 2-4 days instead of 1). That hike is an extra $15 per $100k of house - that's not that much in the end considering how much money it infuses the coffers with. It's the same story in Waterloo where I also live part of the year for school (plus they have water increases).
I guess it always takes an experiment for people to figure out a millionaire who just yells at people and got where he was because of daddy is a bad choice for mayor.
Yes Public housing needs more money but if the employees feel burnt out, stressed and under appreciated do you think they will care more about that hoarder that someone tells them about? Treat your employees well and they will do a better job for you.
I never equated a house to a car actually but making up budget shortfall by taxing some people (who can afford it) as opposed to all people (who can also afford it), just because they own a car.
Yes I think abolishing the PVT was a good thing. It was not allocated for road infrastructure or earmarked for public transit or even environmental reasons. Why tax car owners specifically because Toronto has a general budget shortfall?
Not all car owners are wealthy, some need it because transit isn't sufficient for their lives. Believe or not transit city isn't the saviour that's going to obsolete cars. The suburbs are beyond the proposed lines.
I even remember the first adverts for TC and thinking none of these are gonna help anyone I know.
You wouldn't put it that way, you put it as "having the city go crying to daddy for help". I'm curious, did you having these sentiments when Miller did the same thing?
As for Miller asking for money from the province, yes I felt the exact same way then. I didn't advocate most of his actions, truthfully. That said, I did feel that he at least understood the needs of the city as a whole (not just the suburbs, or vice-versa) and had some sort of balance in that regard.