Toronto Through the Eyes of Adam Vaughan
Toronto's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie, stares down at Adam Vaughan whenever the Councillor for Trinity-Spadina works in his sunny City Hall office. Like the never-say-die reformer, Vaughan seems uncomfortable in the trappings of political office, and reluctant to let go of his reporter's training - a neat row of black notebooks lines one side of his desk, the dates of use neatly scribbled in silver on the front.
There's only one reason why Vaughan chose politics - he's hopelessly, romantically and unapologetically in love with Toronto. I met up with the long-time Queen & Bathurst resident to get the dirt on his love affair.
Tell me what it was like growing up in Toronto?
I grew up in a really magical little neighborhood. At a time when a lot of middle-class families were leaving the downtown my parents chose a house in Wychwood Park. Back then it was largely university professors, not that different from the Annex.
So I grew up in a ravine with a pond and played hockey on the ice in the winter like every other kid in the Prairies probably. I was surrounded by nature, and beautiful architecture and in a family that was really engaged in building cities. My Dad was an architect, my mother was part of the neighborhood association and they were really engaged in things like the anti-expressway fight. I was really amazed by it all - as much fun as anything else in my life was going to the rallies and listening to the speeches and working on political campaigns.
When you think of Toronto, what three words come to mind?
Neighborhoods. Art. Young; the best parts of Toronto still haven't been built in some ways.
What's your favourite building in the City?
City Hall. It's an extraordinarily beautiful building. It's not been kept well, it badly needs almost a curator to sustain it's heritage components but the sense of adventure that it speaks to back in the sixties, what modernity means to a city in terms of the fact that it still looks like a space-age building in a space-age time...
The detailing in the building is just phenomenal, the front doors... the curved wood banisters... Everything from the marble floors to the metal cladding in the elevators, there are so many elements of this building that are just so precisely, wonderfully rendered and detailed. And there's parts of it which I wish the public could see more of, like the roof patio on the East Tower has a great view of the downtown.
How do you get around the city?
I'll walk to work or take the streetcar, when it's warmer I start to cycle because it's the fastest way around the Ward. I do drive the odd time to pick up my daughter.
What do you do in the city after dark?
Sleep usually if I'm lucky. But I like the boulevard life; it's the small bars, the small restaurants, the small sort of events that happen. Being on the street late at night in Toronto especially when you get into the market, or along Queen Street or along Bloor Street, it's just these little sweet spots that you find.
If you could tell your fellow councillors to do one thing right now, what would it be?
When you hear some of the people stand up on the floor of Council, I don't think they actually love Toronto. And I think that's a problem. You couldn't get elected in the States if you didn't love the jurisdiction in which you're running. And somehow we've allowed it to become a civic pastime; we just run the city down all the time... For council, that would be the one thing: it's to fall in love with the city all over again on a romantic level, not on a patriotic level, on a romantic level.
The part about this city that's easiest to love is that all of our social advancements have led to economic booms. When we stopped harassing immigrants from Italy hanging out on College Street and allowed them to have cafés a whole new way of providing food and celebrating our street culture came to life. When Caribana was allowed to birth itself on our city streets and celebrate the diversity of our Caribbean community a whole new economic model emerged out of nowhere. PRIDE and same sex marriage - the little chapel at City Hall has probably performed more same sex marriages than any other chapel in the world.
Do you have a favourite place to eat in the City?
Yeah, at home.
Describe how you would spend an ideal Sunday afternoon in Toronto?
Boom! OK. Well I have a five-year-old and an eleven-year-old, so it would start with Clafouti, some croissants and espresso, time in the Park, probably walk along Queen Street and the galleries, lunch at Chippys. And then it would be back home, read have a bit of dinner, maybe stopping by the market to pick up the food. A movie and a drink at night--and away you go.
How do you find out what's going on in the city?
If you stop and listen to the lived experience of people in the city you'll find out what the problems are very quickly and you'll also find out where the potential solutions lie.
What's the one place in Toronto that people should know about?
It's Alexandra Park. It's a neighborhood just south of Kensington Market. We all wonder what downtown neighborhoods without cars would look like and this is one of them. It's a housing project and a co-op that's had a bit of a struggle. But when you walk through Alex Park and you see kids of all the different backgrounds playing together and having fun... and you look at the potential that lies inside a neighborhood like this with such a strong sense of community and some really engaged activists and kids that are doing great in school... Alexandra Park is going to create a road map for the new economy that is going to have to emerge out of the current crisis. I think Alex Park is about to really blossom and it's a place that everyone in the city should walk through and get to understand.
Where do you go for inspiration?
One of my favorite things to do is to take my five-year-old and my eleven-year-old to the AGO and see who can walk through the quickest. It's like a cathedral for inspiration, it's a wonderful building, a wonderful collection and a wonderful place to go with kids because they look at it with fresh eyes every time.
What about the Greater Toronto Area, what's your favourite spot?
Never been there. With no apology and without the slightest bit of shame, I am a Torontonian and the GTA is the rest of Canada. The reality is that there's Toronto and there's the rest of Canada and I don't mean to offend anyone, but I won't apologize for this city, I like it too much.
Comments (43)
While he is free to cast aspersions over other councilors who don't 'love Toronto' (why? because they don't have his belief in what Toronto is?), I don't think he 'gets it.'
How can one judge Toronto's failures or successes if they never go beyond St. Clair? Toronto is NOT the Center of the Universe. It is that myopic view of the city that is destroying it. The city is far more than just the Annex, or bragging about riding one's bicycle.
His contempt for the GTA is frightening, frankly, and that is what is wrong with this city. Expressways, after all, bring those nasty suburbanites down to 'our' turf.
Sad, very sad.
I agree. As much as I love Toronto and, yes, live in "The GTA," Toronto is not an island. Well, except for Toronto Island. The development of the GTA affects Toronto, and vice versa. We have to be aware of that.
Agreed. I agree with Vaughan on most policy issues, and I more or less share his vision for the future of the city, but I still thinking he's a grandstanding showboater who's either uninterested in or maybe just incapable of engaging with opposing views.
That comment "there's Toronto and there's the rest of Canada" is ridiculous. Are Toronto and the rest of the country at loggerheads? If they are it's because of attitudes like this.
(And I've lived from Vancouver to Montreal and many points in between. Toronto's the best place I've ever lived. But there's still a hell of a lot outside these borders. Jesus.)
What a disengaged and archaic viewpoint he has. With a group like-minded individuals lording over the city (Kyle Rae is another great example), it explains why, for me, and others I know, Toronto's feeling of dynamism has been depleted over the past few years. The cause of the day at city hall appears to be to design the city so the talk-radio crowd wont be offended by anything. It's a much better place when they are offended by everything.
And once again, Councillor Vaughan has embarassed the residents of The City of Toronto. Thankfully, we are not all as ignorant as he.
The comment about the GTA really illustrates the myopic view that's developed amongst a certain group of Toronto politicians.
The relationship between the suburbs and the city is symbiotic, you can't be ignorant of your partner in such a relationship. Here, Vaughan seems to exult in his ignorance. Why would you take pride in not knowing about your closest neighbour?
I've lived downtown for most of my life, but I've also lived in the suburbs. There are so many trivial disputes and petty squabbles that could be avoided if both sides recognized their mutual self-interest. Instead we have this two-way provincialism where each pretends the other doesn't exist or is unimportant.
Vaughan would do well to visit the city-at-large. He's my councillor, and I don't feel like he has a comprehensive view of this city, just the parts of it he likes. We need councillors who are interested in the big picture, not just what they see out their windows.
I DESPISE THE LITTLE FIGHTS HE PICKS WITH EASY TARGETS TO TRY AND MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF
LIKE CHARGING A TAX ON BARS THAT HAVE A LINE-UP TO GET IN AND ARE USING CITY PROPERTY
KNOWN AS "THE SIDEWALK" - ANOTHER CITYOT THAT WANTS TO PUNISH WELL RUN POPULAR BUSINESS'S THAT MAKE T.O EXCITING
It's clearly obvious that Vaughan's Toronto begin's and end's east of Bathurst, south of St.Clair, west of Yonge. He mention's that he had prof's and activists running around, making HIS world a better place. Another post mentions that his view is myopic, i'm going to go a bit further and say racially myopic.
Clearly, the influx of immigrants and working class people never shaped Vaughan life. His highlight was watching activist and profs destroy a freeway that would affect them, was that a fight for Toronto? of course not, but those smooth profs and activists sure know how to spin a story. Meanwhile, most Torontonians, inlcuding my granparents, were busy working in the industrial parts of toronto and surving, eventually dying due to the working conditions. Were was Vaughan and his acitivists during then?
Vaughan only mentions the benefits of multiculturalism when it benefits his area. pride: check, caribana: check, immigrants establishing themselves: check anything else you wanna take credit for Vaughan?
Also, I'm sure the last thing we want to tell Ottawa and the rest of Canada: "The reality is that there's Toronto and there's the rest of Canada" Then we get a useless mayor and his sheep crying that we get no funding and respect, well now i know why other Canadians dispise this city and its residents.
Vaughan, you're scum and a greasy politician. you're "romantic" view of Toronto is but romantic.
Also, SHAME on BlogTo for publishing this rubbish and painting toronto with the arrogrant and ignorant brush.
haha, vaughan your the worst, i cant wait for the day till we actually have council members who have fresh ideas and don't spend their days pandering votes. seriously can someone point me in the direction of a new council member whos doing something exciting?
i certainly don't know any in south toronto.
What could have been a love-story interview re: Toronto, just sounds embarrassing and pedantic. I grew up in an area considered the city of Toronto (but it always felt like the GTA to us), currently live in Toronto, and have always loved Toronto, but I'm certainly not an ass about it, nor do I even deign to consider it the centre of everything. You can be dedicated to your city without denigrating the other (few) hardworking civic servants at City Hall. You should be sorry/ apologetic.
AV is a liar (about his past), a cheat (personally and politically), a narcissist (all-in-all) and has, somehow, managed to seduce this interviewer as he has so many others. (Ask ANY campaign or City Hall staff who've fallen by the way-side: the man is a con, start to finish.)
Don't trust a damned thing he says about himself. Don't trust him if he stands for re-election. And for pete's sake, don't trust him with a female.
you should've asked him why he's trying to close down small patios that are apart of our quaint neighbourhoods (futures and the lab)
Wow....there's a lot of vitriol here.
Has anyone here actually heard him speak in community meetings? I have. He knows cities, how they work, and what better policies and practices can be brought in from other cities to improve Toronto for the long term.
I tend to agree with AV on most things - urban policies, working to bring neighbourhoods and developers to work together, and looking at improving areas such as Alexandra Park (while bringing young residents into the fold). He's done a lot more good than bad while he's been in office.
Way to go Taunia. You've called him a liar, a cheat, a narcissit, and implied that he's ... an adulterer? Or worse? "Don't trust him with a female." Classy.
That's a lot of completely unsubstantiated rage. Don't you think you have some responsibility to actually back even SOME of it up with a fact or two?
My god, I can't believe the comments here. Do people really think this guy is so bad!? Are you people really sure you know what you're talking about? I'm becoming very suspicious of all you people who are blaming the Mayor and Councillors for, well, absolutely everything!
Yes, a lot of people have heard him speak. So much so, that I have to comment on the rubbish he spews at every opportunity.
Second, I find it insulting that some commentators act like the people commenting against Vaughan are too ignorant and blind to the 'good' work Vaughan and other councilors have accomplished.
"He knows cities, how they work, and what better policies and practices can be brought in from other cities to improve Toronto for the long term." I was going to comment on this, but I just threw up on my keyboard.
Also, If we can't put the blame on the mayor and councilors (who, if I'm correct, are ELECTED representatives, do we blame then?)
To argue that only Vaughan and his pa
and finally, I'm more suspicious with commentators who agree with everything and question nothing!
It's not about blaming the mayor and the councillors for everything. Miller-bashing has become a blood sport in Toronto, and I agree that it's getting pretty ridiculous.
And again, I empathize with a lot of Vaughan's politics and long-term goals for the city. But I do think he's self-aggrandizing, and intolerant of points of view that aren't his own. In interviews and in person he seems like a more-virtuous-than-thou reactionary "progressive" (and I'm a leftie too, so this isn't an anti-liberal tirade) who espouses predictable maxims about the way the city should be and gets apoplectic when someone disputes them.
And as a Canadian who's lived all over this country, the quote at the end ("the reality is that there's Toronto and there's the rest of Canada") bugs me. It reeks of Centre of the Universe parochialism and it's an ugly sentiment. Maybe it's a bad or out of context transcription, but it irks the hell out of me.
Awhile back, I found myself at a town hall for the arts, and Vaughn was sat down beside me. Sitting among some recognizable Canadian actors and artists and ignored by all I was surprised when Mr. Vaughn started up a conversation with me. He spoke of a Canadian artist as if everyone was aware of him, and not wanting to look dumb, I just went with it. He definitely had not lost his storytellers touch, and in a few brief moments I'd learned some really interesting stuff.
Event handlers eventually came and moved him elsewhere, but I was struck by the exchange.
I had watched Vaughn pester local politicians on CityTV for years, and milk the "Fixing your city" segment as best he could, and he eventually won my begrudging respect for his work. Annoying sure, but I could stand him. Up close I could see how some would peg him as an intellectual snob, and between news/show-biz and politicians, and it's no doubt he's well versed in the games and drama of those worlds --
but I'm a nobody -- and in the middle of a sea of somebody's, he spoke to me passionately about something he knew a lot about. No more arrogant, or narcissistic than your average university professor really.
So I find him interesting, engaging, and can buy into his passionate opinion of the city. Nothing wrong with some good ol' Toronto boosterism for crissakes. I trust him as much as any elected official, but ultimately think that y'all should just chill the f' out.
Oh Kit, while I'll step back from commenting on Vaughn, I'm totally with you on the idea of new dynamic councillors doing new things for this city. The incumbency rate in this place (as it is in most of politics) is embarrassing, and I almost wish we had term limits.
I have respected Vaughan's work on city council and I enjoyed most of the interview but his final comment was ridiculously myopic. However, on a blog where "The best of..." seems to only exist between Lake Ontario, St. Clair, Bathurst, and the Don Valley 95% of the time, the comment fits perfectly.
Well, I guess I'm glad he's only the councillor for his Ward and that he has nothing to do with the rest of Canada, then.
I agree with those who are tired of the Miller and Councilor-bashing. Yes, there are a lot of problems in Toronto that they could make better. But there is only so much legislation they can put forth to change things. If you want to see change, citizens themselves have to step up and make the city a better place. There is such a high level of disrepect among Torontonians for the city itself. It has been a long time since I've heard anyone speak so fondly of Toronto as Vaughn has here.
We should all start loving our city again. Stop littering, be nice to our neighbours, be active and attending neighbourhood meetings. If you have a problem with the strike (and I haven't heard of a Torontonian who hasn't) then stop bashing Miller (it won't accomplish anything) and start writing to the CUPE leaders who started this whole mess. Flood them with your anger. Remember they're the ones who are getting paid obscene salaries from union loyalties while its the city workers who have to sit out in the hot sun with most of their pay withheld because the leaders thought they'd stir up some shit.
Get your priorities straight.
Wow... just wow. He had me until the end. The GTA is about 5 years away from being one giant city. I mean that in the organic sense, not the megacity sense.
Reactions on this thread are a bit wild... Mr. Vaughan seems to be down with relaxed Toronto living and connected with my view of where the city should be heading: fewer cars, more walking/bikes and sustainable neighborhoods.
Thanks for working for us, Adam.
When Adam Vaughan first ran for Ward 20, I was really pleased, thinking, here's a man who truly understands how to get things done, thanks to all his years as a political reporter at Toronto City Hall.
Now however, I find that his years living in the Wychwood enclave seems to have sadly left him predisposed towards the desires of the rich and aloof.
Not once has his office shown up at my TCHC building on the dates they were supposed to.
His desire to clean out the Entertainment Zone is plain wrong headed, and once again based only upon the desires of those people living in their lofty towers, and not the ones generating tax revenue on a daily/weekly basis.
Many of the residents here in my building remember his father, and sadly, Adam is just not cut from the same fabric at all.
I think Adam Vaughan is much better than 90% of councillors -- I'd rather have him there than a Rob Ford or one of the faceless do-nothings that you never hear about. However, I do think that he's essentially a populist. He seems progressive because he represents a mostly progressive constituency - but when they're reactionary (clubs, parking, transit priority) so is he.
How are the people in charge of this city so completely clueless? I liked a lot of what he had to say in the beginning of the interview, but how can anyone born and raised in Toronto say they've "never been to the GTA"?! Has he never taken a plane from Pearson? I was born and raised in the suburbs, and although I much prefer living in the city, this artificial "Us vs. Them / Fortress Toronto" mindset doesn't help anyone. I think a lot of the knee-jerk anti-Toronto sentiment which exists throughout the rest of the country is silly and based on nothing, but after reading this piece, you can kinda understand where some of it is coming from.
I think the problem with Vaughn, lies with some of his comments about dissenters in city council. He mentioned that he felt as if they didn't like the city and how could they be elected without loving the city. He missed the point that there is "The City" which could be council, the system, etc. and then there is the people in the the city, who are in a greater sense the city in itself. I hate "The City" but I love the people of Toronto, you can do both things, just like you can disagree with the Conservative government and still love Canada.
I still am surprised that anybody with half a brain would understand that Toronto is a part of Canada, and that perhaps the two might just be linked. Plus, how do you spend your entire life never being in the GTA? It just seems silly, is he in a contest or something?
Adam Vaughan is a decent and genuine guy. Gutsy too, to give interviews like this and have to put up with anonymous comments, some of them vindictive. Neighborhoods are indeed the one major positive that Toronto has over many other cities. I've lived also for a few years each in San Francisco, London UK and Melbourne, Australia and it's the neighborhoods that have kept me in Toronto for the last 20 years.
Yes, yes - neighborhoods, geese, beavers in the ponds, and bicycle trails all around - these are the reasons Toronto is great.
Blah, blah, blah.
If there are no jobs, if one cannot get around the city at all, if the city's services continue to degrade because there is no money, if people like Vaughan continue to pit 'us versus them' as the only response to any argument, then this city is doomed.
I have travelled extensively, and Toronto's fortunes are falling, compared to 30 years ago. Vaughan may be a fantastic Bridge partner, but if this interview is any indication of what he truly thinks - well, how 'world class' is that?
You should'nt really be calling people idiots. You don't really know him.People that call other people names have low self esteem.
Yes, and everyone that calls Hitler evil, is just suffering from a low self-worth. Brilliant comment.
I use to like Adam Vaughan, but not anymore. I live in the Annex and manage a club in the Entertainment District. Toronto has worked very hard to have a fantastic night life. I think that we have a great one, and next to London and New York, I believe that we rank number three in theatre plays in the world.
Just because Adam Vaughan was brought up in Toronto, was a reporter and his father was a councilor for City of Toronto, does not mean he understands the mechanics of Toronto.
AV wanted to gate the lane ways. I thought that was a joke.
Regarding the Entertainment District, the city gave them an entire area and ever since the condos came up Adam Vaughan has taken the side of the residents and is constantly bashing the clubs and bars in that area. People need to take ownership of where they decide to live. Take responsibility for your decision otherwise move. Adam may not be aware, but he is actually enemy number one in the Entertainment District.
He is also involved in taking a personal vendetta in a club (Comfort Zone) and as a result there is a law suit pending on the City of Toronto and the club has gone as far as suing AV personally.
Then there’s the Annex. Futures and the Labyrinth late night patios are the main reason that made the Annex successful and are considered holy grounds. Those patios are not some ordinary patios but the pride and joy of the Annex. Due to a patio transfer in the ownership, a committee was formed to discuss patio hours. All was going well until a small group of residents decided to go against the committee and approach Adam V. about their concerns. As a result, he did the same thing as for the Entertainment District and took the side of the residents. Now, Futures patio is only open until 11pm and no patio for the Labyrinth. Everyone is pissed off at Adam V. for listening to a small group of people as opposed to the overwhelming support for those late night patios. Now, Adam is becoming enemy number one in the Annex.
The other issue is when he chewed out a reporter on the subject of the infestation in China Town; I don’t think many people appreciated his brash way of speaking.
I also don’t like his take on having the City of Toronto setting aside funds for defamation. My view is that if you are a politician, you need to be aware of the harsh criticism that comes along with it. Especially, if you are like AV and make silly comments, then you should be prepared to have people on your back. The underlying reason people criticize is because they are passionate. AV is slowly becoming enemy number one in Toronto
The above items are surely a sore point for him and the reason he gets bashed a lot.
He is losing the respect of a lot of Torontonians due to his own accord, his comments, his lack of diplomacy or finesse, and for being a hypocrite. I hope he continues to do what he’s doing so he will have a short political career. So, looking at Toronto through the eyes of AV is not that spectacular.
God 90% of you people need to lighten up, or perhaps light up ;) and don't take everything SO seriously.
Adam Vaughan is probably the worst council member ive ever seen. And thats saying a lot for Toronto! From his tax this and regulate that mentality (which is killing the city) to his war on clubs and bars, he wont rest until Toronto is one gigantic vertical suburb with nothing but art galleries and small over priced restaurants for him and his buddies.
Im sick and tired of these types who think that Toronto should be as quiet and boring as some small town and then in the same breath turn those noses up at those small towns. You are right Vaughan, there is Toronto and the rest of Canada... And the rest of Canada is where we Torontonians go when we finally get fed up of a city run by elitest left wing fools.
Thanks to Vaughan, Miller and others of the same ilk, Toronto has quickly become a city that isnt worth the high cost of living in.
Ottawa is known as the city that fun forgot and ill say that toronto is the city that fun left.
Remember 2010 folks.. your only chance to make things right. Lets take a water cannon and clean out city hall on election day!
Mayana: Perhaps people get worked up about this guy because they care about their community? I suggest we do the opposite, if we love Toronto... stand up for it!!
Adam Vaughan is the personification of everything that is wrong with Toronto and why Toronto-bashing is such a favourite passtime in -- as he puts it -- The Rest of Canada. "Never been outside Toronto". What a putz.
I've seen him in action enough to know what a prize ass he is: smug and condescending.
I love Toronto -- lived there for 14 years until a marriage required I move -- so don't lump me into that "If you loved Toronto you'd like Adam Vaughan" group. I love the city, but in Adam Vaughan there is no question: the sanctimony, the "downtown" snobbishness, all combine to make him thoroughly unlikeable.
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