Toronto has been broken by six years of David Miller’s rule.
The Transit City future promised to Torontonians has become a money pit, as the St. Clair light rail has been plagued by delays and ballooning budgets. The garbage strike during the summer did nothing to endear Miller to voters, especially since there was little change to how city workers are paid. According to a Nov. 2009 Angus Reid poll, 67 per cent of Torontonians have seen either no change or negative changes in Toronto since 2003, demonstrating pessimism among the electorate. Six years is a long time for Canada’s largest city to be stagnant, even if this is just one point of view.
The city is currently at a crossroads. Starting this summer, Toronto will be on the world stage when we host the G8/G20 conference. We’re in the midst of preparing for the 2015 Pan-Am Games. This means our next choice in mayor could be the most important decision made by Toronto voters in recent memory.
With Miller out of the race, the position is wide open. Yet the major mayoral hopefuls that have declared their candidacy consist of George Smitherman, a former Liberal cabinet member, Giorgio Mammoliti, a city councillor, Joe Pantalone, also a city councillor, and Rocco Rossi, a former Liberal strategist. None of these candidates have clearly outlined their vision for Toronto.
Smitherman’s temporary campaign website provides little detail on the Toronto that he envisions. For Smitherman the election seems to be more about his credentials than it does about a plan. Joe Pantalone’s campaign is also light on vision. The only candidate who has a declared agenda is Rossi, who according to the Toronto Star intends to halt the Transit City re-evaluation.
This lack of a discernable direction is worrying. This city faces major issues, but I have yet to hear how these problems can be fixed. For example, where is the discussion of how the candidates plan to cover the growing budget shortfall? It is time to clean up the budget and make Toronto financially viable again.
Where is the discussion about how Toronto will update public transit? Rossi’s war against Transit City does nothing to fix the problems of the growing inadequacies of the TTC. These vital transit projects—such as the proposed link between downtown and Pearson—are key to growing our city and making it competitive globally. If Toronto wants to compete with world-class cities, our transit system needs some serious updating.
Transit is only one of the issues that Toronto faces. Questions remain about the gentrification of downtown neighborhoods, the failed Bloor One East condo building, the sale of public assets, and countless other issues. Candidates must declare their positions on these matters, and soon.
Toronto is a city on the edge. With the world’s focus about to be upon us, we can’t afford to make a mistake with this election. The problem is that we are cynical, annoyed, and upset with City Hall. We need a change towards responsible and responsive public servants. This is the least we can ask of a mayor.
