Mayor Ford defends subway building plan

 

CP24.com

 

Mayor Rob Ford is refusing to compromise when it comes to his plan to bury the entire Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown transit line underground.

In an appearance in front of a busy Scarborough intersection late Wednesday afternoon, Ford said he remains committed to building subways.

This, despite a proposal from TTC chair Karen Stintz to leave part of the Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown transit line above ground, freeing up about $2 billion to put towards extending the Sheppard subway line and building some sort of above-ground rapid transit on Finch Avenue.

"I campaigned on building subways and I stand behind that commitment 100 per cent because it is the right thing to do," Ford said. "It is right for Scarborough, it is right for Toronto, it is right for everybody that lives in this community."

Ford was joined by like-minded councilors Michelle Berardinetti, Gary Crawford, Michael Thompson, Mike Del Grande and Norm Kelly on Friday afternoon. The news conference was held just two days after Coun. Joe Mihevc told CP24 that he received a legal opinion stating Ford didn't have the power to unilaterally cancel David Miller's Transit City mass transit plan and replace it with his subway-based plan upon taking over as mayor.

On Friday, Ford defended those actions, suggesting the future of the city depends on subways.

"Subways are fast because they don't run on a street and they don't have to cross intersections at street level and when you make transits faster than cars people will use it," he said. "Putting trains down the middle of congested jammed-up streets like the one behind us is not the answer. It is wrong."

 

 

Labor battle could come down to last minute: Holyday

 

CTV.ca

 

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday says the city will not lock out some 6,000 unionized outside workers over the weekend, when a negotiating deadline passes and a work stoppage becomes legal.

Ontario's Ministry of Labor has given negotiators until Feb. 5 before the city can legally lock out unionized workers or the union can legally go on strike.

"It's not an automatic lockout by us. We've never even talked about a lockout, it's always been the union that's talked about the lockout," he said.

Holyday, chair of the employee and labor relations committee, said on Tuesday that the city had no intention of locking CUPE Local 416 workers out, but hopes the impending deadline will lend urgency to negotiations.

Holyday likened the ongoing negotiations ahead of the deadline to a football game: "In the end, quite often, the game is decided in the last two minutes."

Cim Nunn, a spokesperson for CUPE, said in a statement that while Holyday has promised not to lock staff out, he has not promised productive negotiations.

When the deadline arrives on Sunday, the city can unilaterally change working conditions and job security clauses for unionized staff.

But CUPE says doing that would endanger the bargaining process and reduce the level and quality of services.

Mark Ferguson, head of the union, likened any potential unilateral changes as an "unnecessary provocation."

"There is no need to change the terms and the conditions of our collective agreement," he said.

"We're in lock-down at this point and we've made ourselves available to the city at a 24-7 basis and quite frankly, that's what it's going to take to get this done."

One key clause in question guarantees workers other positions with the city, even if their current jobs are contracted out.

According to Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti, if the union refuses to talk about the agreement and the thorny topic of job security, there could be conflict as the negotiations continue.

"If they say no, they don't want to talk about that, then I think next week's a different week, and we'll see what happens. It's one week at a time," he told CTV Toronto.

 

 

Bad fuel seizing up car engines in GTA

 

CTV.ca

 

A batch of bad gasoline being sold from a station is causing headaches for motorists in the Toronto area, and there is concern the problem could get worse.

Gas sold at the Mississauga Esso station, located at Glen Erin Drive and the Collegeway, has been blamed for seizing up engines.

For Charles Bates, who also filled up at the station, the speculation will do little to ease a hefty repair bill for his car.

"The ignition would turn over, but would die almost instantly," he said, adding that the car would stay running for only a few seconds.

Luca Kulesza also fueled up at the station, and $20 worth of gas cost him $620 in repairs.

The Calgary-based wholesale company that supplies the station has confirmed that the fuel is tainted.

Tom McMillan, from the Parkland Fuel Corporation, said that drivers are complaining that their vehicles aren't starting properly.

It's believed that bad fuel was sold from over the weekend until Monday at about 1:30 p.m. at the Esso, which is an independently owned and operated station.

The station has insurance and is now recording claims and taking fuel samples, McMillan said.

McMillan added that the fuel was delivered clean and was likely contaminated at the station.

It's not clear what caused the contamination, but MacMillan speculated that it may be from melted snow.

Drivers who may have fueled up with the bad gasoline can call Esso customer service at 1-800-567-3776.

 

 

'I'm building subways,' Ford says

 

National Post

 

With clear indications that a new transit proposal is working its way through city council offices and gathering support, Mayor Rob Ford set the stage for a face-off over putting tracks down the middle of suburban Eglinton Avenue.

"It's the taxpayers in Scarborough. They were quite clear during my election that they want subways, and I represent what the taxpayers want and that's what we're going to continue to do," Mayor Ford told the National Post after he launched the Mayor's Ball for the Toronto Arts Foundation.

The Mayor was referring to the proposal to turn the Eglinton light rail line from a predominantly underground corridor, to one that pops out onto street level in the eastern suburbs. Proponents say the modification could save $1.5-billion, money that could go to extending the Sheppard subway two kilometers, to Victoria Park Avenue, and building a rapid transit corridor on Finch Avenue.

"Scarborough residents voted me in to build subways and I'm building subways," the Mayor reiterated. "I'll do exactly what the provincial government wants to do. Last time I checked they're going to build subways. It's started, it's going, and I do what the taxpayers of Scarborough want ... not above ground."

Mr. Ford's words back up what a senior official in his office said on Tuesday, but clearly there are mixed messages emanating out of City Hall, as a coalition of councilors pushing for the revised plan work behind the scenes to coax the Mayor on board - even as his office sows seeds of doubt among allies.

"My discussions with the Mayor have been collaborative," said TTC Chair Karen Stintz, who leads the transit rethink that is winning broad based support at City Hall. Some of Ford's key allies are among those who are open to changes such as Councilor Michael Thompson and, tentatively, Councilor Giorgio Mammoliti.

"I recognize that the Mayor feels honor bound by certain things and I'm hoping that doesn't become an impediment," said Councilor John Parker, a TTC commissioner whose ward is traversed by Eglinton and who supports the new plan. "I want this city to be built in a rational, sensible way, and I think the decisions we make on this project will be critical on both of those respects."

In the midst of the upheaval, Premier Dalton McGuinty stressed that it will take a "formal proposal" from the city to get the regional transit agency Metrolinx to consider changing the blueprint.

At the centre of the deal is a document known as a "nonbinding" memorandum of understanding, between the Mayor and the Premier, that was signed in March. The MOU essentially tosses out a former plan devised under former mayor David Miller that called for light rail on Finch, Sheppard and Eglinton. The current deal calls for the province to put all its $8.2billion into an Eglinton light rail line that runs predominantly underground from Black Creek Drive to Kennedy Station, except for sections at the Don Valley and approaching Kennedy. Some of the money would go to converting the existing Scarborough RT into light rail. Meanwhile, the city would assume responsibility for extending the Sheppard subway, with possibly $650million from the province if it has it left over.
 

 

Mayor asks for delay in sale of TCHC houses

 

CTV

 

Toronto Mayor Rob Fords will ask that a plan to sell nearly 700 properties owned by Toronto Community Housing Corporation to be delayed.

Ford says he will recommend the executive committee delay the sale of 675 housing units for one month to give TCHC time to lay out a plan to fund critical repairs to city-owned housing.

Last year, the city decided to sell the scattered properties in order to raise some $222 million earmarked to be used repairing other TCHC properties. TCHC estimates that there is $650 million worth of repairs required on their various properties.

"It's unacceptable to me that we would leave people to live this way. We have to find a way to make the most critical repairs as soon as possible," Ford said in a news release.

"I'm very happy with the creative solutions coming out of the new TCHC board. They're doing excellent work. For the first time ever, the board is grappling with the real problems faced by residents and is finding ways to generate the funds needed for repairs."

The decision to sell the 675 units is conditional on TCHC submitting a plan that would explain how the income would be used to repair other properties, how the housing units would be replaced and how current occupants would be accommodated.

Ford says he still supports selling the units but that it is important to have a plan in place before they move forward.

"I need to ask the board and TCHC to work a little faster," Ford said. "I'd like them to accelerate their plans to address the repair problem and care for affected residents so council can consider them at the same time it reviews the sale of units. That will give councillors the full picture. And, it will help us get repairs started faster."

 

 

From garbage to greenery

Revitalizing Toronto’s downtown laneways

 

Globe and Mail

 

Some days when Nick Cluley steps into the laneway that runs between Massey Hall and the ING Direct office where he works, he’ll run into a celebrity, such as William Shatner, grabbing a smoke outside the stage door. But most of the time, Mr. Cluley sees a conspicuously forgotten strip of the city, one strewn with trash, dumpsters, used needles and worse.

 

The 29-year-old Chicago native and manager of the bank’s storefront at Yonge and Shuter wants to transform the O’Keefe Laneway, which runs south from Yonge-Dundas Square to the backstage door of the Elgin. His vision is to turn it into an intimate pedestrian and cyclist-friendly space, featuring greenery, public art, good lighting, signage and even some small-scale retailers and coffee houses.

“We think we can turn it into a flexible use space,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of interest in making something better.”

Over the coming months, a somewhat unlikely partnership – armed with a $25,000 grant from Ontario’s Ministry of Health Promotion – will solicit the public’s ideas for revitalizing the laneway, and perhaps creating a template for other such spaces around the core. Joining ING, the urban mobility organization 8-80 Cities and the legendary Danish urban design firm Gehl Architects will develop a plan to breathe new life into a long-neglected interstice.

ING, which is investing $9,000 in the project, will host public consultation sessions in February and March on the second floor meeting space of its funky Yonge storefront. But Mr. Cluley, who sits on the Cyclists Union board, said the Dutch banking giant isn’t interested in plastering the laneway with its corporate brand. “We would leave the naming rights up to the powers that be at the city.”

Toronto’s residential laneways have long been the subject of planning scrutiny, and have attracted growing interest from architects and home-buyers looking for gritty urban settings. But many downtown laneways, still used almost exclusively for commercial loading and garbage, remain functional and abandoned. “The laneway system is under-utilized and under-valued,” said local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who is a strong supporter of reclaiming alleys for small-scale retail and housing as a means of promoting economic development and density.

8-80 Cities executive director Gil Penalosa is a cycling and pedestrian advocate who once served as the parks commissioner for Bogota, Colombia. He said the inspiration for this particular project came from Jan Gehl’s work in Melbourne.

Mr. Gehl, a former Danish planner, gained international fame for banishing cars from downtown Copenhagen. More recently, he advised New York on transforming a chunk of Times Square into a car-free zone. Mr. Gehl also spent many years in the Australian financial hub, working with the local planning commissioner on a long-term strategy to revitalize its decaying downtown by promoting café-lined pedestrian zones, lively squares and laneway redevelopment.

Between 1994 and 2004, in fact, Melbourne’s network of accessible and revitalized laneways and arcades expanded from a mere 300 metres to 3.4 km. The city now ranks at the top of global urban livability rankings.

To bring life back into Melbourne’s laneways, the municipality cleaned them up and found tidy ways to store the dumpsters. It also offered $50,000 one-time start-up grants to entrepreneurs to open shops and cafes, with the proviso that they keep late hours to promote a sense of safety.

The result is intimate and authentic. “The grittiness really adds something to the feeling,” said 8-80 Cities director of partnerships and programming Emily Munroe, who visited Melbourne last fall on a fact-finding trip. “When we were there, it really did feel like it could work in Toronto.”

While the idea may fire the imaginations of public space enthusiasts, such a transformation turns on mechanical issues, such as dealing with the garbage. Mr. Cluley said he’s been talking with Downtown Yonge BIA officials and Ms. Wong-Tam about finding ways to have the dumpsters emptied during a specified overnight window and then creating curtains or other means of concealing them. “It just comes down to the co-ordination of logistics.”

After a frigid stroll up the windswept O’Keefe Friday, Mr. Cluley sounded confident that the area’s storekeepers, landowners and municipal officials can clear away the procedural obstacles. “We feel very confident that if we put a great plan together, it will be executable and something the City of Toronto can be proud of.” 

 

 

Pocket 911 calls a growing problem, police lament

 

CTV.ca

 

Thousands of pocket-dialed calls are tying up emergency phone lines and threatening public safety, prompting a police crack down on the growing number of unintentional 911 calls.

Police launched a campaign Monday encouraging cellphone users to "lock it before they pocket" to combat the growing number of accidental calls.

Toronto police received 107,000 pocket dials last year, which occur when a button on a cellphone programmed to call 911 is inadvertently hit while the device is stored in a pant pocket or purse.

Police also received 116,000 mis-dialed calls, which are non-emergency calls made to 911.

The high volume of unintentional calls is causing a drain on law enforcement resources, police said.

For every 911 call made operators must find out if an emergency exists meaning precious seconds are wasted on accidental calls, Staff Supt. Jeff McGuire told reporters at a press conference Monday.

"Every time that happens someone with a real genuine emergency is being delayed," McGuire said. "This is a serious problem."

In a call released by Toronto police, one man mistakenly dials 911 and his phone proceeds to play a song by hip-hop stars Drake and Rihanna.

"My bad," the cellphone owner said when the operator called him back. "I call you guys like everyday, man. It's an accident."

To prevent this, police suggested that cellphone users turn off the 911 auto-dial feature on their phone and use the keypad lock before putting the device in their bag or purse. If an accidental call is still made to emergency services, however, McGuire said callers should not hang up.

"It's absolutely imperative that you stay on the line and make your apologies," he said.

Other Ontario police departments also reported receiving a high number of unintentional 911 calls last year. York Regional Police received 97,886 unintentional calls from cellphones, which accounted for 37 per cent of all 911 calls.

Peel Regional Police received 80,724 unintentional calls between June and December of 2011.

 

 

The Toronto commute named one of the world's worst

 

The WeatherNetwork.com

 

Does your commute in and out of Toronto seem long?

That's because, according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, it is.

They say many people in southern Ontario have commute times longer than some of the world's largest cities.

“The Toronto commute right now is one of the worst in the world. At 80 minutes in each direction to and from work it's just horrible,” says Tom Reynolds, The Weather Network's Traffic Specialist. “We are worse than New York City, Los Angeles and London.”

Statistic Canada recently reported that the average Canadian commute was 26 minutes in each direction last year, but was significantly longer in cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Reynolds says the growing population and lack of sustainable planning is contributing to the problem.

“Here in Toronto what we have is a major growth pattern of 5.5 million people trying to get in or out of the city, and unfortunately what's happened is our transit infrastructure has not been developed on an ongoing basis,” he says.

The 401 is considered to be the busiest highway in North America. There are too many cars, too many trucks and too few roads. People who are in the 416 area of Toronto downtown are commuting into the 905 area, while the 905's and the 519's coming into the 416 area.

“That's why you've seen such a huge difference in the volume of traffic,” explains Reynolds. “What we need is an increased flow of transit, light rail lines, we need to amalgamate transit companies so that everyone's on the same page, and that way you would probably get a lot more effective to-and-from work times.”

The shortest commute time in the world right now for a major city is Barcelona, Spain at an average of 47 minutes.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities, a group that represents Canadian cities, was scheduled to appear in front of the House of Commons finance committee this week.

 

 

Cops target panhandlers

 

Toronto Sun

 

Charges filed against aggressive panhandlers is up — way up.

Overall, Toronto Police laid 15,551 charges under the Safe Streets Act in 2010, compared to 13,202 in 2009. It’s a huge increase from 2004 when 2,725 charges were laid.

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday insisted the city wants to clampdown on begging and a vote to outlaw it would be a slam-dunk at city council.

But while the Safe Streets Act, introduced in 1999, deals with aggressive beggars, Holyday is focused on panhandling in general.

It’s up to the province to pass the necessary legislation.

“I think we’d require a legislative change but getting to the point of requesting the province to do it should be something that is handled quickly,” Holyday told the Toronto Sun’s Don Peat.

But in the meantime, police have been using the legislation that’s available.

The statistics show the majority of the charges filed are for aggressive panhandling — instances in which a beggar behaves in a threatening manner.

“What I’ve heard from the city are questions of ... what can we do to reduce or eliminate street presence, particularly panhandling, so the question was what can the police do?” Deputy Chief Mike Federico said.

He said the act allows police to focus on panhandlers that pose a risk or are a nuisance, but officers can’t do much about passive panhandlers.

“That would require a change in the law to actually to outright ban, to make it illegal, to solicit or beg or panhandle, and we don’t have a law like that,” Federico said.

He said a city bylaw can probably be used to keep people moving.

Federico said he wouldn’t be able to quantify the manpower needed to enforce expansive panhandling laws, nor is it clear how many people are begging.

“The only numbers I can give you with any reliability are the numbers that we’ve actually charged,” Federico said. Complicating that is it is likely the same person has been charged multiple times at different times.

He figures the conviction rate is “pretty high,” because if a charged person fails to appear in court, the court convicts in absentia.

“Like everything else, when it comes to enforcement, the police need to exercise discretion,” he said. “We need to make sure there aren’t alternative ways to deal with it before we lay a charge.”

Federico said alternatives include a referral to Streets to Homes, a city-sponsored program that helps people off the streets or to get required medical care.

The tough guy approach doesn’t always work.

“They don’t have the means to pay the fine in many cases,” Federico said. “The consequences of not paying the fine doesn’t have a big impact and those that do pay the fine, it’s like any other infraction, they pay the fine and move on.”

He said unless the panhandler commits a Criminal Code infraction, “all we can do is lay a summons on them and compel them to go to court.”