Would you vote for a Woman Mayor that could deliver Toronto a full transportation system in under 30 years,
All this for just $45. a head every year until the 30th year comes?

Anyone but Ford and that transit plan looks good. But lots of hurdles as she needs other govs to support as well.

I'd vote for a toilet-trained chimp over Ford.

Stintz would be a massive improvement.

People forget that Karen Stintz has a very conservative voting record. Be careful what you wish for.

But still, I think she's doing a good job as TTC Chair, and showing a lot of leadership that we haven't seen out of Mayor Ford.

People forget that Karen Stintz has a very conservative voting record. Be careful what you wish for.

But still, I think she's doing a good job as TTC Chair, and showing a lot of leadership that we haven't seen out of Mayor Ford.

Conservative, sure. But what we've got now is a bump on a log, refusing to do anything good for the city. At least she would get proper transit going.

No. They should bump up the price of a Metropass $5 a month for those people who actually use mass transit.

Anyone but Ford and that transit plan looks good. But lots of hurdles as she needs other govs to support as well.

What do you care...you're Hazel's boy like me. ;)

Lawrence, are you a one issue voter?

What do you care...you're Hazel's boy like me. ;)

Lawrence, are you a one issue voter?

So long as it's a good issue, I'll vote for her,
Beats sitting on our hands for another 30 years debating.

No. They should bump up the price of a Metropass $5 a month for those people who actually use mass transit.

As a driver, I'm happy to pay to get transit up to snuff.

More people on transit equals fewer cars on the road. Logic says the drivers of poorly maintained cars will be the first to switch, so all the better.

As a driver, I'm happy to pay to get transit up to snuff.

More people on transit equals fewer cars on the road. Logic says the drivers of poorly maintained cars will be the first to switch, so all the better.

Logic is not what drives city hall. Neither do people switch to transit because their cars are poorly maintained.

Logic is not what drives city hall. Neither do people switch to transit because their cars are poorly maintained.

No, they'll switch to public transit because it's cheaper than maintaining a car. Agreed on city hall though.

As a driver, I'm happy to pay to get transit up to snuff.

More people on transit equals fewer cars on the road. Logic says the drivers of poorly maintained cars will be the first to switch, so all the better.

Sorry John that logic doesn't work. You may hope that happens but it won't. People who don't maintain their cars hate paying for anything. They want no part of becoming a sardine. I have turned down numerous jobs to work downtown, just one yesterday I got offered. I said no way. My vehicle is well maintained by the way. ;)

I just don't like her plan of street cars or lrt whatever they are called. They look ugly after 30 years. I would rather spend the money to go underground.

Sorry John that logic doesn't work. You may hope that happens but it won't. People who don't maintain their cars hate paying for anything. They want no part of becoming a sardine. I have turned down numerous jobs to work downtown, just one yesterday I got offered. I said no way. My vehicle is well maintained by the way. ;)

I just don't like her plan of street cars or lrt whatever they are called. They look ugly after 30 years. I would rather spend the money to go underground.

Her plan has both LRT and subways.

First two priorities are actually to build subways.

Her plan has both LRT and subways.

First two priorities are actually to build subways.

But does it include more lines than just the bloor line. How about a king or queen line, Eglington line, and how about more that go north and south?

Get the buses or street cars off the road. Not to increase car traffic just because it looks better.

They should bump up the price of a Metropass $5 a month for those people who actually use mass transit.

They should bump the tax on gas and use it to pay for more and better mass transit. The fewer people driving the better for everyone. And a good transit system is a fantastic thing; getting around London is easy and cheap, so you don't even need a car if you live there.

They should bump the tax on gas and use it to pay for more and better mass transit. The fewer people driving the better for everyone. And a good transit system is a fantastic thing; getting around London is easy and cheap, so you don't even need a car if you live there.

We pay enough at the pump as it is. If we taxed fuel, then only drivers would be subsidizing the transit system - which is absurd on the face of it.

Everyone should be paying equitably for mass transit infrastructure.

They should bump the tax on gas and use it to pay for more and better mass transit. The fewer people driving the better for everyone.

No. Only better for people who believe in mass transit. Why should gas taxes pay for people to take transit? The two are unrelated. Tax the ticket price of transit instead.

But does it include more lines than just the bloor line. How about a king or queen line, Eglington line, and how about more that go north and south?

Yes, it has more subway lines than just the Bloor line, and yes, it has more subway lines that go north and south.

Would you vote for a Woman Mayor that could deliver Toronto a full transportation system in under 30 years,
All this for just $45. a head every year until the 30th year comes?

I voted for barbara hall and then Mel - so how bad can it be? Or get? Toronto is a socialist mess already, can't get worse.
Transit won't help me but if it reduces grid lock I am in..

I think many current city councillors will have ahard time convincing the voters to trust them. I think Karen Stinz will have an impossible task, even getting elected as a councillor, even those who convinced her to turn on Ford don't respecte her enough to back her as mayor.

Downtown minded councillors are not going to get support from the outskirts of Toronto. ford may or may not run again, but the sentiment that got him in is still there and is not impressed.

I think many current city councillors will have ahard time convincing the voters to trust them. I think Karen Stinz will have an impossible task, even getting elected as a councillor, even those who convinced her to turn on Ford don't respecte her enough to back her as mayor.

Downtown minded councillors are not going to get support from the outskirts of Toronto. ford may or may not run again, but the sentiment that got him in is still there and is not impressed.

Stintz is already a councillor - it's a requirement of the TTC chair position.

She won her last election with 60% of the vote. Her closest competitor had 22%.

I think many current city councillors will have ahard time convincing the voters to trust them. I think Karen Stinz will have an impossible task, even getting elected as a councillor, even those who convinced her to turn on Ford don't respecte her enough to back her as mayor.

Downtown minded councillors are not going to get support from the outskirts of Toronto. ford may or may not run again, but the sentiment that got him in is still there and is not impressed.

Absolutely.

I like Shelly Carroll for mayor. She has suburban cred., she comes from a finance background, and working with her very, very briefly, I liked her very much. But she may still be a tough sell as Miller's ex-budget chief.

I don't think Karen Stintz will have much trouble getting re-elected as councillor. Municipal shake-ups tend to be rare, and Stintz is not really a downtown latte-sipping kind of councillor. But I don't think she should run for Mayor.... up until now, she's been building a reputation for integrity, and has repeatedly said that she's not running for Mayor. So to change her mind now would hurt her.... in 2018 though, different story.

I'd like to see her stay on as TTC Commissioner and to keep driving forward on transit improvements.

Stintz is already a councillor - it's a requirement of the TTC chair position.

She won her last election with 60% of the vote. Her closest competitor had 22%.


Sorry, I should have phrased that as "Re-elected as a Councillor"
Slap some butter on her and call her toast. She is not to be trusted...


BTW apparently this plan was not well recieved
NEWSTALK 1010 - IN-DEPTH RADIO :: TTC One City Plan Dead? - Local News :: Local News Stories (http://www.newstalk1010.com/News/localnews/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10399672)

No. Only better for people who believe in mass transit. Why should gas taxes pay for people to take transit? The two are unrelated. Tax the ticket price of transit instead.

Believe in Mass Transit? You make it sound like Santa Claus.

The two are not unrelated. You are not paying for someone to take transit, you are collectively paying for infrastructure that your friends, colleagues, employees, family, food servers, nurses, grocery store clerks and many of the other dozens of people you interact with in a day use. I can't opt out of Stephen Harper's absurd plans for super jails and fighter jets that protect Northern borders by not working in the cold so why should you get to opt out of public transit just because you don't use it but the people who fill your prescriptions at the pharmacy do? Maybe they should be allowed to add their bus fare to your bill as a tax?

Believe in Mass Transit? You make it sound like Santa Claus.

The two are not unrelated. You are not paying for someone to take transit, you are collectively paying for infrastructure that your friends, colleagues, employees, family, food servers, nurses, grocery store clerks and many of the other dozens of people you interact with in a day use. I can't opt out of Stephen Harper's absurd plans for super jails and fighter jets that protect Northern borders by not working in the cold so why should you get to opt out of public transit just because you don't use it but the people who fill your prescriptions at the pharmacy do? Maybe they should be allowed to add their bus fare to your bill as a tax?

Not at all. I disagree with 75% of absurd government spending, but am forced to pay for it. However, one of the marvels of modern infrastructure is that we can charge those who use it to a degree of accuracy never before thought possible. Transit is the easiest of the lot to charge to the user. I see no reason to subsidize the choices of my friends, neighbours, colleagues, family, employees or people who fill my prescription at the pharmacies--let them pay their own transit bills.

Not at all. I disagree with 75% of absurd government spending, but am forced to pay for it. However, one of the marvels of modern infrastructure is that we can charge those who use it to a degree of accuracy never before thought possible. Transit is the easiest of the lot to charge to the user. I see no reason to subsidize the choices of my friends, neighbours, colleagues, family, employees or people who fill my prescription at the pharmacies--let them pay their own transit bills.

Well, if you are a property in an area that was once poorly served by transit, that will be better served by transit, you can subsidize your rising property values.

But if you already have good transit where you live, well, I guess you end up with nothing but higher taxes.

Well, if you are a property in an area that was once poorly served by transit, that will be better served by transit, you can subsidize your rising property values.

But if you already have good transit where you live, well, I guess you end up with nothing but higher taxes.

I don't want to live anywhere near a subway station. The overdevelopment in these areas encouraged by the official plan makes the intersections look like hell. And yes, since I have no intention of moving, any increase in property values would be a negative for me because it would increase property taxes.

I don't want to live anywhere near a subway station. The overdevelopment in these areas encouraged by the official plan makes the intersections look like hell. And yes, since I have no intention of moving, any increase in property values would be a negative for me because it would increase property taxes.

Sounds like you'd do better living near LRT then. ;)

transit and car use are most certainly (inversely) related. The more people who can be well served by transit, the less traffic, congestion, pollution, and GHG emission, and therefore the better for everyone. Conversely, the more people who need to use cars because transit is inadequate, the worse for everyone. Hence, it is in everyone's best interest to tax the fuel used by cars to fund the improvement of transit. If some people choose to use their cars anyway, they can pay the extra tax.

transit and car use are most certainly (inversely) related. The more people who can be well served by transit, the less traffic, congestion, pollution, and GHG emission, and therefore the better for everyone. Conversely, the more people who need to use cars because transit is inadequate, the worse for everyone. Hence, it is in everyone's best interest to tax the fuel used by cars to fund the improvement of transit. If some people choose to use their cars anyway, they can pay the extra tax.

Not at all. I have no confidence that road traffic will continue to be served if too much attention is paid to people who want to be shuttled around in sardine cans. Neither does it make sense to tax car-related activity to place people in these sardine cans. A mere $45 per year? Then let transit users pay it and enjoy their brand spanking new system.

transit and car use are most certainly (inversely) related. The more people who can be well served by transit, the less traffic, congestion, pollution, and GHG emission, and therefore the better for everyone. Conversely, the more people who need to use cars because transit is inadequate, the worse for everyone. Hence, it is in everyone's best interest to tax the fuel used by cars to fund the improvement of transit. If some people choose to use their cars anyway, they can pay the extra tax.

Again, taxing fuel only taxes the drivers. Those that want to use public transit need to pay their fair share as well. The tax as suggested in Stintz plan would be fair to all.

Not at all. I have no confidence that road traffic will continue to be served if too much attention is paid to people who want to be shuttled around in sardine cans. Neither does it make sense to tax car-related activity to place people in these sardine cans. A mere $45 per year? Then let transit users pay it and enjoy their brand spanking new system.

Yeah, and let's have car drivers pay for the repairs to the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, and for fixing all those potholes everywhere else.

Because it's not like people who don't drive benefit from roads.

Yeah, and let's have car drivers pay for the repairs to the crumbling Gardiner Expressway, and for fixing all those potholes everywhere else.

Because it's not like people who don't drive benefit from roads.

Exactly! Make the user pay! Transit users will pay for their share of road repairs through the price of the good they consume. Enforce bicycle licensing to raise a bit more cash for roads. There is no equitable way to make pedestrians pay for sidewalks, so this can be funded publicly.

Exactly! Make the user pay! Transit users will pay for their share of road repairs through the price of the good they consume. Enforce bicycle licensing to raise a bit more cash for roads. There is no equitable way to make pedestrians pay for sidewalks, so this can be funded publicly.

Yeah right, I can see this going over well, the occasional bike riders are complaining about subsidizing the people who bike to work every day or homeless people with bicycles (oh, no wait, they have no money, better write them a ticket or confiscate their bikes). Everyone has the joy of getting their mileage monitored every year so you can pay for the roads you used, so there's an extra tax. But I mostly drove in Mississauga for work but my car resides in Toronto so my money goes to Toronto roads even though I used the ones in Mississauga more. And the cost of everything from mail to shipped goods increases.

What a great plan. That'll also be much more cost effective to collect than you know, regular taxes that pay for roads and sidewalks and lessen the overall cost by spreading it out over years of a persons lifetime and across millions of citizens.

Don't get me wrong, I do feel that public transit riders need to pull their own weight, but they should be paying slightly more over a longer period to a more efficient system that has leadership and at the very least a break even over 10 years business plan, not like the current model of flushing money down the toilet and letting fare dodgers take the system for millions every year. But as far as giving a free pass to the few people who claim not to see the benefits of public transit because it'll make them feel warm and fuzzy during tax season? I doubt very strongly that's the answer.

Shot to hell!

Karen Stintz's OneCity transit plan goes ?down in flames? | Posted Toronto | National Post (http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/11/karen-stintzs-onecity-transit-plan-goes-down-in-flames/)

What began two weeks ago as a $30-billion blueprint to crisscross the city with nearly two dozen new transit lines withered and died before it reached the floor of Toronto city council on Wednesday.