Author: nanderson

Read: Labour Council Condemns Doug Ford’s Attack on Toronto

by nanderson

Read the Toronto & York Region Labour Council statement condemning Premier Doug Ford’s attack on Toronto.

LABOUR COUNCIL CONDEMNS FORD’S ATTACK ON TORONTO

Premier Ford’s bombshell announcement that he will hijack the Toronto election and unilaterally slash Council representation is a deeply disturbing indication of how Ontario will be run over the next four years. With no notice and no consultation, Doug Ford has decided to cut the Council to 25 seats from the current number of 47. This is not how governments acting “for the people” conduct themselves. At stake are the vital services that are provided to working families and local communities, and programs that affect the quality of life of all of Torontonians.

This deliberate interference in an election that is already underway is unprecedented in Ontario history. It shows the same contempt for democracy that marked the Mike Harris regime the last time Conservatives ran the province. This move is driven not by a pursuit of savings, but by shadowy special interests that want to reduce accountability so they can profit from the resources of our city. They are looking to silence the voices of residents at city hall by reducing representation. And behind it will be a drive to privatize services and sell off city assets.

The people of Toronto saw nothing but chaos and global ridicule when the Fords ran City Hall. They scrapped transit plans and cut services, outsourced jobs and targeted libraries for closure. We are now seeing how that same chaos will be imposed from Doug Ford at Queen’s Park. Ford ran and lost his bid to be Mayor, and to many this surprise attack smacks of a revenge agenda as well as dirty politics. It seems we are heading into four years of Trump-like rule, where facts and due process are either ignored or worse.

The claim of savings equals less than $3 per person – a insulting price to pay for less access to the elected Councillor in a ward that will be many time larger than in any other city in the province. There is no fairness anywhere in this plan – just a targeting of Toronto’s progressive policies that have been won through hard work and diligent decision-making. Last time the Conservatives took over this city they dumped billions of costs on the property taxpayers. It took years to recover – in fact we are still paying for those destructive decisions that were masked by simple slogans and mean-spirited ideology. Crumbling schools, cancelled transit lines and boarded up housing are the legacy of that experience. We cannot afford four more years of chaos in Toronto or Ontario.

ATU Local 113 Congratulates John Di Nino on his Election as ATU Canada President

by nanderson

ATU Local 113 congratulates John Di Nino, Executive Board member – Maintenance, on his election as ATU Canada President at the annual convention in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Brother Di Nino was elected alongside a strong ATU Canada board – well-positioned to advocate together with Local 113 on pressing issues for Toronto’s transit system. We look forward to continue the work John has led during his time on the Local 113 Executive Board regarding ongoing contract negotiations and advocacy with the municipal and provincial governments to Keep Transit Public.

Congratulations, Brother!

In the News: TTC chair Josh Colle Leaving Politics

by nanderson

TTC chair Josh Colle leaving politics — and his father is seeking his council seat (Toronto Star, July 25, Ben Spurr and David Rider)

TTC chair Josh Colle made the surprise announcement Wednesday morning he’s leaving politics after eight eventful years on Toronto City Council.

Hours later, that news was followed by another surprise: His father is running to replace him.

Josh Colle, who has served as the representative for Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence since 2010 and as Toronto Transit Commission chair since 2014, broke the news he won’t seek re-election at a news conference at City Hall — flanked by his three young sons and council ally Mayor John Tory.

The 45-year-old councillor told reporters he had decided to spend more time with his family and planned to take a job in the private sector.

“It has been my great privilege to serve the residents of Ward 15 over the last eight years, and I’m extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished in my time at City Hall and at the TTC,” he said.

He cited as his accomplishments: Enhancements to bus and streetcar service, the opening of the $3.2-billion Spadina subway extension, and the introduction of the policy allowing children 12 and younger to ride free.

Roughly five hours after Josh Colle spoke, Mike Colle, a former municipal councillor and longtime Liberal MPP, quietly arrived at City Hall and registered for the race his son had just vacated.

The younger Colle had made no mention of the impending father-son switch at his news conference.

Mike Colle, 73, said in an interview Wednesday that Josh had made the decision to bow out of the race of his own accord. He said he only decided to run at the city level when his son asked him.

According to Mike, he initially hesitated, in part because only a few weeks have passed since he was narrowly defeated in the June provincial election in Eglinton-Lawrence.

That defeat ended his 23-year run as a midtown MPP.

He said he asked himself: “Do I want to get back into this thing?”

But he ultimately decided to enter the ring because “there’s too many things that I care deeply about (in the community) that I don’t want to see walked away from.”

Political dynasties are not uncommon in Canadian politics, but Mike Colle acknowledged he couldn’t think of an instance in which a father took over for his son.

He rejected the suggestion the last-minute swap, which came two days before the deadline for candidates to register, amounted to a unique form of nepotism.

“All I say to that is, I just ended up getting 19,000 votes in the provincial election,” he said.

“People know my commitment to issues in this community, and in the city, and in the province. That’s what I’ll let people judge me on.”

Mike Colle, who also served as TTC chair in the early 1990s when he was a Metro councillor, said if elected this fall his priorities would be seeing the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Lawrence Heights revitalization through to completion, as well as preserving the Columbus Centre, a cultural and community hub in North York.

“I’ve fought many battles, and I’ve got a few more to fight,” he said.

Josh Colle’s withdrawal was unexpected because the popular centrist two-term councillor registered a month ago to run in the upcoming Oct. 22 municipal election.

He had been considered a clear favourite for re-election in the new Ward 13, which has been redrawn due to Toronto moving to a new 47-ward model.

He told reporters Wednesday he truly had intended to run this fall but after discussions with his family he reconsidered.

He said he had a position in the private sector lined up, but could not speak about it publicly. He didn’t rule out the possibility of one day returning to public service.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Oleksandr Bomshteyn was the only other candidate signed up to run in Ward 13. The registration deadline is 2 p.m. Friday.

Bomshteyn, who owns a web development company, said in an interview he hopes to bring “positive change” to City Hall, including using Toronto’s “booming” IT sector to modernize municipal government.

But as scrutiny turned on Bomshteyn in the wake of the younger Colle’s announcement, several social media posts the rookie council candidate has made concerning Muslims drew criticism.

In 2017, Bomshteyn responded to a post from Councillor Josh Matlow that condemned “anti-Semitism & Islamophobia” by saying: “Except fear of Islam is a logical fear hence not a phobia.”

Asked why it would be logical to fear an entire religion, Bomshteyn said: “I have Muslim friends. I have nothing against the regular Muslim person out there.”

He said that “85 per cent” of Muslims are “very peaceful, law-abiding citizens.” Asked where he got that figure from, he said: “That’s a quote I’ve seen somewhere.”