SOS Bulletin
November 27, 2006
1. 2006 Election Results
Two weeks have passed since the disappointing results of the municipal election. We are very happy that Councillors Palacio, Walker and Nunziata were re-elected, but we are disappointed with the loss of John Sewell and the return of so many less than stellar incumbents, and the strengthening of Mayor Miller's power. How do we understand this result?
John Sewell stated in his election night speech that the voters simply did not want change. We had been told last summer that polling indicated that the majority of Torontonians seemed content with Miller and were not interested in change. In order for people to rally, they must be angry and very motivated to seek change. We found many people very angry at the door about the St.Clair ROW, about 'make a deal' planning and a city unresponsive to local neighbourhoods, but this discontent did not translate into votes. Discontent was unfortunately laced with cynicism. During the campaign, some residents suggested that we could not stop the ROW, that it is too late. We heard people say that they figured that John Adams had confused things sufficiently so that the opposition to Mihevc would be split and therefore there was no point in voting. Perhaps this cynicism was reflected in the lower turnout on election day. Voter turnout in Ward 21 in 2006 was almost 21% lower than three years ago, in the last election. Some commentators suggested that the lower turnout might be because there was no real race for mayor, unlike three years ago, but that would not explain the higher turnout generally in other wards across the city.
Without some social research, it is hard to completely understand what happened. We do know that the number of people voting for Joe Mihevc dropped from 10,875 votes in 2003 to only 7,517 in 2006, a 31% decline in popular support. I would not call that a ringing endorsement for Mr. Mihevc.
Some have suggested, (possibly hoped), that the re-election of Mihevc puts an end to the St.Clair ROW fight. However, a neighbour observed that: "it should also be noted that the people along St Clair voted against the right of way (Walker, Adams, Sewell. Palacio, Nunziata ) 29,234 vs. ( Newman, Mihevic, Bravo, Ferreira ) 19,960. The vote does not change the reality of this project and the negative impact it is now having on our St.Clair. See the two photos attached to this bulletin. Take a walk along St.Clair. Observe the sidewalk cuts; just one reason for us to continue this fight.
2. Craziness Continues
And the crazy construction continues. Today on CBC, Sharon Moore of the Retro Cafe was interviewed describing business losses on the street. The City's construction and design manager, David Crichton, did not address the specific problems faced by businesses on the street. There was no recognition that even their construction practices could be improved and that noise, dust and other disruption could be mitigated. The experience of seniors and others trying to use the street during this period suggests a general lack of regard by the City for the people of St.Clair, and little, if any, construction impact management.
I received a phone call from a resident near Walmer and St.Clair. She complained about the loud noise disturbing her again after the initial ROW work was apparently completed. The TTC was ripping out newly installed concrete. When she inquired why the drilling had begun again, she was told that the TTC had to repair a section that contained a batch of bad concrete. The City seems to have a lot of trouble with bad concrete. In February 2005 the City/TTC responded to an inquiry about repair work on the newly replaced trackbed on King Street, saying that the section required "remedial maintenance due to a batch of sub-standard concrete used during its reconstruction". And, it's happening again, right here on St.Clair.
3. Toronto Star Article
Today, Christopher Hume wrote in the Star about the St.Clair ROW project, saying, in part, that:
"it's a scheme that no matter how well engineered was poorly designed. The trouble results from a failure to see that the right-of-way must accommodate a series of elements, including the streetcar, vehicular traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, merchants and residents. Even with an unusually wide street- St. Clair is 30.1 metres from edge to edge rather than the typical 20 - compromises must be made.
Therein lies the essence of urbanity. Like automobiles, public transit is a means to an end, namely, mobility, getting from A to B. Streets, on the other hand, are not merely a way of moving from one place to another. They are important, indeed vital, destinations as well as traffic corridors.
There's no better example than St. Clair of a street that's both a means and an end. But for that end to have value, it must be served by transit, not the other way around. This means that whatever happens to the St. Clair right-of-way, it should enhance the street and all its users, not just commuters.
Sidewalks, for instance, must be widened and bicycle lanes added for the same reason that streetcars are given priority.
Historically, drivers have been given precedence, their needs considered paramount. St. Clair has been treated as little more than an east-west vehicular thoroughfare. The damage to the street life has been significant; for much of its length St. Clair is degraded and demoralized.
But as the European experience makes clear, streetcars can co-exist with traffic and even pedestrians. Cities in Spain, Portugal and France manage to design transit systems that are fully integrated, that don't need to slice their way through communities cutting them in half, as would St. Clair."
This has been our message to the City for the last (almost) four years. This is no time to stop our fight for urbanity on St.Clair.
4. What You Can Do
Don't Take it Anymore
Call or write the TTC and to the Mayor complaining about the unsafe and disruptive conditions on St.Clair.
Mayor David Miller
Mail: Toronto City Hall, 2nd Floor, 100 Queen St. West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2
Phone: 416-397-CITY (2489)
Fax: 416-696-3687
E-mail: mayor_miller@toronto.ca
Toronto Transit Commission
Address: 1900 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4S 1Z2
Commission contact: Vincent Rodo, General Secretary, Vincent.Rodo@ttc.ca
Telephone: 416-393-4000
Fax for Commission-related business only: 416-485-9394
Demand
We want transparency. We want a full accounting of all the money spent so far on this project by all city departments and agencies. We want a full cost accounting and cost/benefit analysis of this project. We want to know what it costs, and how we are paying for it.
Network
Send copies of this bulletin and your communications to your friends and neighbours all across Toronto. We must increase the awareness of this project across the city. The more people in other areas that find out about this project, the better. Make it harder for Councillors in other Wards to vote on this project. In 2007 the contracts for future construction on St.Clair west of Vaughan Road will come before the council. Let's plan now to have those contracts defeated.
Shop St.Clair
The businesses (retail, service and restaurants) really need our support now. Construction is hurting everyone.
Lobby
Write to your MPP and MP. Write to the Premier and the Opposition Leader. This project is funded by money from other levels of government. This is an unwise use of our tax dollars. Expand public transit, not a ROW on St.Clair.
Hon. Dalton McGuinty
Tel : 416-325-1941
Fax : 416-325-3745
We can still stop this project. The Allan Road stops at Eglinton. The St.Clair ROW can stop at Bathurst!
Cheers!
Margaret
