Red Herrings and Gravy

The biggest problem I had with Rob Ford's electoral campaign was the seeming lack of forethought (read: common sense or possibility) in his promises.  I really believe that the impossible promises he made during the election are the reason that he came out so far ahead of the one candidate who had a grasp on reality in this city, Joe Pantalone.  Joe was dismissed early on by the media and his right-leaning counterparts as stale and failed to make much of a dent in that characterization.  Other than the open mocking of Rocco Rossi's "hail mary"allen expressway extension, there was not much vetting of candidates' promises, instead the media focused on silly things like Rob Ford's drunk driving charge and George Smitherman's temper.  Yes, the public has a right to know about these things, but, they should be the sidebar, not the front page news.  

Missed during the election, but coming to the fore now that Ford has won, is some good analysis about the platform he ran on.  In today's Globe and Mail, Marcus Gee wrote an article about the "all sizzle, no steak" idea to declare the TTC an essential service.  In the article, Gee cites a study done by TTC management that states "if the TTC had been deemed an essential service when it negotiated its 2005 agreement, the cost would have been $11.2-million higher over the contract’s three-year term."  This is because, without the threat of a strike, the two sides move slowly in negotiations and arbitrators are usually called in to resolve disputes.  Arbitrators usually give the unions a raise.  TTC union president Bob Kinnear has also said that, if the TTC is made an essential service, they will demand to be paid in the same range as Toronto's other essential services, the Police and Firefighters.  It seems unlikely that they would make such a demand if the essential services can of worms had never been opened.  So, if essential services usually end up costing more, why would a "cost-cutting" mayor make that a priority?  The answer is that it sounds like something that would "stop the gravy train."   


Another of Rob Ford's campaign promises was the promise to add 100 police officers to the city.  Despite no conclusive evidence that more police cuts down on crime and if you look at the chart below, you'll see that police services is already, by far Toronto's biggest expense, almost double the TTC which is next.

Ford wants to add the new officers because "You really can't have enough police"  is a great headline, and it will definitely buy you some votes with the Law and order crowd.  But, when you look closely and you see that crime is down 30 percent across Toronto since 2005 and the police force has enough trouble finding money to pay for the officers they already have, spending an extra $15 million a year on more police doesn't seem like it's worth the trouble.  Even the police themselves don't want this promise kept.

The last promise we'll talk about here is "the end of the war on the car."  First of all, improving transit and adding bike lanes is not a "war on the car."  It is simply a strategy to give people in the city more options which will, in turn, improve gridlock and pollution in our city.  The first step in the end of the "war on the car" is to get rid of the $60 Vehicle Registration Tax.  For this genius, little piece of politicking, city councillors are being asked to take at least $50 million in revenue out of the city's pockets, before knowing what the city's budget and expenses will look like.  But, again, it looks great on the front page of the Toronto Sun.  

The other phases of "the war on the war on the car" (The War On The Car²) include the "war on Transit" and the "war on bike lanes."  The war on transit has been in the news everywhere and it all comes down to the campaign promise of "building Subways."  As Ford says "I campaigned on subways" and "if we can't get federal or provincial money for it, like I said, then it won't get built."  I wrote more about this in a previous post, but, the long and the short of it is.  Ford promised impossible subways without heeding the exorbitant price tag on them and now that he is in office, it looks like he will cancel the already planned LRT's for a tiny subway extension or no improvement to transit at all.  As for "the war on bike lanes," Ford's plan to take bikes off of the road and put them into parks and ravines is laughable and a waste of money.  Cyclists will ride their bikes on the road regardless of whether there are bike lanes or not.  Bike lanes just make it safer for everyone and give the road some order.  If you disagree just look at Bloor St. or any street where cars park in the bike lanes.

Rob Ford treated Toronto voters the way a dad trying to get an infant to stop crying does.  He promised us Ice Cream and toys.  We fell for it and we have to live with it for the next four years.  Hopefully, Rob Ford's term as mayor will teach this city and its media a lesson about democracy.  It is your democratic duty to learn as much as you can about a candidate before you vote for them, not after, when it's too late.