one-way

Friday, April 4, 2014

Friday, April 4, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, April 4, 2014

Councillors pitch panel to study two-way traffic conversions

Councillors are now looking to a citizen panel to drive progress on the controversial proposed two-way traffic conversions of more than 20 city streets.

But a divided council may still revisit the issue next week at ratification.

Councillors Brian McHattie and Terry Whitehead jointly pitched the citizen panel in the hopes of depoliticizing the ever-contentious issue.

A series of recommendations from citizens would help “pull back on the rhetoric,” said McHattie, a mayoral candidate and vocal complete streets advocate.

The city would put aside $95,000 for a consultant to lead the panel study of complete streets and two-way traffic conversions, which would include residents from all wards. The effort would likely begin in September, with recommendations presented in early 2015.

Whitehead, who has expressed concern about the traffic implications of converting Mountain-climbing streets such as Queen to two-way traffic, said a “broad-based” citizen committee would “bring the temperature down” on the debate.

Other councillors disagreed, however.

Tom Jackson said the city has recently introduced too many major transportation changes, too fast.

Jackson said he and his constituents are “exhausted” with the changes, adding the Cannon Street bidirectional bike lanes “pretty well tapped me out.”

And Chad Collins argued the panel overcomplicated the issue, noting the city still needs to catch up on approved two-way conversions of eight lower city residential streets. He said he was “anxious to move ahead” on those projects that were supposed to be done by 2012. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Tuesday July 24, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday July 24, 2012

Toronto police funding ‘huge victory,’ says Mayor Ford

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared victory after getting an assurance Monday from the province that funding would continue for a special police unit charged with addressing the root causes of violence.

Funding for the Toronto anti-violence intervention strategy (TAVIS) unit comes from the province, and Ford said Monday that Premier Dalton McGuinty committed to extending that funding on a permanent basis.

“I think that’s a huge victory for the taxpayers of Toronto,” Ford said in brief remarks after a meeting Monday afternoon with the premier and Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair that was called in the wake of a recent spate of violent gun crime in the city.

“I take Mr. McGuinty at his word. He told me straight out and no, there was no BS. I wasn’t going to sit there and listen to it,” Ford said.

“I asked for funding for TAVIS and he said, ‘Yes, we’re going to continue funding TAVIS.’ That’s what the people want. People want to live in this great city, which it is, and people want to come here and create jobs and have a safe environment to create jobs.”

Chief Blair said the funding commitment from the province will allow police to build on what TAVIS has already accomplished and to plan future deployments.

The mayor has previously disparaged youth outreach initiatives as “hug-a-thug” programs, while the premier has said a balanced approach is needed, with a need to invest in both social programs and police initiatives.

In another development, Ford will meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Toronto on Tuesday to discuss gun crime. (Source: CBC News)

 

Saturday July 21, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday July 21, 2012

Rob Ford’s gun crime call-in

Mayor Rob Ford says he wants to banish everybody convicted of gun crimes from Toronto, not just immigrants.

“I don’t care if you’re white, pink, or purple, I don’t care what country you’re from, I don’t care if you’re a Canadian citizen or not. All I’m saying is, if you’re caught with a gun and convicted of a gun crime, I want you out of this city,” Ford said on NewsTalk 1010 Thursday night during an interview in which he struggled to explain himself.

Ford said on AM640 on Wednesday that he would be asking the prime minister to look at “immigration laws” in finding a way to implement his exile proposal. Though federal immigration minister Jason Kenney said on Twitter that he agreed, the cryptic comment was generally received with a mix of anger and bewilderment.

Ford called in to the NewsTalk show hosted by John Downs and Ryan Doyle to address the criticism. He said he had spoken imprecisely in the Wednesday interview and had not meant to single out immigrants.

The new interview, however, was itself perplexing, sounding at times like an Abbott and Costello routine about the federal government as Ford uncertainly attempted to explain to Downs why he mentioned immigration laws if he had not been referring to immigration. (Source: Metro News)