Gleaner

Serving Toronto's most liveable community with the Annex Gleaner

EDITORIAL: Ford’s poor planning will hurt us all (May/June 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford’s poor planning will hurt us all (May/June 2023)

Back in 1973, when Ontario Premier Doug Ford was just nine years old, Conservative Premier Bill Davis brought in the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act. This was the foundational legislation for what we now call the Greenbelt—2 million acres of farmland, forest, wetlands and watersheds in southern Ontario. Every premier since then, of every political stripe, has fought to protect that—until now. Premier Doug Ford is bent on tearing the area apart despite whatever promises he made in the last election, and that destruction is justified by a false premise.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

NEWS: Rally for those facing “demovictions” (April 2023)

August 8th, 2023 · Comments Off on NEWS: Rally for those facing “demovictions” (April 2023)

145 St. George has become poster child for renters facing eviction

Tenants and protestors rallied on April 1 to voice opposition to their pending evictions due to demolitions. COURTESY VANESSA JUNG

By Carly Penrose

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Tags: Annex · News

FORUM: Toronto’s budget built on a false premise (Feb. 2023)

March 27th, 2023 · Comments Off on FORUM: Toronto’s budget built on a false premise (Feb. 2023)

Where is Ford in Toronto’s time of need?

By Jessica Bell

The first official Toronto budget under the new strong mayor reign has revealed an unpleasant truth. This is a fantasy budget built on a house of cards. Even with a seven per cent planned property tax hike, the federal and provincial governments need to hand over $1.4 billion to the city for the budget to balance in 2023. And even if they say yes to Toronto’s official funding request, the city will still cut services.

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Tags: Annex · Columns · Opinion

FORUM: Turbulent time to take a seat (Jan. 2023)

January 24th, 2023 · Comments Off on FORUM: Turbulent time to take a seat (Jan. 2023)

Governance, climate, and road safety goals emerge as priorities

By Dianne Saxe

Thank you all for selecting me as your city councillor. I would like to thank the Gleaner for inviting me to regularly update residents on what is happening in Ward 11 and at city council. 

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

EDITORIAL: Bill 23: A housing plan built on corruption (Dec. 2022)

December 13th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Bill 23: A housing plan built on corruption (Dec. 2022)

Back in 2018, Doug Ford spoke his truth and it was caught on camera. The reaction to that video was so swift and forceful that the premier was forced to make a promise: he would never touch the Greenbelt, he said. If we’ve learned anything about Doug Ford since then, it’s that saying one thing and doing another is standard practice, and promises are meant to be broken. In breaking his promise on the Greenbelt, Ford is inflicting incomparable damage on this province that extends from the land to our trust in democratic systems.

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Tags: Annex · Editorial · Opinion

FORUM: Bill 23 is the province’s Big Lie (Dec. 2022)

December 13th, 2022 · Comments Off on FORUM: Bill 23 is the province’s Big Lie (Dec. 2022)

Residents’ associations come together to condemn move

By the HVRA and the ARA

Bill 23, the provincial government’s promise to build 1.5 million homes by 2031 is nothing short of an early Christmas gift to developers.

There’s no guarantee homes will be built, there’s nothing to ensure they will be affordable, and there’s no help for renters.

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Tags: Annex · Opinion

FORUM: Ford unleashes his sprawl agenda (Nov. 2022)

November 22nd, 2022 · Comments Off on FORUM: Ford unleashes his sprawl agenda (Nov. 2022)

This sets province back to the 1940s

By Jessica Bell

Now that the provincial and city elections are over, the real Doug Ford has stepped out from behind the veneer of moderation. The Premier has unleashed his aggressive plan to spur suburban sprawl, parking lots, and highways across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, at the expense of farmland, renters, municipal services, and all-important climate change goals.  

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Tags: Annex · Opinion