May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on EDITORIAL: Ford’s climate fiction (May 2022)
We are just weeks away from the provincial election and voters are being besieged with election advertising. Every party is making bold claims of course, but the ruling Progressive Conservatives under Doug Ford are touting their environmental credentials, and that is nothing but offensive and absurd.
Ford’s recent love affair with electric vehicles (EV), for example, and the “greening” of steel production should not make us forget his litany of failures on the environment and climate change file that has set this province back decades.
Upon taking office, Ford cancelled the charging stations planned for provincially controlled highway service centres, scrapped EV rebates and dropped a requirement for new homes to feature wiring for potential EV chargers. What followed was a series of attacks on anything green, and a refusal to contemplate solutions to a manmade climate crisis of epic proportions.
The PCs cancelled the previous government’s relatively comprehensive “cap and trade” carbon reduction program, triggering a war with the federal government over their carbon pricing schedule—a war Ontario lost at the Supreme Court of Canada. They tore up 700 renewable energy projects, including ripping down nearly completed windmills which cost taxpayers millions in termination fees.
They pledged to build more highways over environmentally sensitive lands— a move that will no doubt induce more sprawl and rewrite planning rules to favour developers. It’s like it’s 1960 all over again.
In favour of resource development, the current government weakened protections for endangered species, removed the province’s toxic use reduction legislation and took apart the regulatory framework that controls industrial water pollution.
All of this might have caught the attention of then Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe. Doug Ford, though, was thinking ahead, so he eliminated that position, thereby denying citizens this vital watchdog. Since the creation of the office in 1994, it held the government, of whatever stripe, to account on environmental files. It reported directly to the Legislature. Given the demonstrated failures of this government, had Saxe been allowed to do her job, we might now be more aware of the damage Doug Ford has inflicted over four years.
The government seems to be operating under the assumption that those concerned about climate change, the environment, or endangered species would not vote for the PCs anyway. In reality, though, even voters in the 905 regions and beyond, may now be a little more conscious of the implications of climate change. His base may be loyal, but they too can read the government’s own expert advice, for example, about Highway 413—it will save them all of 30 seconds on their daily commute. There is also backlash against this government for using Ministerial Zoning Orders to override local governments in Richmond Hill and Markham in favour of developers. He runs roughshod over democracy for breakfast.
Under Doug Ford, the province moved away from evidence-based decision-making. Do we really need any more proof than the government’s chaotic response to COVID-19? In addition to eliminating the Environment Commissioner Dianne Saxe (who by the way is now running for MPP in University-Rosedale for the Green Party), Ford also fired Molly Shoichet, Ontario’s first chief scientist after only six months into her position. He never let’s the facts get in the way of governing.
We have had government policy seemingly driven by connections and whim; he couldn’t care less if in 100 years the planet is uninhabitable. For Ford, “It’s my way or the highway.” Or just maybe it’s both.
May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on FORUM: A budget for a booming economy (May 2022)
Inflation, housing and a green transition are all key elements
By Chrystia Freeland
On that Thursday in March, just over two years ago—when our travel plans were hastily cancelled, when our children came home from school, and when we rushed to the grocery store to buy toilet paper and hand sanitizer—we knew then that this virus would disrupt our lives.
But few of us realized quite how much or for quite how long.
Yet here we are. We bent, but we did not break. Canadians have done everything that has been asked of them, and more.
And so, to all of them—to all of you in University-Rosedale—I first want to say thank you!
Last month, I tabled Budget 2022—our plan to grow the economy and make life more affordable for Canadians.
When COVID-19 first hit, Canada suffered a tremendous economic blow. Three million Canadians lost their jobs. Our economy contracted by 17 per cent¬¬—the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
But today, the Canadian economy has not just recovered—it is booming.
Our real GDP is more than a full percentage point above where it was at the start of the pandemic. As of March 2022, Canada has recovered 115 per cent of the jobs that were lost during those awful first months. We now have an unemployment rate that sits at just 5.3 per cent—the lowest on record. There are more Canadians employed now than before the pandemic.
This is thanks to the remarkable resilience of Canadians, and to the emergency financial assistance we put in place to protect Canadians and Canadian businesses in their time of need.
But while our economy has come roaring back, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more challenges that we need to tackle.
Inflation—a global phenomenon—is making things more expensive in Canada, too. Snarled supply chains have driven prices higher at the checkout counter. Buying a house is out of reach for far too many Canadians. Russia’s illegal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine is directly contributing to higher food and energy prices—both here at home and around the world.
We need to do better, as a country, at innovating and encouraging small businesses to grow. We need to continue to address the existential threat of climate change.
In response to these challenges, Budget 2022 outlines a plan to build a stronger and more resilient economy based on three pillars: investing in Canadians; investing in economic growth and innovation; and investing in the green transition.
Investing in Canadians: Put simply, Canada does not have enough homes. Anyone in Toronto can tell you what that means for housing prices. Budget 2022’s housing measures will put us on the path to double housing construction over the next decade. It will help Canadians save for and buy their first home, ban foreign investment in Canadian housing and curb the unfair practices that make housing more expensive for Canadians. The budget invests in Canadian workers by ensuring they have the skills they need for the good-paying jobs of today and tomorrow, and it will make it easier for skilled immigrants—people our economy needs!—to make Canada their home. The budget also makes further significant investments in affordable child care, in our public health care system and in advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Investing in economic growth and innovation: Our plan includes launching a world-leading Canada Growth Fund that will attract tens of billions of dollars in private investment for Canadian industries and Canadian jobs. A new innovation and investment agency will help Canadian businesses innovate, grow, and create new jobs. The budget also proposes to implement Canada’s first Critical Minerals Strategy—one that will create thousands of good jobs and capitalize on a growing need for the minerals used in everything from phones to electric cars. Other measures include steps to build more resilient supply chains and to cut taxes for our growing small businesses.
Investing in the green transition: the global economy is changing, and Canada can lead the way on the path to net-zero.
The Canada Growth Fund will help bring to Canada some of the trillions of dollars in private capital looking to invest in clean industries and jobs.
In addition to more investments to protect our land, lakes, and oceans, we will also make it more affordable for Canadians to purchase zero-emission vehicles, build and expand a national network of zero-emission vehicle charging stations and make new investments in clean energy.
And to make sure we aren’t leaving our children with bills they won’t be able to pay, we are also continuing to deliver on our fiscal anchor—a declining debt-to-GDP ratio and the unwinding of the COVID-19 deficits we took on to keep Canadians safe. This anchor will ensure our finances remain sustainable for decades to come. Canada has a proud tradition of fiscal responsibility. It is my duty to maintain it—and I will.
Budget 2022 is a responsible plan to grow our economy and make life more affordable for Canadians. It will make it easier for businesses to grow. It will mean more jobs and more prosperity for Canada, and it will mean a better, cleaner economic future for our children.
And it will make sure that Canada remains the best place in the world to live, work, and raise a family.
Chrystia Freeland is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and MP for University-Rosedale.
May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on FORUM: Build it and they will come (May 2022)
Shaw Street, Toronto’s first street with more bikes than cars
By Mike Layton
When we think of ways to improve Toronto’s cycling network, grand projects such as the bike lanes across the city’s core on Bloor Street or Danforth Avenue, typically come to mind.
While some of the smaller, quieter changes also improve road safety for cyclists, they tend to be underrated and under-celebrated.
I want to focus on one such local project that has made a huge impact and is worth celebrating—the Shaw Street Safety Improvements.
New data collected by Transportation Services shows that Shaw Street, the quiet, garden-lined residential street, east of Ossington Avenue, is Toronto’s first street with more bikes than cars.
When the Shaw Street contra-flow lanes were installed in 2013, they quickly became one of the city’s most popular cycling routes.
In 2020, city staff implemented major upgrades to Shaw Street to improve the operation of the street and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
These upgrades included a directional change to motor vehicle traffic on Shaw Street and adjacent streets to reduce cut-through traffic, the addition of a cycling-only block on Shaw Street between both Essex Streets and upgrades to the contra-flow bike lane.
The data reveals that the project has accomplished exactly what it set out to do.
Overall, the data shows an increase in cycling on Shaw Street and a decrease in both the speed and number of motor vehicles.
To highlight a few outstanding statistics, between Harbord and Bloor, cycling volumes are up by 205 per cent, compared to car trips which are down by 60 per cent.
At its peak, between September and November 2021, there were 4300 bicycle trips compared to just 1479 car trips.
This trend continues elsewhere on Shaw Street where we see sharp increases in bicycle trips and steady decreases in car trips.
The data also shows a significant reduction in cut-through motor vehicle traffic on adjacent streets. On Barton Street, where traffic has long been a concern for many in the neighbourhood, there were 1060 fewer car trips over a 24-hour period compared to pre-2020 levels.
There is no doubt that these changes have improved traffic safety for the many commuters, families, and residents who travel and live along Shaw Street.
We also know that how safe people feel is a significant factor in whether they decide to adopt cycling, which in turn reduces car dependency and eases motor vehicle traffic.
Installing cycling connections on local roads is key to connecting more bike routes throughout the city and should not be overlooked as a critical piece of the puzzle to complete our cycling network.
It will also play an integral role in cutting emissions and building a greener future for our children.
If you have questions or want more information on this project, or any other, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
You can also visit www.miklayton.to for the latest on this and many other city-related issues.
Mike Layton is city councillor for Ward 11, University–Rosedale.
May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Construction begins on Estonian Centre (May 2022)
Ceremony launches ambitious building schedule
Not at all dissuaded by the rain, approximately 100 gathered for the groundbreaking. BRIAN BURCHELL/GLEANER NEWS
By Joshua Snow
KESKUS International Estonian Centre, located at 9 and 11 Madison Ave., held their official construction launch on April 8. The expected opening date is October 2023.
KESKUS replaces Toronto Estonian House, and it will be a vibrant community hub dedicated to celebrating Estonian heritage and innovation.
A gathering place for Estonians and the public, the venue will include classrooms, a grand hall, and a café.
It will also house the Estonian Credit Union, the Estonian Choir, and Estonian schools.
Construction began in early March, and the groundbreaking marked a milestone for the Estonian community.
“This is finally the historical moment with this monumental project,” said Ellen Valter, a project leader at KESKUS.
At the ceremony, many people flew Estonian and Canadian flags, and former Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, spoke about the valuable contributions immigrants make to Canada:
View, looking East from Madison Avenue, of the soon to be constructed Estonian Cultural Centre. The proposal has widespread support from the residents’ association and the city alike. COURTESY ALAR KONGATS
“This is the beauty of Canada … We bring our culture and contribute to the fabric of Canada. Don’t ever forget where you come from. We must be united in our stand for freedom, and support countries around the world in their pursuit of independence,” said Clarkson.
The five-day opening ceremonies will celebrate the facility and Estonian culture.
“Estonia is seen as a tiny nation capable of running big ideas. KESKUS brings the vision of a stunning contemporary Estonian cultural centre to life,” said Valter.
“For five days we will make Toronto rock in all harmonies Estonian,” Valter continued.
Estonia’s ambassador to Canada, Toomas Lukk, attended the construction launch and received the first invitation to the opening ceremonies.
“This landmark international centre, to go from dream to reality is a great source of pride for Estonia and for Estonians everywhere,” said Lukk.
KESKUS provided updates about the project through a virtual community engagement webinar on March 24.
“We expect to be done by October 2023, but on time and under budget is seldom the case,” Valter said.
The total project budget is approximately $41 million.
“Leadership donors doubled and tripled their donations to ensure the construction of KESKUS could responsibly begin,” said Liisa Käärid, board chair of the Estonian Arts Centre.
Built by the Estonian community, KESKUS International Estonian Centre is the first of its kind in over half a century.
May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Annex Food Hall pivots to Asian night market (May 2022)
“Rising tides raise all boats”
Superfresh is named after the 24-hour Korean-owned grocery store that operated out of this location for many years.
By Danielle Popov
The Annex Food Hall closed during the pandemic, but it will soon be reborn as an all Asian-owned 4,000 sq. foot night market called Superfresh.
Outside the market, a neon sign says fresh in Korean and Mandarin. Rachel Lee, a bartender at one of the new vendors, explains that “we’re not one restaurant, we’re multiple restaurants taking care of each other. At the end of the day, if one restaurant is struggling, everyone is struggling. We thought it was the best time, even with the help of the government.”
Superfresh celebrates Asian pop culture with a nostalgic twist.
Superfresh evokes an Asian night market and transports visitors to an alleyway in Korea, Northern China, Nepal or Taiwan. Featuring cuisines from different parts of Asia, the market also celebrates Asian pop culture with a nostalgic twist, from the décor to the name itself. Superfresh was Toronto’s first 24-hour Korean-owned grocery store that operated at this location for many years.
The market was cofounded by James Lee, (owner of the former Annex Food Hall), Trevor Lui (Joybird), Jae Pak and Dave Choi, and it will include Joybird Fried Chicken, Big Beef Bowl (traditional Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles) and Auntie’s Supply (a superette featuring snacks popular with millennials). The other vendors remain a surprise.
The night market aims to transport visitors to an alleyway in Korea, Northern China, Nepal or Taiwan.
“Rising tides raise all boats,” said owner, James Lee, about the collective decision to replace the food hall with a concept many years in the works. Lee would like Superfresh to be a cultural and community hub, as well as destination hot spot. In addition to celebrating Asian food, the market will feature a bodega, pop-ups, live DJs, and events in secret locations.
May 17th, 2022 · Comments Off on ARTS: A corridor of possibilities (May 2022)
Photography festival explores the shocking and the everyday
Vista, 2021, by Alison Galley from the Lifescapes: Through the Lens exhibit at the Dignam Gallery is part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival. COURTESY ALISON GALLEY/THE DIGNAM GALLERY
By Meribeth Deen
It’s been a long winter, so you may have forgotten, but you live in a destination hot spot. The days are getting longer and warmer, so there’s no excuse not to get out there and find a little inspiration. You live in the Annex, so you don’t need to travel very far—the Bloor St. Culture Corridor is at your doorstep: museums, films, concerts, art exhibitions, theatre performances, family events, and classes.
All these opportunities represent some of Toronto’s cultural diversity, including French, Jewish, Italian, Estonian, Japanese and Indigenous.
The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival takes place in May in galleries throughout the city—it’s a great time to delve into the raw realism this medium has to offer.
Presented by The Istituto Italiano di Cultura at 496 Huron St., the exhibit Surviving Humanity takes place at the Allen Lambert Galleria (Brookfield Place, 181 Bay St.) and features works by Italian photographer and journalist, Alberto Giuliana. Giuliana’s focus is on how human ingenuity might prevent our extinction from climate change, and the installation confronts a question asked by Giuliani’s children: “How will the world be when we grow up?” In the following statement, he elucidates the project.
Eden Project biospheres, Cornwall, UK, 2017 by Alberto Giuliani is on display at the Allen Lambert Galleria (Brookfield Place, 181 Bay St.). COURTESY ALBERTO GIULIANI/ INSTITUTO CULTURA ITALIANO
“My life as a journalist and explorer revolved around a single goal—to find a way to defy death, and in broader sense, to learn how the massive changes facing the planet were being addressed.
“For the first time in world history, these changes were jeopardizing the survival of a large part of the population. After all, there was a prophecy for that too—humankind itself was said to face extinction.
“In pursuit of such answers, I crossed the globe…and the steps I took led to the cities of the future, havens deep in the earth’s core, safe from outside cataclysms. The things I learned, and the people I had the privilege of meeting—scientists, luminaries, astronauts, researchers, visionaries, politicians—were more than anything I could ever have imagined.”
Next stop is, Tartu College, located at 310 Bloor St. W. Organized by VEMU, Estonian Museum in Canada, the exhibit Ukrainian Frontline Photography presents photographs that document the war in Ukraine.
The exhibit includes works by Ukrainian street photographers as well as the Estonian photographer, Dmitry Kotjuh. Here is how the Bloor Street Culture Corridor website describes the photographs: “They show crushed municipal and civil buildings, vehicles, and bridges; soldiers and ordinary citizens with all kinds of weapons and Molotov cocktails; carrying the deceased ones and rescuing domestic animals; rolling suitcases on ruined streets, fire, and smoke in snowy trenches. The exhibit runs until the end of July.
The Dignam Gallery, at 23 Prince Arthur Ave. presents Lifescapes: Through the Lens, a group photography exhibition by members of the Women’s Art Association of Canada.
Who knows what other cultural gems you’ll find in the corridor just by stepping out of your house this month. If you encounter anything particularly great or inspiring, let the Gleaner know!
Comments Off on ARTS: A corridor of possibilities (May 2022)Tags:Annex · Arts
Coming up April 20 to 30 at the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) is the Barbara Feith Memorial Exhibition. Feith, who passed away on Feb. 11, 2021 was an inaugural member of the Royal Conservatory of Music and a long-time member of WAAC. In recognition of a very generous bequeath, WAAC has designated her former studio as the Barbara Feith studio for their artist-in-residence program. COURTESY WOMEN’S ART ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Amendments to bylaw increase density in established neighbourhoods
New bylaw allows backyard buildings to be residences. FOX OLIVER/GLEANER NEWS
By Joshua Snow
The City of Toronto has been talking about garden suites for years, and on Feb. 2, council agreed to a policy that allows homeowners to build a detached suite in their backyards.
Approval of the garden suites bylaw falls under the city’s Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative. Garden suites increase Toronto’s housing options, as they can be used as rental units.
Like laneway houses, garden suites are detached units, but they do not have to be built on a laneway, which means they provide more flexibility for homeowners. The main house provides connections for all the utilities.
However, not all houses with backyards will be eligible, because the suites cannot cover more than 40 per cent of the backyard. This requirement ensures that emergency services can easily access the unit.
Since the population of Toronto is expected to reach 3.5 million by 2030, garden suites can help address the lack of affordable housing in the city.
Initially, council members only considered garden suites to be a form of rental housing; however, they can also provide housing for family members.
In a press release, Mayor John Tory said that the “garden suites regulations approved today represent a ‘Made In Toronto’ solution with sensible regulations to protect neighbours, trees/green space and create options for multigenerational housing through ‘gentle density.’”
Amid the senior long-term care crisis this is a topic of interest among many people in Toronto.
In an interview, Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) explained that he supports garden suites because “multigenerational households help families who don’t want to put their parents in long-term care and gives people options. ”
But the construction of these housing units won’t be cheap. Layton estimates that each unit will cost around $400,000 to build. For a secondary house, this price could be too high for many Torontonians.
If renting the unit is an option then “it may be worth it down the line,” said Layton.
However, not everyone supports the garden suites bylaw. Following its approval, a group of homeowners launched an appeal because they feel that their privacy may be affected by this new policy.
In an email to the Gleaner, the chair of the Annex Residents’ Association (ARA), Rita Bilerman wrote that, “garden suites won’t impact our neighbourhood…they will not add much to housing supply or to housing affordability in our city.”
But Councillor Mike Layton suggests that “if it benefits them, why not let them build it?”
Garden suite vs. Laneway house
On Feb. 22, Toronto city council expanded permissions to allow the construction of garden suites on residential properties. A garden suite is a separate and detached housing unit on an existing residential property, which does not directly face a street or alley. As this area is typically where a garden would be, these housing units are referred to as garden suites.
Laneway houses have been legal since June 28, 2018, and may seem quite similar to garden suites; however, there is one key difference. A laneway house is built on a piece of land that has been severed from the original property. The original property faces the street, while the severed property faces the laneway. A garden suite, however, is not built on a severed property; the main building and the garden suite are on the same piece of land, and the main house provides the utilities for the garden suite.
Garden suites provide homeowners with a new option to support renters, without having to deal with the headache and hefty price of severing their property, or alienating their ownership of land. To minimize the initial cost and risk of investing in a second building, the city has offered a forgivable loan of up to $50,000 for eligible homeowners who rent their garden suite. While there is no minimum lot size for a garden suite, the building must not cover more than 40 per cent of the backyard. Also, the suite must be within 45 metres of the street, with a path of at least one metre wide and 2.1 metres tall to provide emergency services access to the property.
TDSB extends olive branch to neighbours whose cherished garden was razed
By Danielle Popov
Palmerston Avenue Junior Public School has been educating neighbourhood children for 133 years. Over the past 20 years, a group of neighbourhood parents showed their love for the school by tending a community garden on the property; that is, until the school’s facilities team razed it—without consulting or warning parents, many of whom had spent hundreds of hours working in the garden. Now, as spring approaches, the Parent Council and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) have come to an agreement: they will work together on a complete overhaul of the school grounds.
The garden rebuild process has been delayed because there were preexisting plans to redesign the larger site, in particular, the part that is shared with Palmerston Community Daycare. Originally, the parents were concerned that the redesign would not include a new community garden or honour the legacy of the previous one. However, at a meeting on Sept. 6, a member of the TDSB sustainability board explained that, going forward, a garden on a TDSB property can no longer be altered without approval from senior facilities managers and the board’s team of landscape architects.
On April 5, the facilities team will present their plan to the Parent Council. It will include the location of the garden, new play structures, plantings and accessibility improvements.
“It’s really nice to see the enthusiasm,” says parent and volunteer Jesse Zuker. “Everyone—the principal [Rory Sullivan], the facilities team, and Councillor Mike Layton—[has] agreed to start work and do something amazing for the school grounds. ”
Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) attended Palmerston School.
“We hope to build a legacy for the community,” says Jesse. “This school hasn’t seen much invested in it, and it’s been wonderful to see all the outpouring of support. “
Michael Ormston-Holloway, a Palmerston parent and a landscape architect at firm the Planning Partnership, has offered to help prepare concept designs. He is planning on “restitching the neighbourhood by improving drop-off points along Palmerston Avenue and Euclid Avenue” and creating a classroom biosphere, with an emphasis on native plants for pollinators and migratory songbirds. His focus is on using the landscape as a teaching tool for the students.
Ormston-Holloway also plans on establishing gateways to the school, as well as revitalizing the trees on the property that will become the “forest and canopy of tomorrow.”
The next steps for the Parent Council would be to work with the TDSB and the city to explore funding opportunities and develop a shared user agreement, allowing both students and members of the public to use the grounds at different points in the day.
Lifetime Developments’ Brian Brown is also supporting the project with a community benefits contribution. This is pending a formal agreement with the City, utilizing the developer’s Section 37 contributions.
The Parent Council will launch a formal fundraising campaign in the next few months.
April 11th, 2022 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Greens tap Dianne Saxe (Spring 2022)
Saxe was Environmental Commissioner before Ford axed role
Annex resident Dianne Saxe, the last Ontario Environmental Commissioner before Doug Ford axed the role, seeks a mandate to return as an MPP. COURTESY DIANE SAXE
By Danielle Popov
Dianne Saxe hopes to return to Queen’s Park as an MPP with the Green Party of Ontario. The former provincial Environment Commissioner’s role was abolished in 2019 by the Ford government. Her plan, she says, is to push the province to tackle the climate crisis with authority.
“People talk about holding the government accountable – that’s exactly what I did as the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario,” says Saxe. “I’ve done more to hold the government accountable than any oppositional venture can do.”
Dr. Saxe was appointed as Environmental Commissioner of Ontario in 2015 to provide oversight on 17 government ministries. She also delivered 17 reports on energy, environment and climate issues to serve public issues. Dr. Saxe was an environmental lawyer for 46 years; in that time, she won Toronto’s first Environmental Lawyer of The Year, and was acknowledged as one of the world’s top 25 environmental lawyers by Best of the Best.
“I have a very thorough expertise in how government works, in how the law works, in how businesses to any scale works,” she says.
Dr. Saxe is also proud of her work representing Ontario municipalities and successfully obtaining $115 million from Stewardship Ontario over the Blue Box program (the only year that municipalities got the full 50% of what they were owed).
She also spent most of 2021 preparing and consulting the Green Party of Ontario’s Roadmap to Net-Zero, the Green Party’s climate plan to reach net-zero by 2045.
Dr. Saxe’s decision to run for the Green Party was not an easy one (she was decisively non-partisan for 45 years) but she is motivated by the belief that action towards a greener future needs to be taken.
“What we need is good public policy, and those decisions get made by people who are elected.”
Her roots with University-Rosedale run deep. She grew up in the riding, her father was an MPP, and she raised her children here.
“The people of University-Rosedale have a unique opportunity where strategic voting is not necessary, and they can vote for the future that they want, rather than against Ford. University-Rosedale hasn’t voted Conservative in 40 years.”
Saxe adds that even a single Green MP or MPP has a big impact in changing the government’s conversation.
“The impact of having elected Greens is that we create thought leadership, in exactly the same way that I did as commissioner: I couldn’t tell anyone what to do but I could lay out, authoritatively, what the facts are and what good policy should look like.”
When asked about her stance on current University-Rosedale MPP Jessica Bell, Saxe responded with, “From everything I heard, Jessica Bell is a fine person. But she hasn’t been able to move her party, and we can tell that from the green plan that they have put out. We also have a better housing plan and much better climate plan.”
“In my last report, two days before my office was abolished, I stated that the largest source for climate and environmental destruction was urban sprawl. And if you look at the NDP’s climate plan, urban sprawl isn’t even mentioned. And the Liberals don’t even have a plan.”
“I hope to change the public’s understanding of what their choices are, which is something Jessica cannot do because she is bound by party discipline, but something I can and will do.”
Dr. Saxe is intent on listening to her riding and understands that that they are intent on wanting their vote to have an impact.
“Sending me back to Queen’s Park after Doug Ford went through so much trouble to try to shut me up, and electing deputy leaders in the Green Party – that will send a message that gets heard right across the province and beyond in ways that Jessica simply can’t do.”
Comments Off on FOCUS: Greens tap Dianne Saxe (Spring 2022)Tags:Annex · News
April 11th, 2022 · Comments Off on FOCUS: Liberals bank on star power (Spring 2022)
Former Trillium CEO, Andrea Barrack, joins race for MPP
Andrea Barrack sees Doug Ford’s unwillingness to make evidence-based decisions and make tough decisions as a fundamental flaw. COURTESY ANDREA BARRACK
By Joshua Snow
Andrea Barrack, Global Head, Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship at TD Bank, and former CEO at the Trillium Foundation, is running as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for University-Rosedale. Barrack’s motivation is her belief that she can be an effective voice for her constituents, and that the Ontario Liberals can get Doug Ford out of office.
“We have an opportunity to change the way the government serves the people of Ontario,” Barrack told the Gleaner. “I do think it’s my experience in the health care sector, the public sector, the private sector, in a variety of social, environmental, and economic roles, that kind of gives me a unique skill set to be able to do that.”
She adds that the government of Ontario is a huge enterprise, and getting things done in a large organization requires the will to build shared solutions and consensus.
“People say, well, we want better health care. Yeah, well, we do, but that’s really broad and really vague,” said Barrack, reflecting on the time she has spent knocking on the doors of potential constituents. “So we actually need to drill down on issues, to say specifically what do we mean and how would we hold ourselves accountable? And that’s the only way, in my experience, that we are able to have real change happen.”
Thinking back on her time as CEO of the Trillium Foundation, she feels that outcome-based strategies can effectively bring about change.
“What I was tasked to do as CEO was to say, well, how would we demonstrate value for the money we spent? It’s critical to be super clear about what you’re trying to do, and then measure whether you did it. Then report on it, and be transparent.”
She adds that the Ford government’s lack of transparency throughout the pandemic motivated her to run for office.
“In the beginning, every government screwed up, and that was fine. No one knew what they were doing. But now that we’re two years in, we should do better. And so when people feel like rules are arbitrary or not evidence-based or unfair or that government doesn’t care about them, that’s a problem for society. And so we need to listen to that and be cautious of that. But we also need to pay attention to the fact that the role of government is sometimes to make tough decisions. And I think what we’ve seen from Ford, quite frankly, is he doesn’t want to do that. He wants everyone to like him.”
Most importantly, though, Barrack says that her own life experience compels her to work towards building a more equitable Ontario.
“I was actually a pretty troubled kid who had an unplanned pregnancy at 16. I had that kid and I relied on social assistance, relied on childcare funded by the government so I could go to school, relied on having affordable housing when I was sort of a student,” says Barrack.
“What I worry about is that a lot of people now who do fall off course don’t have those same options. I care so much about that, and that should not happen in Ontario. We’re a rich province. We’re the smart province and so we should have a society where people can get back on track.”
–With files from Meribeth Deen
Comments Off on FOCUS: Liberals bank on star power (Spring 2022)Tags:Annex · News
