All Entries Tagged With: "Marcus Gee"

Gee: George Smitherman: Firm Stride, Uncertain Compass

The Globe’s Marcus Gee seems to have a solid respect for the drive of mayoral candidate George Smitherman, but wonders what direction he is heading:
“Despite all this detail, it’s often hard to know what he is about. At times on Monday he was sounding Fordish, calling for city hall to get its hand [...]

Gee: Lacklustre Mayoral Race Needs Forward-Thinking Vision

Globe columnist Marcus Gee sits down with his boss, Globe publisher William Thorsell, to get his thoughts on where things have gone wrong and the three areas the mayoral contest should focus on:
“I would like to hear from people running for office what role they think a city administration can play, in partnership with [...]

Gee: Don’t Give Up On Tolls Yet

Globe columnist Marcus Gee subscribes to the view that road rolls are an inevitability – all that is needed is a wider discussion of facts and political leadership:
“Before you can move on controversial ideas like tolls, you have to break the taboo against talking about them. In the past couple of years – and especially [...]

Gee: Ford’s Proposal To Halve Council Won’t Save Money Or Improve Service

The Globe’s Marcus Gee has some serious doubts that the proposal by mayoral candidate Rob Ford will result in any improvement for residents:
“Mr. Ford likes to point out that Toronto gets by just fine with 22 federal MPs, 22 provincial MPPs and 22 school trustees. But people don’t call their member of parliament [...]

Gee: One-Note Ford Is Resonating With Voters

The Globe’s Marcus Gee reacts to the news that mayoral candidate Rob Ford is surging in the latest polls asking about who Torontonians think should be the next mayor:
“Who better to exploit that anger than the red-faced councillor from Etobicoke North? The Nanos Research poll for The Globe and Mail, CTV and CP24 [...]

Gee: Toronto Democracy Is Not As Sick As You Think

In the wake of the Better Ballot mayoral debate, the Globe’s Marcus Gee wonders whether any kind of substantive electoral reform would increase voter engagement:
“It’s a noble exercise and it generated some interesting talk at a mayoral debate on the issue Tuesday evening, but would structural reforms like these really improve civic engagement [...]

Gee: Smitherman’s Plan Simply A Transit Lover’s Fantasy

Globe columnist Marcus Gee rips into mayoral candidate George Smitherman’s new transit plan, which he says contains no real plans on how he’ll pay for:
“Mr. Smitherman called the plan both “ambitious” and “affordable.” Reckless and irresponsible might be better.
Seven billion is a lot of money for a city with an annual operating budget [...]

Gee: Subway Tunnels In The Sky

Globe columnist Marcus Gee is skeptical the mayoral candidates can deliver  on their pledge to bring expanded an subway system to Toronto residents:
“Subways cost around three times as much as light rail. Expanding the Spadina subway north to York University, for example, is costing about $300-million a kilometre. Do the math.Yet some [...]

Gee: A (Fictional) Hot-Dog Seller’s Take On Toronto’s Mayoral Race

Interviewing a make-believe everyman, Globe scribe Marcus Gee sizes up the top mayoral candidates six months out:
“George Smitherman: What happened to Furious George? Guy was supposed to stomp on the rest of the field. Instead he’s pussyfooting. Bike lanes on University and Jarvis? He says we need an “integrated, city-wide transportation plan.” [...]

Gee: Bike Lanes Deserve Better Than To Be Exploited As Election Issue

Globe scribe Marcus Gee chastises mayoral candidates for attempting to anger residents over installation of bike lanes, notably the University Ave pilot project:
“Why the over-the-top reaction to such a small and sensible idea? Sad to say, the reasons are purely political. Our ranting candidates are trying to ride what they see as a [...]

Gee: Toll Stand Takes Guts

Globe columnist Marcus Gee gives kudos to mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson for her subway proposal, but isn’t sure the issue is a winner:
“Her subway plan may be unrealistic and unaffordable, but Ms. Thomson is the first mayoral candidate to argue openly for tolls. With roads crumbling, greenhouse-gas targets looming and transit crying out [...]

Gee: City Unions Didn’t Realize How Good They Had It

Marcus Gee at the Globe bets the union that represents city employees is regretting pushing Mayor David Miller to a strike last summer: 

“[T]he two leading candidates to replace him are talking openly and aggressively about contracting out some city services delivered by union members.
It’s a radically different political landscape from the one the [...]

Giambrone’s Future As TTC Chair Debated

With Adam Giambrone leaving the mayoral race under a cloud of controversy, calls for him to resign as TTC Chair continue to grow.  The Toronto Sun Editorial Board leads the charge:
But how can the disgraced Giambrone head the TTC in the midst of the worst customer relations crisis in its history, which occurred on his [...]

Gee: Giambrone Should Drop Mayoral Bid

Marcus Gee writes in the Globe & Mail that mayoral candidate Adam Giambrone should drop out of the mayor’s race to rebuild personally and politically:
“Mr. Giambrone is one of the sharpest guys on city council. He works very hard and knows his stuff inside out. His political career is damaged but not crippled. In a [...]

Gee: Rob Ford, Please Run

Globe columnist Marcus Gee figures Etobicoke Councillor Rob Ford would fill a void in the current mayoral candidate line up:
“In the often stifling world of City Hall, where all right-thinking people believe that public housing is the people’s gift to the poor and Transit City unquestionable, he is the raw, sometimes lunatic voice of [...]

Gee: Giambrone Will Have To Move Quickly

Marcus Gee at the Globe suggests that new mayoral candidate Adam Giambrone should work quickly to make sure the TTC isn’t a fatal political liability:
“It won’t do to say, as Mr. Giambrone did in a recent pronouncement, that he is merely chair of the TTC, not the general manager. That’s true as far as it [...]

Gee: Ambition? Hubris? What Is Neophyte Candidate Thinking?

At the Globe, Marcus Gee thinks mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson brings the right attitude to her mayoral bid, but may lack in other areas:
“Ms. Thomson, 42, is set to announce her candidacy today. It’s an act of spectacular ambition. Or hubris. Or perhaps recklessness. Every Toronto mayor in memory has served on city council first. [...]