Tory a huge letdown for progressives
Toronto has many needs. Our public housing is a hopeless scandal. The sick and elderly cannot get to medical care. The homeless need beds, not sidewalks. The abused need shelter. Indigenous youth need healing circles. The addicted and the mentally ill are poorly served. Many families cannot afford to eat healthy foods or purchase medicines. People need shoes and warm winter clothing. Schoolchildren need breakfasts. Our record as a caring community is disgraceful and getting worse.
On the other hand, we have Mayor John Tory, who is a dreamweaver. In order to appeal to his voting base he proposes one-stop subways for middle-class commuters, obscenely priced parkland in the sky for wealthy downtowners and various other fantasies for the privileged. That he has absolutely no idea where the billions for these vote-getters will come from does not seem to matter. What matters is his continued tenancy in the mayor’s chair, based on the selling of attractive and probably unobtainable dreams to his comfortable supporters.
The poor and disadvantaged have a faint voice. They don’t tend to vote in any substantial numbers — but since Tory doesn’t need their votes to be re-elected anyway he shows little interest in addressing their needs. Simply put, there is nothing in it for him.
There has been little action on the social scale coming from John Tory’s office. His term in office is a sad letdown for those who care for their fellow citizens. He has shown no initiative in any area other than buttering up his wealthy supporters in order to continue in his dream job.
In 2016, Toronto has never been a worse place to be poor or disadvantaged. Robert Kent, Toronto Toronto council, and especially Mayor Tory, dream constantly of things that would make Toronto better: subways, parks, buried expressways. But the city’s leaders always seem to plead “no money,” look to other governments to pay or just plain cheap out. The simple solution for Torontonians to get what they want: raise taxes. Torontonians need to do their share, too. Cheaping out just leaves you with second-rate projects. G.A. Loney, Richmond Hill