Local MPs were split in last Wednesday’s vote on whether to accept the report of the recent special committee on electoral reform. The report, which was produced by an all-party committee and recommended that the government move forward with electoral reform, was defeated in the May 31 vote, with all but two of the East […]
The Province of Ontario recently announced that it will pass into law carbon cap and trade legislation to combat global warming. What will be the cost to you and your family? Even though the word “tax” is not used, the price of everything will rise significantly once the system begins on January 17, 2017. The […]
While knocking on doors during the 2014 election, I quickly learned that healthcare was a key concern in Beaches-East York. Toronto East General Hospital was scheduled for expansion, but provincial funding was jeopardized by the election. Residents did not want to see the loss of a much-needed renewal that would help TEGH modernize and better […]
I was recently on a panel at my alma mater Queen’s University where I was asked who my favourite Prime Minister is. My answer? Lester B. Pearson, for many reasons: from public healthcare, to the Canada Pension Plan, to Canada Student Loans, to our shared love of baseball – but especially for his international focus […]
As the excitement – or shock – over the landslide win of the Liberal government under Justin Trudeau settles in, everyone is waiting to see whether the party’s promises for “real change” will come true. What can Canadians, Torontonians and East Enders expect from their environmental agenda? In Real Change: A new plan for Canada’s […]
Ontario is in the process of selling off 60 per cent of Hydro One, our public electric utility. Fifteen per cent was sold off this month. Additional shares of 15 per cent will be sold off every year to private investors until 2019. The province will retain a 40 per cent ownership. What does it […]
Probably the most controversial action taken since I was elected is the decision to sell off 60 per cent of Hydro One. I have heard from many constituents about the deal, and in this column will make the case for why it is the right thing for Ontario. Our mandate We do have a mandate […]
It has been a lethal year on the streets of Toronto. Twenty-three pedestrians have been killed so far in 2015, and last month, during Bike Month, three cyclists were killed within two weeks. After these tragedies, cyclists held a “die-in” at City Hall to honour the victims and call for action. I was there to […]
The debate rages on! Tear it down! Fix it! Build a hybrid!?! Make an eight-lane boulevard … with six … no, four stoplights for pedestrians. What to do with the east end portion of the old Gardiner Expressway? We Beachers can remember back to the 1990s when the debate was raging about tearing down the […]
Have you ever heard of a 999-year lease of a public park to a school in the City of Toronto before? Apparently nobody has. That is one reason many residents wrote to Mayor Tory and city councillors before the May 5 council meeting asking that the motion to lease Pantry Park to the Toronto District […]
