Rob Ford pledges to block LRT construction—even if council votes for it
Rob Ford pledges to block LRT construction—even if council votes for it

Fed up with know-it-all panels with their “data” and “facts,” Rob Ford has pledged to block the construction of an LRT on Sheppard Avenue if he loses a crucial council vote on Wednesday (which is looking likely). “If we don’t get the subway…we’re not going to waste people’s money and build an LRT,” Ford said on his radio show yesterday. The sour grapes logic suggests Ford is running out of time and options since experts (and more experts) have nixed his subway plan and council has indicated it supports LRT. We only hope the mayor won’t attempt a Tank Man manoeuvre. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »
lets hope he DOES do a tank man-but the tanks don’t stop….
Who cares anymore? Since 1980 this city has been screwed over transit-wise by politicians fighting with each other and terrible transit decision-making (ICTS trains on the Scarborough RT Line). Subways and LRTs each have advantages and disadvantages, so stop the posturing and fighting and BUILD US THE FULL TRANSIT SYSTEM A WORLD-CLASS CITY DESERVES AND NEEDS NOW! Make it a nice mix of all technology, but just do it!
You may joke about it, but pulling a ‘tank man’/chaining himself to a bulldozer is about his only option if council votes for LRT. The province is paying for the project, so any attempt to starve the project of money won’t work. Under the City of Toronto Act, the mayor does not have the power to veto inconvenient Council votes. He/she can only act as a sort of civic booster/conciliator/ambassador-at-large on larger provincial, national, and international stages.
Looks like poor Robbie thinks that Clayton Ruby’s lawsuit may have some merit and he’s doing his last hail-mary’s and grandstanding before he gets the much-deserved boot.
(is that Piers Handling behind his right shoulder?)
Folks, Rob has indulged you all so far because he’s a nice guy, doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But as he’s already said, what council wants is irrelevant. There are hundreds if not thousands of laws that give him the authority to build subways. And if there aren’t, what good is a democracy if a democratically elected mayor can’t do the stuff he said he would? Therefore such laws must exist. QED.
Mr Ford doesn’t have the guts to stop the LRT plan. He can scream and pout all he wants but council votes are supreme.
The sooner Ford receives the boot, the better. Then Toronto will finally dispose of some weight. If Ford doesn’t get what he wants, such as the subway, then Tweetle Dee and Tweetle Dumb(Rob and Doug) will espouse their solicited view points over the air. It is however, high time, he and his overinflated mind was deflated. Why must we spend more money on, or be held hostage by Tweedle Dumb (Ford)and The Toronto Trash Commission.(TTC)”Put the shovel to the ground and the money will come.” Sounds as if Ford has gone to the movies again.
Also, I’ve heard said of Toronto referred as a world class city, uh. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tourists don’t like Toronto. Not to mention, Toronto was referred to as one of the worst cities in North America. Whomever thinks Toronto is a world class city is hallucinating.
Rob Ford is such a fool. At this point the man appears to be deranged, and he probably is. He is unfit to be a mayor. He is probably unfit to be anything other than a loud, mouthy rich kid who still hasn’t grown up. He has the good fortune of having family money to keep him afloat. Without it, he would be one of the people we see on the streets begging. How is he going to stop the LRT? Is he going to stand in front of the construction equipment? That will work until they drag him away. He can pout, yell, have temper tantrums and thrash about all he wants, it is not going to work. Too bad he hasn’t the intelligence to notice that Toronto has a weak mayor system that requires the mayor to use diplomatic skills to move an agenda forward. It probably wouldn’t do him any good to try diplomacy, he is missing some brain cells in the emotional intelligence area of his brain.