Last fall the City of Toronto was thinking of getting into the food services business. They actually wanted to purchase 35 carts and lease them out to independent street vendors. Their plan was to diversify from hot dogs to ethnic fare, making the choices healthier and more in keeping with the diverse ethnicity of Toronto residents. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it. If I told you that it would have required the City of Toronto to take out a $700,000 would you still think so? No one else did either. Mayor Miller had no choice but to remove the $700,000 loan from the 2008 capital budget – a good move considering the amount of services that he cut citing lack of funds.

Not content to let this ill-fated plan die, Toronto has now resurrected it in a more modest form. It seems that no one really objected to the plan. It was the $700,000 loan that was highly objectionable. The current proposal involves a pilot project with 15 food service carts to be located in public parks or squares this summer. Under the new plan the City of Toronto will purchase the carts and then select where the carts can be located. They will be actively pursuing a private partner to help with the financing. Vendors would be selected according to the following criteria:
•    Financial viability
•    Compliance with city bylaws
•    Experience
•    What type of cuisine they are planning to sell
•    How healthy the food is
•    Reputation

This is bad news for existing hotdog vendors who would not be eligible unless they agree to give up their vending licenses. A full-scale program could begin in 2009. Do you think that the City of Toronto should be in the food service business?

You still won’t stop drinking and driving. The RIDE program officially ended at midnight on January 2nd and these were the results.

•  The OPP nabbed 1,200 drivers
•  In Toronto 217 suspensions were issued and 55 drinking-related charges were laid
•  In Ontario, 334 people have been charged with alcohol-related offences, and another 842 received license suspensions
•  On New Year’s Eve alone, the OPP issued 40 driving suspensions, arrested 13 motorists on impaired driving charges, and laid 148 other charges

What part about NO DRINKING AND DRIVING do these people have trouble understanding? The problem drinkers are so hardcore that the new feature of the RIDE program this year was the institution of an early morning shift created to catch drunk drivers on their way to work. It just boggles the mind!

Although we tend to focus on drinking and driving as a “holiday problem”, the sad truth is that it is an ongoing problem. As a result OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino will continue the RIDE program all year round. This year the RIDE program will conduct spot checks on a daily basis so that hopefully we can make a real difference in getting drunk drivers off the road and punishing them for their crime. Yes, drunk driving is a crime. In 2007 there were 80 alcohol-related deaths and that is just plain murder.

If you see a drunk driver on the road or see a drunken person get into a car and drive away, please call the OPP immediately at 1-888-310-1122 or visit the OPP website by following the link below.
http://www.opp.ca/english.htm

Many commuters, sick and tired of the endless gridlock on the 400 series of highways opted to pay the tolls and take the 407 ETR instead. And as a reward for your patronage the toll rates on the 407 ETR have gone up every year on February 1st for the last 4 years. And this year will be no exception. The 407 ETR, the only privately owned toll road in the province, has raised the peak rate price by more than 8 cents in the last 10 years. Just last year the peak rate price increase was 1.35 cents.

Motorists who use the 407 ETR will not be amused to know that the rate is increasing 9.4% on February 1st for cars, minivans, and SUVs, making the new peak rate price 19.5 cents per kilometer in the “regular zone” – from the 401 intersection in the west to the 404 junction in the east. In the “light zone” - the remainder of the highway from the QEW in Burlington to Highway
401 and from Highway 404 to Brock Road in Pickering – the peak rate price will be 19 cents per kilometer. The off-peak rate in both zones will be 18 cents per kilometer. The rates for single unit trucks will be 38.5 cents per kilometer and for 18-wheelers the rate will be 57.75 cents per kilometer. The big price break will be for transponder customers, who will be offered a 30 % discount on the transponder lease fee if they choose an annual transponder lease fee instead of a monthly fee.

Of course the party line is that the increases are so that the company can continue to add new lanes. What do you think? Is it road improvement or a cash grab?

The Toronto Transit System’s 501 Streetcar has received high praise indeed. It has made the National Geographic’s list of the world’s top 10 trolley rides because it is one of the longest transit routes in all of North America and it is a very scenic route. The 501 Streetcar line is almost 50 kms long and runs from Long Branch on the Mississauga border to the city’s easternmost streetcar loop at Neville Park. Currently it accommodates 43,500 riders per day during the work week. Unfortunately ridership has dropped dramatically in the last 25 years due to overcrowding, delays, unannounced route changes, and the expansion of the Bloor-Danforth subway and the Scarborough RT.

Never-the-less, the National Geographic was duly impressed and will include the 501 Streetcar in a new book called “Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Greatest trips”. You may take the 501 for granted, but she was named one of the world’s best trolley rides. The 501 is not a tourist line. It is an actual transit line used by the people of Toronto and it is one of the longest lines in North America. Traveling on the 501 is like seeing a microcosm of City of Toronto. Here are some of the sites that can be seen along the 501’s route:
•    The Beach
•    City Hall
•    Osgoode Hall
•    Impressive architecture
•    Nathan Phillips Square
•    Queen Street West with its funky shops, art galleries, bars, and restaurants
•    Old mansions
•    New Condos
•    Urban life
•    Industrial areas
•    Suburban life
•    Luxury
•    Decay
•    Parkdale
•    Roncesvalles
•    The waterfront
•    High Park
•    The Queensway
•    Lakeshore Blvd.
•    Long Branch

It really is quite marvelous when you come to think of it, as long as you are not in a rush to get to work and there isn’t a car stuck on the track……

Let’s face it, Toronto drivers are sadly lacking when it comes to winter weather driving. Snow, even in minor accumulations causes havoc on our highways and byways. And the amount of accidents with just a little snow on the ground is just staggering. During a snowstorm our roads are littered with hundreds, yes hundreds of accidents, and vehicles in snow banks and ditches. There seems to be a brain disconnect somewhere. The entire concept of “slippery roads means slow down” doesn’t seem to register. Very few people seem to have any idea of why 2nd gear is included with all vehicles regardless of whether they have manual or automatic transmissions. And since ABS brakes became standard equipment, drivers live with the mistaken impression that they can stop their vehicles on all road surfaces, including ice and snow.

It appears that there may soon be a penalty imposed for stupidity. There is a proposed change to the Highway Traffic Act to deal with drivers who won’t drive correctly for the road conditions – meaning YOU MUST SLOW DOWN in rain and snow. Failure to adjust your driving habits for the road conditions could result in being charged. It is assumed that the charge would be in line with an infraction like tailgating or making an illegal lane change. There is already a similar traffic policy in New York State where police can charge motorists who don’t respect the weather conditions where the law specifically deals with unsafe speed not befitting the road conditions. The Province of Quebec has just passed a law making snow tires mandatory.

Right now there is no accountability for driving inappropriately in bad weather except for an increase in your insurance rates. Do you think that charging drivers will result in drivers slowing down in bad weather?

The Toronto Transit system is stepping up to the plate this New Year’s eve and offering free rides from midnight to 4:00 AM. In spite of the cost - $80,000 – it is well worth it if it will save lives. Drinking and driving is a horrible problem in our society at the best of times, but on New Year’s Eve it is rampant. The TTC is looking for a corporate sponsor to help offset the cost. MADD Canada and the Toronto police are very supportive of the program.

The Ontario Provincial Police five-week holiday season RIDE program is now in effect and the 6 motorists were charged with impaired driving in the first 5 days. In addition, other police forces in the GTA, including the Ontario Provincial Police, are also conducting spot-checks throughout the holiday season. Unfortunately the recent snow storm has affected the number of spot checks in the city of Toronto as they are not set up as frequently in bad weather as the resources are needed elsewhere. Last year officers stopped almost 815,000 vehicles and charged 339 people with alcohol-related offences. They also issued 802 12-hour license suspensions and 365 suspensions lasting 90 days. Ontario has some of the toughest anti-drinking-and-driving laws in North America.

In 2007, 74 people died tragically and needlessly in alcohol-related accidents, which represent a 25% increase from last year. A study by the Traffic Inquiry Research Foundation says Canadians who drive over the legal limit climbed to just over 8%, up from about 5.5% in 2004. The RIDE program will continue through January 2, 2008. Impaired driving is the leading cause of criminal death in Canada. Have fun this New Year’s Eve but DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Or is the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) heading for a breakup? One of the main reasons is the sheer size of the TDSB, currently at approximately 259,000 students. The ideal size of a board is 50,000. The reason for the enormous size of the current board is that after the amalgamation of the city of Toronto, the Mike Harris government amalgamated 7 school boards into the current TDSB as a cost saving measure. The result has been a board that is too large to manage efficiently.

The reality is that the TDSB has a very large budget deficit to deal with and that the current structure is clearly not working. But, how do you change the system while satisfying the population that you are trying to serve. The board of trustees will consider 4 different models.

•    Full de-amalgamation model - The TDSB would cease to exist and new boards would be created.
•    Increased local decision-making model - The TDSB would remain as is but more resources and decision-making power would go to local entities.
•    Federal model - Regional boards would be set up to deal with local issues but board-wide issues will be decided by a central governing body.
•    Umbrella model - This would basically revert to what it was like pre-amalgamation. Sounds just like the full de-amalgamation model, doesn’t it?

What do you think is the answer? Are you in favour of scrapping the TDSB completely? Or do you prefer more modest changes? Will anyone really be satisfied with the result?

The TTC must feel like it has won the lottery jackpot. The will be receiving 400 million dollars in funding for maintenance and expansion. On top of that an additional 100 million dollars will go toward Metrolinx, the new and improved name for the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, for regional transit.

In case you don’t think that this spending is worthwhile here are some interesting statistics offered by Statistics Canada, Metrolinx, and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

•    Percentage of trips taken on transit in Toronto is 35%
•    Percentage of trips taken on transit in York Region is 9%
•    Percentage of Toronto area residents who say traffic congestion is a severe problem is 41%
•    Average Toronto area round trip commute time in 2005 is 79 minutes
•    Proportion of Toronto area workers with a round trip commute of an hour or more 66%
•    Number of car occupants in Toronto now is 1.1
•    Kilometres of carpool lanes on provincial roads in the Toronto region this year is 39
•    Kilometres of carpool lanes projected for 2031 is 400

As we all know the current transit system is not even close to meeting our needs. Hopefully commuters on the Lakeshore corridor while notice a significant improvement with the addition of 20 double-decker passenger coaches. York University will be better served with 10 new double-decker commuter buses on the Highway 407-Highway 403 corridor, and to York University. All-day, two-way train service between Toronto and Markham and Toronto and Newmarket and East Gwillimbury will be instituted.

Do you think that the 400 million dollars is being well spent?

The disabled face enough challenges in life without having to deal with able-bodied people who manage to obtain handicapped parking permits. These special permits give the disabled the right to park in specially designated parking spaces in shopping malls and other public parking lots, in addition to allowing them to park on the streets of Toronto for free. There 2 types of disabled parking permits – temporary and permanent. The temporary permits are usually given to people whose disability is a short term condition – post surgery or during the rehabilitation of an injury, while the permanent ones can apply to many conditions or illnesses. It is estimated that there are currently 470,000 temporary and permanent permits in use. And, abuse is rampant.

There are several ways that the province is attempting to end the disabled parking permit scams. Temporary permits are now issued for 12 months instead of 24. It has been suggested that these temporary permits should be done away with completely and that only people with serious long-term disabilities should qualify for a disabled parking permit. Interim permits are now issued for 2 months, instead of 6 while the applications are in process. There are many who say that this is a drop in the bucket and until law enforcement agencies get seriously involved, that there won’t be any significant improvement.

In New York City people seeking disabled parking permits must have a physician certify that there is a severe disability, and then this needs to be recertified by a New York City department of health physician. At the moment the only recourse that the city of Toronto has to deal with this problem is that parking ticket officers can investigate whether a permit belongs to the person using it. If the permit number is not registered to the driver or a disabled passenger using the vehicle, the person fraudulently using a disabled parking permit can be fined up to $5,000.

Do you know an able-bodied person who is using a disabled parking permit? What do you think should be done about it?

Now in its 15th fabulous year, The Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto is running its “Room at the Inn” program from December 1 – December 30. Partnering with St. Michael’s Hospital, Casey House Hospice, and Hospice Toronto this outstanding Toronto hotel is offering short-term, complimentary accommodations to families in need that are visiting hospitalized relatives in Toronto.

The “Room at the Inn” program makes up to 10 guestrooms per night available to families in need, with a maximum of 7 room nights per family. The medical partners are responsible for determining the eligibility of each family on an individual case by case basis. In addition to the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa, The Fairmont Winnipeg, and The Fairmont Newfoundland are also participating.

It’s wonderful to see a world class hotel open its doors and its heart to those families who are struggling with illness, particularly at this time of year. Through the generosity of the Fairmont Royal York these families will be able to remain together and be able to offer love and support to each other during this difficult time in their lives.

For families visiting hospitalized relatives in Toronto, there truly is “Room at the Inn”. Please pass this information along to those who may be able to avail themselves of this wonderful, charitable program. For more information please call 1-800-441-1414 or follow the link below. www.fairmont.com

Bravo Fairmont Royal York for giving back to the community in a meaningful way and helping to make the holidays a little brighter for families in need.