Three Point Platform for a better Toronto
Protecting Taxpayer Dollars
Protect Small Business
Protect this community from Irresponsible Development
More information can be found under the heading MY OBJECTIVES
The Inside Toronto profile can be found here. Read my latest newspaper article here(New October 18/10).Read my Epoch Times interview here
You have similar questions as I go door to door- click on the heading Blog to see some of my answers to those questions
Town Crier interview here NOW magazine declares a three horse race here,in Ward 16
- I am supporting the 0 percent budget increase.
- No more sole sourcing.
- Reduce Police budget increase to 3% (examine ways to outsource traffic duties or pay duties of police monitoring construction holes).
- Election Reform-reduce the rebate for donations to 50% from 75%.
- Start a "every dollar counts" incentive program for unions to find cost efficiencies and use that program during collective bargaining. I am referring to turning off lights, stopping the needless water that pours from the hydrants, job over-lapping, using bikes instead of cars. This means retraining and reallocating workers to areas where they are needed, NOT eliminating jobs. For example, why can't Councillor staff assist 311 during the day so people don't have to wait? Why are we paying for floor rental for 911 operators, when we can amalgamate some of these buildings and spaces through engineering?
- No more council perks(inflationary raises/ lower office budgets/ all office expenses must be signed by the spending Councillor and budget committee member).
- Co-ordinate management and large projects better to prevent ongoing wasteful spending-St Clair Right of Way, Peter Street Homeless shelter, $150 million to build a subway tunnel on Eglinton Ave West, then not use it. The city spent millions to build the Gardiner extension, then not build it. The do, undo, redo theory must stop.
- Stop paving roads, then tearing up roads to replace mains and then repaving.
- Give 10% of my salary to a bursary program that will give 8 post secondary students, a little extra money towards their tuition.
Protect Small Business
- Create free parking during off-set hours to prevent the exodus of dollars to big box malls.
- Redirect those extra By-law members to nights to monitor graffiti, postering and traffic safety issues and be a uniformed presence in our business areas(improving public perception as well).
- Double the current level of flowers in the planters in our Business Improvement Associations over 4 years.
- Aggressively reduce commercial property taxes to the level of those in the surrounding GTA in 2 years, not 4 (as planned).
- Add additional traffic lights on Yonge St North to make it safe to cross and encourage more commerce.
- Invest $2 city dollars to $1 for BIA's capital improvements. Currently the city matches BIA investments $1 to $1.
Protect this community from Irresponsible Development
- All development will be updated monthly at each Library in Ward 16. It will indicate what stage the project is on and how to support or oppose the development. Civic engagement is going to be key moving forward.
- Conflict of Interest clause added. Councillor Stintz accepted a $750 dollar donation from Adam Brown in 2006, the lawyer for Riocan's developments and Orchard View and Duplex Ave. All of these were developed in the last 4 years. Councillors should abstain from voting in a "conflict of interest clause".
- Close the loophole at Yonge/ Eglinton secondary plan that has NO height or density limits in the secondary plan. The only area in all of Toronto.
- Oppose all developments that do not have enough parking/infrastructure to support city statistics. 70% of ward 16 drives therefore 70% of residential condos units should have parking spaces.
- 1000 closest residents to the development will be notified throughout the process, that is not the case currently.
- Create arms length steering groups that the Councillor supports, but does not lobby.
More information can be found under the heading MY OBJECTIVES
The Inside Toronto profile can be found here. Read my latest newspaper article here(New October 18/10).Read my Epoch Times interview here
You have similar questions as I go door to door- click on the heading Blog to see some of my answers to those questions
Town Crier interview here NOW magazine declares a three horse race here,in Ward 16
Who am I?
I grew up in the 1980’s as a son of an independent businessman. My father owned D&W Video, one of the first video stores in Toronto that rented Beta and VHS films. D&W Video would only close when Rogers Video and Blockbuster moved in. As a result of that, I understand that the heartbeat of this neighbourhood is small business and I am dedicated to keeping it that way. I have a vision for Ward 16 Eglinton-Lawrence. One that allows this community to continue to grow. A vision that understands the value of the neighborhood, commits to ensuring that property values hold or increase. I envision a safe community of residential homes, low-rise buildings and high-rise condos. I see a thriving commercial hub of small business, existing big business and no graffiti.
I feel I can accomplish this in a short time. I have worked alongside several City Councillors over the past few years and am quite accustomed to the day-to-day business at Toronto City Hall. I have worked on Executive boards and as the Treasurer for Scarborough United Soccer Club. I have been a soccer coach for 4 years and have been involved in numerous other volunteer organizations. I consider labour a friend. I have attended the Ontario Federation of Labour Convention and the Canadian Labour Congress representing Durham Labour Council and the Canadian Autoworkers Union. That being said, The City of Toronto is not being run efficiently. I have spent years witnessing the bureaucratic nightmare of zoning and legal troubles at Toronto City Hall. This includes messy labour agreements and city staff that work 70 hours a week, while others work 20 hours over the same week. There is a great deal of entitlement with many of the City Councillors and I intend to change that.
One of my greatest professional accomplishments was the defeat of SmartCentre, a developer and their client WALMART at the Ontario Municipal Board. I was there for the creation of the steering committee that would later become the grassroots opposition(Im the interviewer, in the video) . I remained involved until the final decision of that Municipal Board in early 2009. It was only the second time Walmart or SmartCentre had been defeated in Canada.
I feel I can accomplish this in a short time. I have worked alongside several City Councillors over the past few years and am quite accustomed to the day-to-day business at Toronto City Hall. I have worked on Executive boards and as the Treasurer for Scarborough United Soccer Club. I have been a soccer coach for 4 years and have been involved in numerous other volunteer organizations. I consider labour a friend. I have attended the Ontario Federation of Labour Convention and the Canadian Labour Congress representing Durham Labour Council and the Canadian Autoworkers Union. That being said, The City of Toronto is not being run efficiently. I have spent years witnessing the bureaucratic nightmare of zoning and legal troubles at Toronto City Hall. This includes messy labour agreements and city staff that work 70 hours a week, while others work 20 hours over the same week. There is a great deal of entitlement with many of the City Councillors and I intend to change that.
One of my greatest professional accomplishments was the defeat of SmartCentre, a developer and their client WALMART at the Ontario Municipal Board. I was there for the creation of the steering committee that would later become the grassroots opposition(Im the interviewer, in the video) . I remained involved until the final decision of that Municipal Board in early 2009. It was only the second time Walmart or SmartCentre had been defeated in Canada.
My greatest personal achievement was an event called Mikesrunforsickkids.com. In 2007, I created a fundraiser in which I ran from Sudbury, Ontario to Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto, a total of 462kms, in 11 days. I was able to raise almost three thousand dollars for the hospital.
