February 25, 2014

Making Life More Affordable

While major media outlets were busy covering the federal Liberal policy convention in Montréal on February 22, 2014, there was another significant political development that day which needs to be heard. In 141 ridings across Canada, a total of 2,172 volunteers mobilized for the NDP’s first National Day of Action to promote their affordability campaign. I was part of this campaign with MP Peggy Nash and fellow members of the Parkdale High Park NDP riding association. While canvassing, I found most of those who answered the door expressed their support and signed the petition, which Peggy confirmed in an earlier blog post.

February 17, 2014

Why the Electoral System Matters

One issue that is getting considerable media attention as of late is the electoral system, which is the way people vote. At all three levels of government in Canada, the current electoral system is called first past the post, in which the candidate with the most votes wins the position he/she is running for. While simplicity may be the primary advantage of the current system, there are many drawbacks.

February 03, 2014

Observations from the Council Chamber

On Monday, January 27, I entered Toronto City Hall’s Council Chamber for the first time ever in order to attend a consultation regarding Porter Plans. For those not familiar what this is, Porter Airlines is currently seeking to extend the runway at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport by 200 metres in each direction in order to accommodate the Bombardier CS100 jet aircraft. The Tripartite Agreement governing Billy Bishop Airport – signed by the City of Toronto, the Toronto Port Authority (the airport’s managing body), and Transport Canada – currently does not allow jet aircraft to fly there. As one of the three signatories, Toronto city council would have to approve the amendment of this agreement in order for Porter Plans to proceed, along with subsequent approval by Transport Canada. The latest city staff report on Porter Plans can be found at http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-64318.pdf.