Pack your bags and travel!

If there is one thing I can suggest to improve your political (and civic) health, it's to take every chance you can get to travel! Especially when you are in your twenties and do not have as many obligations to attend to! Not only does it allow you to see new places, learn new languages, or try new things; it's a good way to meet new people and learn from their experiences. Personally, I recently returned from my first ever trip to Europe for two weeks.

Is Cycling Becoming An Election Issue?

After decades of urban planning being primarily oriented towards automobiles in North America, various signs are pointing towards that model becoming obsolete.

1. When adjusted for population growth, driving in the United States peaked in 2005 and is currently at its lowest level in 20 years.[1]
2. Younger people are deferring or abandoning vehicle purchases for reasons ranging from the persisting difficulty in finding work to a preference for living in bike and transit friendly urban areas.
3. Cycling has increased in popularity to a point where cyclists now outnumber cars on College Street in Toronto.[2]

Elected officials are starting to take note with varying degrees of commitment. Does this mean cycling is finally getting heard as a legitimate election issue? Let’s explore what is being done at all three levels of government.

A bidirectional cycle track on Burrard Street (Vancouver)

Not Your Traditional New Democrat

Earlier today, over 30 “high profile” New Democrats sent an open letter to Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Andrea Horwath criticizing her populist policies and her opposition to the Liberals’ budget.[1] While I have had my reservations about Andrea Horwath – specifically her lack of proper communication on certain issues – to warrant her changes as a reason to give up on the NDP is taking things too far. For this blog post, I would like to describe how I ended up supporting the NDP and why Horwath’s new style is not as unorthodox as it appears.

Me with the late Jack Layton - May 1, 2011

How does urban planning affect city residents?

Something that makes me go ballistic about Canadian society today is our dependence on automobiles. If that wasn’t outlandish enough, this is coming from someone who has to drive to work. Driving is the unfortunate reality for 70% of Toronto commuters and for over 90% of commuters in certain parts of Canada.[1] This post will explore how we got into this situation from a personal and a societal perspective.

Covering Both Sides of the Camera

Dealing with the various types of media such as print, radio, television, and social media become inevitable when it comes to politics. Candidates for office use media to promote their campaigns to voters, while reporters cover and scrutinize campaign content. For some people such as Jennifer Hollett, whom I interviewed for this post, she has been on both sides of the camera, given her journalist career and her past candidacy for the NDP nomination in Toronto Centre.

Getting the Tools to Improve Cycling Infrastructure

Getting around has consistently been one Toronto’s most hotly debated topics. However, there is one component of transportation where Toronto has been falling behind other world class cities, and that involves cycling infrastructure.

Becoming Someone They Were Fighting Against

At one point does someone who constantly fought against a negative image becomes that very image? This description applies to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. While in opposition before the 2006 election, he called out the Liberals under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin for scandals involving the federal sponsorship program. He campaigned on transparency and accountability, which lead him to introduce the Accountability Act and the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer soon after taking office. Given these measures, one may think Harper would be on his way to cleaning up Ottawa.