May 19, 2003
Although the Toronto municipal election is not until November 10, the race to replace Mel Lastman, the tiny imperfect mayor, has begun. In lengthy interviews held by the Toronto Star, the five main candidates were asked, "what would you do to repair the damage of SARS fallout?" Their answers on how to recover from the crisis revealed their insights on how the city would be run if they were elected.
Barbara Hall
Hall spent a lot of time praising health care workers and talking about "healing." Despite the fact that health care workers deserve a lot of credit, praising them wont get the economy moving. Hall also thinks its important to "heal" the Chinese and Filipino communities. This type of "healing" hints at the "racist" nature of the avoidance of Asian businesses, even though Asians were staying away too. Hall would also compensate hospitality workers who were laid off because of SARS. If the former mayor of pre-amalgamated Toronto has any ideas about how to overcome the economic downturn suffered by the city, shes keeping them to herself. The only reference to business was that she would impose a hotel tax. It seems Barb doesnt understand the basic principles of Economics 101; that increasing the price of hotel rooms is going to lead to less hotel rooms being booked, and will only lead to more hospitality workers being compensated.
If the touchy-feely Hall were in charge of the city now, Toronto would be going nowhere but down.
David Miller
Miller told the Star that diversity will help recovery, and people will invest in Toronto because the city is tolerant and has progressive social policies. Since Toronto was just as diverse and tolerant a couple of months ago, when SARS first appeared, it is difficult to understand how these factors could help recovery. The only link between diversity and SARS is that people of all religions, nationalities, and ethnic backgrounds are staying away from Toronto businesses. Tolerance wont bring tourists back if they think theyll get sick.
Miller goes from SARS to other "public health issues," such as pollution from cars, because the TTC is under funded. Note to visitors and immigrants: welcome to multicultural Toronto, but dont expect to be able to drive in Mayor Millers city.
Like others on the left, he thinks that his political philosophy is in itself is a solution to all of Torontos problems. It didnt work in the former Soviet Union, and it wont work in Toronto.
Tom Jakobek
The former budget chief and a fiscal conservative actually addresses the Stars question with concrete ways to aid Torontos economic recovery. One suggestion is to clean up the city by getting the homeless and panhandlers off the street. He also suggests that Toronto should provide marketing assistance to increase business in the city. Jakobek, unlike Hall, understands the folly of imposing a tax on rooms in mostly empty hotels.
Make Toronto a more attractive city and more people will come. A novel idea within the ranks of the candidates.
John Tory
John Tory is another candidate from the right, but you cant tell that from the Star interview. All that the cable guy told the Star was that in times of future crises, Toronto needs real leadership (true), and that hes the one who can provide it (might be true). Tory says absolutely nothing about what he would do to aid Torontos recovery from SARS. No proposals to tax, or not tax, hotel rooms. What he seems to be saying is Im the best leader trust me. Even Hall and Millers bad ideas are better than no ideas. What the voters have to ask themselves is should they trust the guy who ran campaigns for Kim Campbell and Mel Lastman.
Much like Hall and Miller, abstract generalities wont solve the problem.
John Nunziata
Nunziata is constantly being lumped on the right of the political spectrum, along with Jakobek and Tory. But the long time federal Liberal member is on the left, and that is apparent from his answers to the Stars question. His first suggestion was to have a public inquiry into SARS. Let someone else deal with it. Holding an inquiry is not going to prod New Yorkers into hopping on a plane to visit Toronto. The only public inquiry we need is a public inquiry into why we have so many public inquiries.
Another of Nunziatas suggestions is to form a Group of 89, consisting of Toronto councillors, MPs, and MPPs from Toronto to provide a rapid response to crises such as SARS. How having Marilyn Churly, Bill Graham, and Howard Moscoe in the same room is going to provide a rapid response to anything is something probably only Nunziata can understand.
The election campaign wont start in earnest until the fall. But the Toronto Star interview provided a good preview of the way the candidates approach serious issues.