Advertisement

Toronto mayor Tory gets mixed results during first year in office

In his first year as mayor of Toronto, John Tory has already distinguished himself as a very different personality than his predecessor, Rob Ford. But how much has he actually gotten done in these 12 months in office?

Tory’s first year in is not without its accomplishments. There have been two crackdowns on delivery vehicles parking illegally during the city’s rush hour, with 60,000 vehicles ticketed in the first phase. He more than exceeded his target of double the number of companies participating in the Partnership to Advance Youth Employment, going from 40 companies in 2014 to 129 as of September.

And a decision was made on the Gardiner Expressway, with council voting 24-21 in June for a hybrid approach. But having a decision made doesn’t mean it was the right one, says Glyn Bowerman, transit columnist for Metro News.

“I really thought that he had positioned himself as the mayor of reason,” Bowerman tells Yahoo Canada News. “Reason, in many experts’ opinion, would dictate that the Gardiner, at least the eastern portion of it, come down. It’s a relic of the past.”

However, some areas have been marked with lack of progress, and others with decisions that were controversial or went back on previous promises.

The mayor voted for an increase of 10 cents on Toronto Transit Commission fares, for example, after promising no hikes. The increase was required in the end in order to fund necessary upgrades, Tory said.

And there has been little to no forward motion on or clarification of SmartTrack. Tory campaigned heavily on the transit plan, which calls for more than 50 kilometres of new surface-rail that would run mostly along existing GO Transit lines.

On Tuesday morning, Tory assured listeners of CBC Metro Morning that SmartTrack will ultimately be successful. He said the plan would bring relief to the York-Spadina subway line, which is running at capacity, and would cost $8 billion and take seven years to construct.

“I am telling you that this transit line is going to get done,” Tory told host Matt Galloway. “It will provide the biggest benefit to the greatest number of people in the shortest time and that’s why I’m behind it.”

But details on the plan are scant so far, Bowerman points out.

“It’s been a year and he ran on this, and we have no idea what it is,” Bowerman says. “Tory’s had a year to demonstrate that we do need it, that it is different [than the provincial GO plan].”

Tory, who toured London’s new transit project last week, said on Metro Morning that SmartTrack is being studied in order to take it from concept to plan. Progress is slow on other transit promises the mayor has made. For example, a Scarborough subway that was promised to begin construction in 2015 doesn’t yet have a set route.

One way where it’s clear that Tory’s time so far as mayor has brought change is in the accessibility, transparency, and shift in tone that he’s brought to the position. As mayor, Ford faced frequent charges of being asleep at the wheel: not being in his office, not attending certain public events or council meetings, and not making his schedule clear to Toronto citizens and media.

Tory, on the other hand, has made a point of being available and visible. His daily itinerary is sent to the city’s press gallery, and he often speaks to reporters multiple times in a week. He also attends many public events, generally a few a day, in addition to being at city hall — and often rides the subway to get to his office.

Perhaps most notably, Tory puts some effort into maintaining a more conciliatory and civil state of relations between his office and the city’s council. It may not always succeed, Bowerman says, pointing to the sometimes — caustic discourse that took place around the Gardiner debate in June — but it does appear to be sincerely held, if imperfect in execution.

“He is much more of a conciliatory figure. Of course, that’s not hard to achieve compared to his predecessor,” Bowerman says. “I find it difficult to think about how we’d describe him if we weren’t coming off this Ford hangover.”