Former Toronto politician now a Justice of the Peace
Churley will work at Ontario Court of Justice in the Toronto Region
By Kris Scheuer
(Originally written Oct. 15 for Town Crier.)

Former east end politician Marilyn Churley is now a justice of the peace in Toronto.
Her Worship Churley confirmed to the Town Crier that Attorney General Chris Bentley appointed her as a full-time JP on Oct. 2. She said she’s not permitted to do media interviews in her new role on the bench, which started on Oct. 14.
Churley was an MPP for Toronto-Danforth for the Ontario New Democrats for 15 years, and prior to that a city councillor. She also ran unsuccessfully for a federal seat in Beaches-East York.
Recently there were rumours she was running for city council in Toronto-Danforth’s ward 29 in the 2010 election.
That is not the case as she will not be running for political office of any kind now that she is serving on the Ontario Court of Justice in the Toronto Region, she said.

Incineration was one of three options to dispose of wastewater sludge
But it’s not being recommended for Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant
By Kris Scheuer
(Written  Sept. 10 for Town Crier.)

If you read the draft of the biosolids treatment plan for Ashbridges Bay you could be forgiven for thinking incineration maybe coming back to the Beach.
Incineration, also known as “thermal energy”, is listed in the report as one of three possible options but officials tell the Town Crier that burning biosolids at the site is no longer on the table.
“All the options for each plant site were evaluated,” said Deborah Ross with consultant firm AECOM, which is producing Toronto’s Biosolids Master Plan. “Thermal energy ranked high, but it’s not being recommended.” 
Instead, the plan is recommending the waste be converted into biosolid cake and used as fertilizer or, as a second or temporary option, sending the material to landfill. Nancy Fleming, the city’s project manager for the project said staff will add their own recommendations when the consultant’s report is finished.
She said burning the waste is not being recommended at Ashbridges for a few reasons. 
“We took a look at emissions, the cost for electricity, capital costs for incineration are high (to build a facility),” Fleming said.Beaches-East York councillor Sandra Bussin confirmed incineration is a non-starter. “It is not on the Richter scale,” she said. “We are looking at removing the stacks to give greater confidence.” Smoke stacks remain at Ashbridges as a reminder of when it had an incinerator to burn sewage, she said. 
While a waste incinerator is off the table for the Beach, the report is recommending the city continue to burn treated sewage at the Highland Creek Treatment Plant in Scarborough, albeit using a new form of technology called fluid bed incineration.
While many in the east end are pleased an incinerator won’t be moving in next door, not everyone is pumped about all of the options in the report. 
“I think we need to phase out landfill for waste that you just can’t get rid of (in other ways),” said Murray Lumley, a resident and retired science teacher. “If the most advanced technology could be used for incineration, that could be one way of dealing with it.”
The option he prefers is the biosolid cake, as long as it’s not spread on agricultural land.
Toronto-Danforth MP Jack Layton told the Town Crier that residents are great at coming up with environmental solutions.
“East enders have been trying to shut down polluting sources that have been jeopardizing (their) health,” he said. “First we fought to close the abattoirs, then the lead smelters, then the Commissioner Street garbage incinerator, then Hearn generating station, then lastly the biggest stack of all the Ashbridges Bay sewage incinerator.”
Most of it happened in the 1980s when he was a city councillor and chair of the Board of Health. He said the community rallied to have these industries shut down. 
“I was involved in many of those battles,” he said. “The community achieved a remarkable objective which was to think of biosolids differently rather than burn it.” 
He said what to do with biosolids is a worldwide issue. 
“Maybe we can be part of leading edge problem solving in the east end,” said Layton. 
The biosolids master plan will go to the Public Works Committee and city council in November for approval.

Peter Tabuns, left, pushed a green agenda as he launched his leadership bid for the provincial NDP on Oct. 26 at the Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre. He was joined on stage, from left to right, by his mother, his partner Shawn Kerwin and Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo.

By Tom Stoukas

Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns has a clear message: green energy is key to Ontario’s economic survival and prosperity.

Tabuns officially launched his bid to replace Howard Hampton as leader of Ontario’s New Democratic Party on Oct. 26, during a boisterous gathering at the Jimmie Simpson Community Centre.

The NDP environment and energy critic touted green manufacturing jobs and renewable energy as the best ways for Ontario to achieve a sustainable economy and a cleaner environment.

As the former executive director of Greenpeace Canada and deputy mayor of Toronto, he said he represented the “change wing of the NDP.”

“I’m running as the candidate to build a new energy economy in Ontario, an economy that can provide jobs and protect the environment,” Tabuns said. “The two are linked and if you don’t pull the two together you can’t be successful.

He also criticized the current Liberal government for failing to utilize the full potential of green technologies such as wind and solar energy.

“We have a government that’s willing to spend more than $100 billion to rebuild our electricity system with nuclear power at the core,” he said. “This is a new century and going back 50 years for a solution means repeating 50 years of mistakes.”

Converting the province to a green economy helps create jobs, he said. He pointed to other parts of the world that are making wind turbines and solar panels to replace traditional manufacturing jobs.

“If we get this wrong we know what’s in store,” Tabuns said. “We’ve been to Michigan, Ohio, the rust belts of America. We can avoid that future.”

Pushing for an economy based on green technology also benefits the ailing auto industry, which has experienced massive job losses in recent years, Tabuns said.

“I worked with the CAW to develop a plan for green autos here in Ontario,” he said. “That’s where the future is and if we don’t make investments there then we’re not going to have an auto industry.”

Standing by Tabuns’ side during his leadership launch was Cheri DiNovo, the popular NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park. She praised Tabuns for his green-centred agenda; a platform she feels will resonate with Ontario voters worried about the worsening economy and climate change.

“In moving forward, our party needs to have that green agenda, a solid economic plan and needs to think positively about the future,” she said.

Other candidates vying for the NDP leadership include MPPs Gilles Bisson for Timmins-James Bay, Michael Prue for Beaches-East York and Andrea Horwath for Hamilton Centre. The leadership convention to replace Hampton takes place in Hamilton in March 2009.

By Murray Crawford

Like one of the interviews I did last night said, I’m going to wait till the dust settles and decide where to go from there.

There was so much at stake this election, for all three major party leaders.  Dion needed to prove that he could compete with the big boys, Layton needed to make big gains in his third time out as party leader and Harper needed a majority.  All failed at this.  The only one, who will remain, will most likely by Harper, he still finished 11 seats shy of that elusive majority, still without any urban seats.  Layton may not be done either but his growth of the NDP has been slow.  Yes he made a gain of 8 seats, including a big one in Quebec (but more on that later), but he has been stuck in political purgatory.

Dion is the one who has to go.  Some Liberals would have advocated for his leaving the post a long time ago but now that he party is down some 20 seats compared to dissolution it is all but confirmed that the long knives are out.  Here you get the problem of a party with so much leadership and unique individuals.  There will be a mad scramble to fill the void.  Every one who thinks they have a chance will fall over each other for that chance.  The question this time is will the party take a chance on an outsider, like they did last time around with Dion, or go for somebody more central to the party, Bob Rae or Michael Ignatieff are names that are synonymous with Liberal leadership these days.

So what of the ridings I had a close eye on while running around and talking to candidates.

• Parkdale-High Park.  This riding did switch sides, which was something to see.  Peggy Nash lost by a narrow margin and Gerrard Kennedy, the man who played kingmaker at the last Liberal leadership convention managed to unseat the incumbent.  What will be interesting is Kennedy’s status in the party now, will he be the future leader that he hopes to be, next in line.  Or will he be resented for the Dion mistake and get left behind by a new group of leadership hopefuls.
• Whitby-Oshawa.  Not nearly as close as I thought it was going to be, seems people in Ontario actually like Jim Flaherty.  This could be the manufacturing sectors unhappiness with the provincial government, who Flaherty blames for most of the provinces issues.
• Central Nova. It was the closest someone has come to unseating Peter MacKay, but the man ran against Harper for the party’s leadership.  Elizabeth May put up a good showing but was the victim of a split vote, if enough NDPers had decided to go after MacKay instead of stick with their own party lines than this would be a very different post.
• Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. At one point in the night the Green party candidate was up.  But that was only after the first few polls were in.  It went blue like it does so many times these days.  The Green party couldn’t make history this time around so it’s time for a regroup and a new chance.
• Vancouver-Kingsway. This one was actually very funny in the final result.  In 2006 David Emerson was elected as a Liberal, immediately jumped to the Conservatives and accepted a position as a cabinet minister.  Emerson didn’t run again and this left the race wide open.  The voters fed up with the big two back and forth sent a big message to the Liberals and Conservatives and sent an NDP to Ottawa.  Kind of a screw you.
• Outremont.  This was one for the ages.  In the by-election, in 2007, the NDP made major gains at the expense of the Liberals here. This time, this Liberal stronghold, went NDP.  The first NDP seat won in a federal election in Quebec history.  That’s something to be proud of.
• Peterborough.  I did my own coverage of my hometown riding. Talked to the top two candidates and there will be more coverage to come.  To me the biggest disappointment of the night was actually in this riding.  Party lines aside the riding chose a car salesman over a former employee of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.  Betsy McGregor is the best MP this riding never had.

The other ridings I have to cover were also relatively interesting, although Toronto-Danforth was inconsequential.  Layton was a lock.

• Beaches-East York.  I had to call a colleague of mine to find out what was going on, I was talking to other politicians at the time. Maria Minna retained in a riding where Marilyn Churley is very well known and well liked.  This one was tight down the wire but the incumbent won in the end.
• Don Valley West.  This riding has a special place for me, the Liberal, Rob Oliphant, has been very kind to me and been very accessible.  The Conservatives, John Carmichael has also been just as accessible.  Both made this one a hard call for me going in.  But in the end the Liberals retained the seat and Rob Oliphant became one of Toronto’s newest MPs.  It was as advertised for the most part, tight but mostly leaning Liberal.
• Toronto-Danforth.  Liberal Andrew Lang was leading at one point, and then the second polling station results came in.  Jack will be back in Ottawa, with his wife Olivia Chow no less.  Fighting for the little guy and spouting strange economics.

There were plenty more tight races but one thing is for sure right now.  There is only marginal change in Canada, but it’s time for the opposition parties to take drastic measures, if they want a shot at 24 Sussex drive next time.

By Murray Crawford

Tom Petty had it right. It seems like 9:30 will never roll around.  Here’s what I am doing for election coverage, and I will be posting various things when the time comes.

1. The Battleground riding of Peterborough.  This is my hometown riding, I’m still registered to vote here.  I chose to stay an extra day to cover this riding for the Toronto Observer, the news site I write for, because it is going to be a tight race.  Last federal election the top three parties were separated by 9%.  So when the race is called I’m going to be running around and hopefully get something punched out by midnight.
2. East York Coverage.  The print version of the Toronto Observer focuses only on East York.  As such there are three ridings that I have to watch from afar.  Several of my colleagues are out in the ridings (Beaches-East York, Toronto-Danforth and Don Valley West) and I will be on the phone tracking them down and discussing what is going on.
3. Personal coverage.  There are several ridings I am very interested in.

• Parkdale-High Park will be a tight one, Gerrard Kennedy has to unseat Peggy Nash. Kennedy may not be the most popular person in the country, city or riding right now because of his association with Dion.  Nash is very popular in the area and could hold, it’ll be tight and there’s not telling, right now, which way it’ll go.
• Whitby-Oshawa is going to be interesting because of Jim Flaherty’s unpopularity in Ontario is soaring and this manufacturing centre may well give him the boots.  Either way it’ll be a tight one.
• Central Nova could be very interesting.  The MacKay’s have owned the riding for nearly 30 years and now they have a legitimate threat from Elizabeth May.  I would have preferred if the NDP dropped the riding as well but it should still be tight.
• Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. Last Provincial election the Green’s almost won a seat, finishing second, the best finish for a Green candidate to date.  It could be close again.  This riding and Central Nova are the two that could potentially go green.
• Vancouver Kingsway.  David Emerson’s old riding.  He didn’t run again but I would be interested to see how furious voters still are at the Conservatives after the floor crossing in 2006.  And the riding could be one of the deciding ones at the end.
• Outremont. This is a Liberal stronghold that went NDP in a by-election last year, only the second time in history it has not gone liberal.  It will be interesting to see who emerges out of this one.

And that’s about it, I’ll try to post my reaction when I get a chance but it’ll be crazy go nuts for the next 24 hours.  But lastly voting, I honestly believe it is not a right to be able to vote it is a responsibility to vote.  It’s a right to have a vote but it’s your responsibility to yourself, your neighbour and your friends to get in that ballot box and speak your piece.

NDP Leader Jack Layton addresses his supporters at a ralley in Toronto Sept. 13, 2008.

By Andrew Serba
Toronto-Danforth incumbent MP and NDP Leader Jack Layton says he’s running again to bring Canadians’ “kitchen table” issues to the front and centre of the House of Commons on a daily basis.

“I think Canadians in the middle class are feeling very squeezed right now,” he said. “They don’t feel that the concerns of their families for education, environment, healthcare and their future employment are being adequately represented.”

He said his service in federal politics has allowed him to continue, on a national basis, much of the work he started as a city councillor, and as head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He said the need for a national housing policy and environmental concerns are two such issues.

Building more affordable housing is a “key area for federal investment,” according to Layton.
He also praised his constituents as leaders on environmental issues, citing the Riverdale Initiative for Solar Energy as the type of project his party would like to foster.

“The folks in the east end have always been very concerned about how energy is produced and the pollution from it,” he said. “We’re trying to encourage policies that would facilitate that kind of renewable energy.”

Canada’s environmental and economic well-being are intertwined, in Layton’s view. He has promised to spend $8 billion over four years to create “green collar jobs.”

“I think the way to secure a more stable economic future has to do with investing in a kind of business development that takes us towards a reduced environmental impact and a 21st century energy economy,” he said.

Layton said working closely with his constituents in his community has been a rewarding experience.
“There’s a long list of issues that come up and that you work away on,” he said. “They don’t all hit the headlines, but I just haul out the bike and head down the Danforth and, believe me, my constituents are not at all shy about coming and raising the issues with me.”
Layton said Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cuts to the arts and the film sector have hurt Toronto-Danforth, which has a high concentration of film industry workers. He pledged “not only to restore that funding, but to make [further investments] in supporting that sector.”
“We want those studios buzzing with activity,” he added.
An NDP government would also spend $1 billion over five years to train more doctors and nurses, in addition to creating incentives for recently graduated doctors to practice as family physicians. These measures would address the need for more family doctors and reduce hospital wait times — two issues that Layton described as pressing priorities, “especially for our seniors.”
Good-quality, affordable transit is another need faced by Canada’s cities, Layton added. He said he would set aside one cent per litre of the federal gas tax, plus revenue from his proposed cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gas emissions, to provide “a major infusion of guaranteed cash” for municipal transit systems. Toronto would see roughly $800 million in the first four years.
Layton said it has been his pleasure to serve as MP for Toronto-Danforth and that he would be “thrilled and honoured to have the opportunity to serve once again if the voters of the community are willing to support me.”

**Originally Published in the East York Observer as a candidate profile**

so in a fit of inspiration i answered a call for bloggers to cover our federal election. my first post is up, but i really need new material, the toronto-danforth race isn’t really all that interesting yet. anyone have any juicy inside information from the campaign trail they can send me?

http://www.democraticspace.com/canada2008/2008/09/toronto-danforth-is-there-any-chance-jack-wont-win/

By Tom Stoukas

Andrew Lang, son of former cabinet minister Otto Lang, defeated retired businessman Edward Seysmith for the Toronto-Danforth Liberal nomination on Wednesday night and immediately set his sights on his main competition, federal NDP leader Jack Layton.

In the past, Lang has worked for prominent Liberals including Dalton McGuinty and former Liberal cabinet minister Bill Graham.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity not only to take on Jack Layton but to take him down,” Lang said.

The nomination contest took place April 16 at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall, 65 Curzon St., with Lang winning the majority of the 107 votes cast.

Both Lang and Seysmith stressed the need to re-energize the riding membership after two election losses to Layton and the NDP in 2004 and 2006.

Toronto-Danforth had been a Liberal stronghold for 16 years represented by former MP Dennis Mills who lost to Layton in 2004.

Despite the challenge of unseating a party leader, Lang says he feels optimistic about his chances.

He says he will work hard to re-energize the Liberal brand in Toronto-Danforth and to hold Layton’s feet to the fire over his record as MP, including his role in bringing down Paul Martin’s minority government in 2006.

“If you’re mad about anything Stephen Harper is doing than you have Jack Layton to thank for that. It was Jack Layton’s lend-us-your-vote campaign last time that put the Harper conservatives in power.” Lang said.

“If he hadn’t done that we would have a national daycare strategy in place, we’d have the Kelowna Accord which had already been ratified by the provinces and we’d have the funding that the Martin government set aside for cities.”

Although Seysmith lost the nomination he vowed to support Lang and hopes voters in Toronto-Danforth will vote Liberal in the next election.

“This is the first step to get people excited about being Liberals again,” Seysmith said. “Obviously it’s going to require funding and really good organization and we if we can bring all of those elements together than I don’t think that there’s any reason that we couldn’t beat Jack Layton.”

Mills attended the nomination meeting and supported Lang’s candidacy. In what became a common theme for the evening and an early hint at Liberal campaign strategy, Mills accused Layton of putting his own career ahead of the concerns of his constituents.

“Jack Layton has treated this riding like a bus stop. He has abused this riding. He doesn’t live here, he’s rarely here,” Mills said.

“That’s not what he said he was going to do when he campaigned against me. Since 2004 he has not been a champion of the people of Toronto-Danforth. He has been focused on himself and I would say that he’s going to get one hell of a surprise.”

There’s a rumor on National News Watch that ousted Tory candidate Mark Warner is going to jump to the Liberals and run in Toronto-Danforth.  He’s come to this conclusion after Dion invited Warner to run for the Liberals and after Toronto-Danforth candidate Deborah Coyne announced on her website that she’s resigning.

It seems reasonable.  But to come to that conclusion, one must assume the following:

• Mark Warner cares more about insulting the Party than in helping Toronto-Centre
• Mark Warner believes in nothing
• Dion is more interested in pointless stunts than in getting elected

Deborah Coyne had a couple good issues like autism – what’s Warner got besides spite?

Let me ask this to voters in Toronto-Danforth: why would you vote for a candidate who both can’t win (his opponent would be NDP Leader Jack Layton) and who’s only running to pointlessly annoy Stephen Harper?

If you want to annoy the Prime Minister, vote Green and at least be constructive.  Or if you want to really annoy him, vote NDP and elect the only real opposition to our agenda in Parliament.

Let’s not jump the gun yet, though.  Warner still has some integrity left – would he really go this low?