Rob Fords Toronto: In His Own Words

[carpaltunnel]

Rob Ford is a primate and will probably not make a good mayor.

That said, Smitherman would be even more disasterous.

I was hoping and praying that John Tory would run for Mayor. No such luck.

So my choice is a primate, or a complete useless tool.

Sigh......

Agreed re primate. Of course every human being is a primate.

Smitherman would be the worst possible result for the City. There isn't even a whiff of fiscal responsibility coming from his camp, just attack ads.

It's not like Toronto can't handle a buffoon for mayor. Lastman is a perfect example but did a pretty good job.

Also agreed it would've been nice for Tory to run, but go figure - when he has his best chance to win, he avoids the race.

 

[Sammy the Bull]

It's chicken shit stuff like the above that makes me think that Ford is an even bigger buffoon than he already is. The city of Toronto has a 9 billion dollar budget and he's worried about 8 grand for muffins and coffee?

Moron.

Any decent company provides such thnigs for its employees if they are in a long meeting, or working over lunch, or working late, or whatever.

Besides, having some food in your belly aids in productivity and people working together.

Imagine what a nightmare it would be working at Ford's print shop. He'd be the kind of boss who'd be timing your time taking a shit and telling you you had to make up the time after 5 p.m.

I think most of that right now is just grandstanding by Ford to win more votes.
By the time he's mayor I think he'll mellow out on small items like lunches

 

[Mervyn]

It's chicken shit stuff like the above that makes me think that Ford is an even bigger buffoon than he already is. The city of Toronto has a 9 billion dollar budget and he's worried about 8 grand for muffins and coffee?

The problem is not just the 8 grand for the muffins in and of itself, its the money for video camera's, money for retirement parties, money for taxi rides, money for offices in foreign countries, etc, its' a reflection of a a lack of disrepect for the money they throw around.

Any decent company provides such thnigs for its employees if they are in a long meeting, or working over lunch, or working late, or whatever.

Problem with that analogy is this, a Company spends it's own money, city council doesn't have their own money, their have TAXPAYERS money.

Besides, having some food in your belly aids in productivity and people working together.

Without seeing the actual lunch I cannot say , a glass of milk and some fruit will provide some good substainable energy, however if you have a donut and a coffee, you'll get a sugar rush for a short while followed by a crash.

Imagine what a nightmare it would be working at Ford's print shop. He'd be the kind of boss who'd be timing your time taking a shit and telling you you had to make up the time after 5 p.m.

And this is based on ?

 

[moviefan]

It's chicken shit stuff like the above that makes me think that Ford is an even bigger buffoon than he already is. The city of Toronto has a 9 billion dollar budget and he's worried about 8 grand for muffins and coffee?

Whether you agree of disagree with his point, it should be seen for what it is -- a symbol of the culture of entitlement at City Hall. Sorry, but most people who work a regular workday pay for their own lunches.

It should also be noted that Ford has proposed ideas for dealing with some of the bigger items, such as contracting out city work. His ideas would improve the contracting process so that the tender would go to the company that provides the best quote, rather than the current system that forces bidders to guarantee that workers will be paid the same as many of the over-priced city employees.

 

[james t kirk]

It should also be noted that Ford has proposed ideas for dealing with some of the bigger items, such as contracting out city work. His ideas would improve the contracting process so that the tender would go to the company that provides the best quote, rather than the current system that forces bidders to guarantee that workers will be paid the same as many of the over-priced city employees.

Actually, it's way beyond that.....

The "Fair Wage Office" is the first joke (albeit a minor joke frankly) - stating how much Contractors MUST pay their employeees. I don't really have a problem with that. The City pays its workers about $26.00 an hour. That's a decent wage for a tradesman.

The MASSIVE PROBLEM is that sort of part and parcel to the "Fair Wage Office" is that the City of Toronto back in 1978 agreed (how and why I'll never know) that virtually every trade on a City of Toronto Construction project MUST be unionized.

For example, if you want to bid a job with the City of Toronto that involves iron working (as most do), you have to be Iron Workers Local 721. A local 721 Iron Worker is $48.67 per hour - never mind the bullshit on top of that. That's WAAY beyond what the Fair Wage Office calls for.

See here buried deep in the City of Toronto Blah blah blah:

http://www.toronto.ca/fairwage/pdf/labour_trades_contractual_obligations.pdf

The one bizarre hole in all of this is that strangely, the City is not bound to the Labourers Union (nor should it be). (Except at the CNE).

What the Local Contractors do is they get one guy in Local 721 Iron Workers and then use their nonunionized forces working in tandem with him. When the 721 Rep comes slinking around, they all drop their impact guns and pick up shovels and as far as anyone is aware there is a unionized iron worker on site. As soon as he's gone, they (the non unionized $20.00 an hour guys) pick up their impact guns again. The Construction Unions in Toronto are all corrupt and all they want in the dues from the General Contractor anyway.

The other thing that the Local Contractors do is that they hire what could best be described as "under the radar seasonal help". Usually from Newfoundland, or illegals from Portugal. These guys can be had for $15 to $20 an hour (less if you're one well known City of Toronto Contractor). If you've got a big job that involves a lot of jack hammering work, or labouring, you hire these guys to augment your regular work force, set them off on their own, and no-one is the wiser (I can asure you that the "Fair Wage Office" never checks and even if they did, the Contractors have their "Regular Labourers" on site and the General Contractor can show that all of these guys are getting paid as much or more than the Fair Wage Office dictates. The Newfs are hard workers, they don't complain, though they do drink a lot and miss a lot of Fridays, then they all fuck off all at the same time, no notice, and head back to the rock - usually co-inciding with Moose hunting season.

The Fair Wage Office is all well and good, it's the part about a Contractor having to be Unionized that is complete and utter bullshit. The Unions are completely full of shit when it comes to rules and regulations about their work, who can do what, etc.

The City needs to get out of these contracts with the Unions, never mind telling how much a Contractor has to pay a guy.

 

[james t kirk]

I think most of that right now is just grandstanding by Ford to win more votes.
By the time he's mayor I think he'll mellow out on small items like lunches

Maybe.

Or maybe he is THAT DUMB.

Your aveage bloke in the street eats this "free muffin" chickenshit up with sauce on top. They love hearing Ford spouting off about it cause it mirrors exactly how they feel - that no-one should get fuck all if they don't get fuck all.

But they lose sight of the BIG PICTURE. The BIG PICTURE at the City of Toronto is not waste on muffins and coffee - it's waste at the program level. We dish out millions to special interest groups, something like 300 million a year to fight homelessness. We spend something like 1.5 billion a year on Government Housing, we have TOO much government, TOO MANY social programs, TOO MANY workers, TOO much everything.

My opinion is that free muffins, pop, or sandwich lunches are part and parcel with the job (just like where I have worked for the last 20 years). Big fucking deal.

Saving the City of Toronto 8 grand here and 10 grand there, even if it adds up to a million is still and always will be chicken shit in an establishment with a 9.3 BILLION dollar budget.

My opinion is that the Mayor and councillors are quite underpaid for the level of responsibility that they have frankly. I think Miller makes about 170 a year. Councillors make about 99 grand a year. Big deal. Some councillors work pretty fucking hard I can assure you.

And if you compare the position of Mayor - who presides over a staff of 55,000 people - a buck 70 is NOTHING compared to what a similar CEO would make in the Private Sector with a similar sized staff.

I would not be opposed to doubling their salaries frankly. The only caveat would be that I DO THINK that there are simply too many councilors. You could elminate at least a third of them.

 

[Dewalt]

Hear hear james!

I say we move all the homeless to Hamilton. I will supply the truck.

 

[dagwood69]

I dont live in Toronto but IMO,,Howard Moscoe and kyle Rae strike me as major assclowns,,,

 

[Sammy the Bull]

vote for ron singer in ward 15 and throw out moscoe

Moscoe is retiring, wont run in this election: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/09/01/15216026.html

I guess he kinda knew he'd be voted out

 

[landscaper]

Moscoe is retiring, wont run in this election: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/09/01/15216026.html

I guess he kinda knew he'd be voted out

Its interesting that he announced his retirment on a taxpayer funded trip to a conference, if he is retiring why did he go? would it not have been better if somebody who would be around for a while to go.

 

[Sammy the Bull]

Its interesting that he announced his retirment on a taxpayer funded trip to a conference, if he is retiring why did he go? would it not have been better if somebody who would be around for a while to go.

Those "taxpayer funded trips to a conference" are really just vacations dressed up in another skirt

 

[HetroGuy]

He could spend his whole office budget but does not.

This is your reply to Rob Ford taking at least a half day's taxpayer salary from you so that he can work as a CFO ????? This is your idea of thrift ??? Count the pennies but ignore the dollars ?????

I thought Ford would be humorous but innocent fun as Toronto's simplistic buffoon mayor but I was disturbed he he suggested that he was against gun registration because it might interfere with hunters.

Oh Mr Ford - this may come as a surprise but we don't have hunters in Toronto (the city and citizens) which you are suppose to be representing. We do have armed multiple murders in James town, Jane & Finch, etc where kids as well as adults are dying of gunshot wounds. I'm not sure how many deer were shot or if hunters seeing a moose in their Toronto backyard were inconvenienced because they had to get a registry for the rifle they just bought.

Every level of police force operating in Toronto are supporting the gun registry to help them fight gangs. Nice to see Rob Ford seeking a position to undermine their efforts even more. If Ford is being held as their intellectual representative for problem solving - makes you wonder about those supporters.