200,000 deserve 'real say' on issues... Ontario says it will study 'pros and cons'...
Toronto's estimated 200,000 landed immigrants should be given the right to vote in municipal elections because they deserve input into issues that directly affect their neighbourhoods, Mayor David Miller says. "We allow people who don't live in Toronto to vote, simply because they own property here," Miller told the Toronto Star's editorial board yesterday. "And if we ask ourselves, `How have we let neighbourhoods where there are often high proportions of landed immigrants deteriorate?' one of the reasons is they haven't had a vote. "They haven't had a real say in the decisions that are affecting them," he said. "And if somebody who lives in Calgary but owns a piece of property here has a right to vote in municipal elections, I think somebody who lives here, committed to the city, has a right to vote." Although it's anyone's guess how many would actually use the ballot, giving landed immigrants a vote could have large implications for the course of politics in the city, especially in wards with high numbers of newcomers and some unique needs and hopes. Municipal Affairs Minister John Gerretsen says he'd be prepared to look at the idea after the November ballot, when the Municipal Elections Act will undergo a regular review. "We'll take a look at all the pros and cons of it. We'll do so after the election and undoubtedly get input from the city and from any other city that has a great number of landed immigrants," he said, adding that any change would have to be province-wide. There is precedent for it. More than two dozen cities in Europe extend the municipal ballot to immigrants, said Prof. Myer Siemiatycki of Ryerson University. Until the 1988 municipal election, British subjects from Commonwealth countries were allowed to vote, but the rules were changed to ensure uniformity. In the Nov. 13 election, only Canadian citizens 18 and older who live in or own property in the city may vote. Miller also touted a new agreement on immigration settlement signed this month involving the city, province and federal government. While it doesn't mean extra funds to Toronto, which receives the largest share of Canada's new immigrants, Miller said it gives the city more say on immigration issues. Toronto will have a seat on working groups on language and training and on job access. Miller said he thinks it will eventually help the city get proper funding for settlement services.
Ontario Immigration Minister Mike Colle called the arrangement a major breakthrough. "(The city), along with us, will have a much greater role to play in shaping these (federal immigration) programs and ensuring they match the needs," Colle said. Miller defended his record during an hour-long question-and-answer session. "I've been the kind of mayor I said I would be," he said. "I was elected to turn around the government, to make it run properly, to make it accountable, to make it respected, to improve city services. I've done all of that, or at least it's well underway." Asked to address the sense of frustration or disappointment that Miller hasn't done enough, he deflected such criticism. "I go everywhere in this city all the time," he said. "(People) say they are quite happy with the direction of the city." He conceded waterfront redevelopment is slower than he had hoped, but insisted "shovels are in the ground" in the West Donlands, where hoarding is up and soil remediation is under way. Miller blamed the long environmental assessment process for some of the delays. "It's fair to say it hasn't gone as fast as I had hoped," he said. "I accept that the average Torontonian's view doesn't see much going on there." He has promised to complete all park projects — the people places — by 2010, if re-elected to a four-year term. When it was pointed out that those parks are already in the pipeline, Miller said his promise was to ensure it would happen. "Things don't just happen. You have to push like mad and you have to work incredibly hard to make them happen," he said, arguing he pushed to get the central waterfront design competition completed this year. When asked why the broom-waving mayor hasn't delivered on a campaign promise to bring in a lobbyist registry, Miller acknowledged he was disappointed to have lost when city council voted on it last month. "My commitment is to bring it back in January 2007 at the first council meeting and get it through council," Miller said, adding the pretext for delaying putting a registry in place was that unions and non-profit organizations were not included. "There was a motion right there (to include unions and non-profits). They could have voted for it. They chose to vote against it," he said. When questioned on the increasing heights of condo projects in the city, Miller said he supports the official plan, which allows for height at major transit hubs. "Where there are tall buildings and density, I support tall buildings and density," he said, adding that in other neighbourhoods change should only be incremental. Asked whether he supported a 75-storey condo tower proposed at Yonge and Gerrard Sts., he said it didn't sound reasonable — but qualified that response, saying that it depends how pedestrians feel at street level — whether there are shadows or extra wind — as well as design. He pointed to 1 King St. W. as an example — a tall building whose height is hardly noticeable from the street.
Toronto's estimated 200,000 landed immigrants should be given the right to vote in municipal elections because they deserve input into issues that directly affect their neighbourhoods, Mayor David Miller says. "We allow people who don't live in Toronto to vote, simply because they own property here," Miller told the Toronto Star's editorial board yesterday. "And if we ask ourselves, `How have we let neighbourhoods where there are often high proportions of landed immigrants deteriorate?' one of the reasons is they haven't had a vote. "They haven't had a real say in the decisions that are affecting them," he said. "And if somebody who lives in Calgary but owns a piece of property here has a right to vote in municipal elections, I think somebody who lives here, committed to the city, has a right to vote." Although it's anyone's guess how many would actually use the ballot, giving landed immigrants a vote could have large implications for the course of politics in the city, especially in wards with high numbers of newcomers and some unique needs and hopes. Municipal Affairs Minister John Gerretsen says he'd be prepared to look at the idea after the November ballot, when the Municipal Elections Act will undergo a regular review. "We'll take a look at all the pros and cons of it. We'll do so after the election and undoubtedly get input from the city and from any other city that has a great number of landed immigrants," he said, adding that any change would have to be province-wide. There is precedent for it. More than two dozen cities in Europe extend the municipal ballot to immigrants, said Prof. Myer Siemiatycki of Ryerson University. Until the 1988 municipal election, British subjects from Commonwealth countries were allowed to vote, but the rules were changed to ensure uniformity. In the Nov. 13 election, only Canadian citizens 18 and older who live in or own property in the city may vote. Miller also touted a new agreement on immigration settlement signed this month involving the city, province and federal government. While it doesn't mean extra funds to Toronto, which receives the largest share of Canada's new immigrants, Miller said it gives the city more say on immigration issues. Toronto will have a seat on working groups on language and training and on job access. Miller said he thinks it will eventually help the city get proper funding for settlement services.
Ontario Immigration Minister Mike Colle called the arrangement a major breakthrough. "(The city), along with us, will have a much greater role to play in shaping these (federal immigration) programs and ensuring they match the needs," Colle said. Miller defended his record during an hour-long question-and-answer session. "I've been the kind of mayor I said I would be," he said. "I was elected to turn around the government, to make it run properly, to make it accountable, to make it respected, to improve city services. I've done all of that, or at least it's well underway." Asked to address the sense of frustration or disappointment that Miller hasn't done enough, he deflected such criticism. "I go everywhere in this city all the time," he said. "(People) say they are quite happy with the direction of the city." He conceded waterfront redevelopment is slower than he had hoped, but insisted "shovels are in the ground" in the West Donlands, where hoarding is up and soil remediation is under way. Miller blamed the long environmental assessment process for some of the delays. "It's fair to say it hasn't gone as fast as I had hoped," he said. "I accept that the average Torontonian's view doesn't see much going on there." He has promised to complete all park projects — the people places — by 2010, if re-elected to a four-year term. When it was pointed out that those parks are already in the pipeline, Miller said his promise was to ensure it would happen. "Things don't just happen. You have to push like mad and you have to work incredibly hard to make them happen," he said, arguing he pushed to get the central waterfront design competition completed this year. When asked why the broom-waving mayor hasn't delivered on a campaign promise to bring in a lobbyist registry, Miller acknowledged he was disappointed to have lost when city council voted on it last month. "My commitment is to bring it back in January 2007 at the first council meeting and get it through council," Miller said, adding the pretext for delaying putting a registry in place was that unions and non-profit organizations were not included. "There was a motion right there (to include unions and non-profits). They could have voted for it. They chose to vote against it," he said. When questioned on the increasing heights of condo projects in the city, Miller said he supports the official plan, which allows for height at major transit hubs. "Where there are tall buildings and density, I support tall buildings and density," he said, adding that in other neighbourhoods change should only be incremental. Asked whether he supported a 75-storey condo tower proposed at Yonge and Gerrard Sts., he said it didn't sound reasonable — but qualified that response, saying that it depends how pedestrians feel at street level — whether there are shadows or extra wind — as well as design. He pointed to 1 King St. W. as an example — a tall building whose height is hardly noticeable from the street.
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