Toronto Mayoral Race

So far I am favoring Sarah Thomson for Mayor. She has little experience politically and is an underdog in the polls. But her track record in the business world is stellar and her policy platform is superb. Here are the highlights: 

1) She is business friendly. Proposing a reduction in taxes on business. Entrepreneurial innovation is the backbone of every major successful city. In order to maintain our status as the financial capital of Canada - be careful because Calgary is catching up quick and has all of that oil money to keep taxes low - we need to foster the success of businesses of all sizes and shapes. The best way to do this is to keep taxes low and red-tape to a minimum.

2) She has a very attractive plan for expansion of the TTC. Modern cities rely on transit, and Toronto is lagging behind. If we are to maintain our world class distinction we need a transit system to boot. It helps our city on many levels, alleviating congestion, providing a better quality of life, reducing pollution and encouraging economic growth. Public transit is something that all politicians, liberal and conservative, can get behind. While the Transit City plan is nice in the short term,  it lacks long term vision. Light rail lasts for 30 years before repairs are needed and hinders traffic by taking up road space. Subways, while certainly more expensive in the short term, are the better option. They last up to 90 years, and alleviate congestion. Her plan is subway intensive, and includes the much sought after Eglinton line to the airport.

3) She is proposing what she calls "The Better Service and Pricing Option." An excerpt from her website: "It will require that city-run corporations and commissions compete in an open bidding process with other service providers (entrepreneurs, businesses, city workers) and non-profit organizations for the privilege of providing services to the people of Toronto." Following last summers joke of a garbage strike, Torontonians have made it clear that they favor the outsourcing of this service to the private sector (http://www.thestar.com/yourcitymycity/article/797661--we-like-privatized-garbage-pickup-poll). This plan seems aimed at doing this in an intelligent way. The city outsources lots of services already, and there is no reason why we shouldn't field offers from the private sector for all city services.

Toronto has the potential to be one of the greatest cities on the planet. We need to be a cultural hotspot. A financial superpower; a hotbed of innovation and creativity. We need to be a leader in the green revolution, creating a sustainable economy. And this starts from who we choose to lead. This beautiful city needs leadership and vision. And so far in this young race Sarah has shown both. Check out her site: http://sarahthomson.ca/

For the record I have no affiliation with Sarah, I am just an active citizen and believe in her promise. Let's see how this race plays out, and good luck to all.