Toronto Fire Service Cuts. Life or Property?

Back before Crackgate, and the shift to distance themselves from Mayor Ford, Toronto Council supported his "fiscal irresponsibility" agenda, voting to cut Fire Services.

Only now, 12 months after 2013 Toronto Fire Service budget cuts are area residents learning the full impact of the cuts. Fire Stations are losing apparatus (fire trucks) and staff; the following equipment is being removed due to 2013 cuts:

• Pumper 424 (426 Runnymede Road)
• Pumper 215 (5318 Lawrence Ave. East)
• Aerial 324 (840 Gerrard Street East)

The primary concern of eliminating Fire Trucks is the resultant increase in emergency response times. Seconds count, both in terms of increased property damage and increased risk to human life. In the case of the elimination of Pumper 215, the increased response times represent too many seconds, too much risk for area residents.

This year the Budget Committee is once again approving more long term Fire Service cuts for the 2014 Budget... except perhaps for their own wards.

One of the perks of being a member of Ford's hand picked Budget Committee is the ability to influence budget decisions in your favour. Michelle Berardinetti was able to pass a motion to obtain $1.311 million in 2014 and an incremental $1.185 million for 2015 for a new pumper for the new Station "D" being built in her ward at Midland and Eglinton, rather than accepting the reallocation of an existing a pumper from Fire Station 224. 

The optic's of Michelle Berardinetti's action is not of an altruistic act, but rather one of cynical electioneering, since she wasn't concerned with also restoring funding that would allow pumper 215 to remain at Station 215. Nor was she concerned about aerial 324 or pumper 424.

Helpful twitter lists and websites for Toronto Election 2014

Here you will find my collection of helpful information on Toronto Election 2014.

Twitter Lists - Please subscribe to get easy access to all the candidates on twitter! 

Toronto 2014 Election
This above list follows Twitter accounts of those candidates seeking election to the position of Mayor or the position of Toronto City Councillor. 

NOTE: Unless the Integrity Commissioner rules that Councillors may use their existing twitter accounts currently used to communicate with constituents, those accounts will not be followed on this list, but are included in the TOCouncil list below.

Toronto District School Board Candidates
The above list follows known Twitter accounts of candidates seeking election to the position of Trustee. NOTE: The Toronto District School Board has only 22 wards, they are not the same as Toronto's 44 municipal wards. To find what TDSB ward you live in click here. Not sure what a School Trustee is responsible for? The People for Education website has that answer.

Toronto Council
The above list follows those Twitter accounts 'normally' used by Toronto City Councillors to communicate with constituents, regardless of whether or not it is also used as a personal twitter account. Yes, the Rob Ford's account too...

Parody #VoteTO candidates
Yep, politicians just cry out for parody accounts, so to must any world class election.  Here's my list which features such infamous parody accounts as @TOMayorFrod

Do you know an account you'd like me to add, send me a tweet @JohnFurrToronto

The sites below can help you prepare... or find who your local candidates are.

Links to Toronto's official election pages:

Key Dates in 2014 Election Campaign

List of All Candidates

List of Withdrawn Candidates

Find Candidates by Your Home Address 

Want to get in on the action?

Nomination Period
Nominations are accepted from Thursday, January 2, 2014 to Thursday, September 11, 2014, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding statutory holidays.

Locations: City Hall, 100 Queen Street West,1st floor North
Election Services, 89 Northline Rd.

On Nomination Day (Friday, September 12), nominations may only be filed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at City Hall, Council Chamber.

Becoming a Candidate Information Session
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
City Hall, Council Chamber
Email candidateinfo@toronto.ca to register.

Running for Election as a School Board Trustee: Guide for Candidates & Communities

Ford's 905 Area Conservative Support. It's more than just money. #905Trolls

Toronto, why are outsiders interfering in our municipal elections by trying to shape people's decisions, often through deceit and sophistry? 

UPDATE:
On TVO's The Inside Agenda Blog, Steve Paikin is reporting on what to me may be the penultimate Conservative attempt to interfere in Toronto's Election and see Rob Ford re-elected in 2014.

"Could Stephen Harper do something to help his ideological soul mate, Rob Ford? The answer is, absolutely yes. One of the things he could do is remove the front runner from the race, at least, the front runner according to recent polls.

"Here's the 'something else.' David C. Onley's tenure as Ontario Lieutenant-Governor is coming to an end later this month. Lieutenant-Governors are appointed by the prime minister."

"I'm told Chow has been offered the job by Prime Minister Harper."

Well, it there's one thing that can convince me that Chow is the ONLY candidate to back, this is it. The Conservatives are very good at identifying where they are vulnerable. I believe Harper erred in offering the Lieutenant-Governorship to Olivia.

Outside Conservative Money Flows into Toronto

During the 2010 Toronto Election campaign, Rob Ford received the support of many Conservative party backers from outside of Toronto, now in 2014 many of those same Conservative party backers are once again poised to interfere in our Toronto's Municipal Elections to foist their agenda on our community. 

I'm not just speaking about the large number of conservative trolls who beat all opposition viewpoints into submission, I'm speaking about the financial contributions to Ford's campaign... some of which raise as many eyebrows as Ford's infamous Billboard.

According to Press Progress 33.5% of Rob Ford's 2010 campaign contributions came from outside of Toronto. Below is a map of the source of Ford's 2010 contributions:

Outsiders, you have an opinion, you're entitled to it, but that's about it.