It’s overdue for us to have advocates in city hall

Toronto’s city politics dominated the news headlines nationally and internationally in 2013. More specifically, it was news about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Although I have an opinion on the stories, I have intentionally avoided writing about any of the controversy surrounding Ford because I believe, firstly, that there are enough journalists covering the day-to-day gaffes of Ford.

Secondly, I did not want to give this mayor another platform by using this space to assess his competence. All that being said, this column is not about Rob Ford or his brother Doug. They are simply passing thoughts to make the point that 2014 is an election year.

Every four years, we are asked to do our civic duty and vote for our municipal leaders to look after our local issues. At that time, we will be asked to vote for three people on the ballot: mayor, city councillor and school trustee. As citizens of this city, it is important to know who your candidates are and to select three of these individuals to represent you.

We have three levels of government in this country and I firmly believe that local government is the most important. It is this level that affects our daily lives more directly than any other. We only have to look at the recent disaster of the December 2013 ice storm as an example.

It is the city that has to mobilize resources to clear it up and get our lights back on. It is the city that has to ensure that our paramedics, firefighters and police are operational and that water, sewage and garbage are safely and efficiently managed. All these things affect us directly and daily.

Cutting services means we are cutting the things that we value and in some cases are essential to our day-to-day survival. It is time we start to investing in our city. It is time to start investing in our education system. It is time to start investing in our community; our city.

October 27, 2014 is election day. It may seem far away and much can happen between now and then. However, because of the unprecedented predicament we are in as a city, we simply can’t just wait and vote and move on. As Torontonians, we need to get involved in this campaign from the start to ensure we get the Ford brothers as far away from city hall as possible.

We should truly engage ourselves in this year’s election. Individually, our efforts may seem small but collectively we will make a huge difference.

In this early stage of campaigning, we can encourage a person like Olivia Chow to run for mayor. The more she hears from the general public, the more likely it is that she will run for the position. In the Downtown core, we are fortunate to have competent city councillors like Coun. Pam McConnell, Kristyn Wong-Tam, Paula Fletcher and others.

Unfortunately, the school board trustee who currently represents those of us in Toronto Centre, like the Ford brothers, continues to disappoint. This is why— full disclosure —I have decided to run myself, so I can help bring about positive change to our school board. Our community deserves better than what it has received in recent years. Engage with your candidates and ask them tough questions. Check their websites and campaign literature. This is the time to do it. Make sure the person you plan on voting for has your interests and the community’s interests at heart.

I have spoken to many people in our community and my sense is that we all feel the need to do something. I will give Rob Ford credit for one thing—and one thing only:

He has united the residents, especially in the Downtown core, to work as a cohesive group to get him out of office. As a community, we can do that by donating to our local campaigns, take a sign and volunteer.

Simply doing nothing will ensure another four years of Rob Ford and his minions and, by then, it will be too late for all of us.

If the Ford dynasty continues to infiltrate Toronto city hall—or any level of government—we would no longer recognize this city. All the things we hold near and dear to us would surely disappear.

It will take us at least a decade to undo the damage that Rob Ford and his brother have already done. Like the Mike Harris era, it has been two decades since his government was defeated and we are still feeling the effects of his bad policies yet today.

Although only Canadian citizens can vote in the upcoming municipal election, anyone who lives in Ontario can make a donation to a campaign in this province. Anyone can volunteer on a campaign. We can all make a difference.