Miller’s kleptocracy

In Mayor David Miller’s civic kleptocracy, cash-craving Toronto is mugging its denizens on the streets. Often on their own streets. If you park on Toronto’s streets, you’ll likely soon have one of Miller’s eager-beaver meter readers slap a high-priced yellow ticket on your windshield. It’s not for traffic control as widely claimed. It’s for revenue.

Attempt to challenge it and you’re in for a hassle. Maybe you can beat the rap, but you can’t beat the ride, sucker. For one thing, night court has been taken away from you. And no longer can you argue your case in Downtown. You have to drive all the way past the 401 on Markham Road to get your hours in court.

If you own a dog and need to exercise it, you’re another target. This time it’s Miller’s bylaw officers who’ll nail you for several hundred dollars for having your pet off leash in a park.

The people of Corktown have sought for two years to get an off-leash park and Coun. Pam McConnell has heard their pleas. But only now are they getting hearing from the city. Does Pam have that little influence at city hall? One must wonder.

We hear from her office that the long-sought off-leash park that has been talked about on an unused triangle of land dividing road access to and from the Don Valley Parkway is being designated as a development site that Miller’s band might sell to a developer or billboard company.

Cash-starved Toronto could privatize Corktown residents’ proposed off-leash park because residents just aren’t that important.