The Top 4 mayoral candidates presented their visions for a green Toronto Saturday, April 24 with transit playing a key role in most.
Rob Ford, Joe Pantalone, Rocco Rossi and George Smitherman took part in a one-hour discussion presenting their environmental policies at the Green Living Show. With the campaign still in its early stages and time limited, few details were revealed about the specifics of each candidate's environmental plan. Ford focused on his traditional issues of cutting spending and economic waste - and the size of council in half. "That will save the environment a tremendous amount with 22 less office reports, binders and other paper," he said in his opening.Pantalone, a key figure in Mayor David Miller's green Toronto, laid out a policy that would continue many of the initiatives already underway in the city including the aggressive waste diversion targets. Rossi saluted Miller and Pantalone and their initiatives to date, but added the city needs to focus on actions that do good not just feel good. For him, public transit is the No. 1 green initiative.Smitherman pulled examples from his days as minister of energy and his involvement in the Green Energy Act to demonstrate his commitment to a green Toronto.There were just three questions asked: how they would create green jobs, deal with the city's finances, and handle public transit.For Rossi, the issues were intertwined. If elected mayor, he said he would focus on eliminating the city's debt in order to free up resources to do things such as build subways. He would do that by selling resources ("asset monetization"), including Toronto Hydro."The most green jobs we're going to create is by building out green transit," Rossi said. "Our transit infrastructure is woefully inadequate. The difference is I have a plan to put some money on the table so Toronto can be a part of the discussion."Smitherman disagreed with Rossi's plan to sell resources."Toronto Hydro can be a platform upon which we can build and bring more renewable energy to life," he said, adding the city can create energy through solar and some wind generation and in turn jobs."When Mr. Rossi says asset monetization, you have to hear (Hwy.) 407-style selloff," he added later.Smitherman didn't go into great detail about his own plans. "Obviously, the decision by the province to delay some elements of Transit City is very disappointing," he said. "It's obvious if we're going to have a city that works again to find that investment."I believe it's necessary to look at creating solutions around the way we fund new infrastructure."Ford framed all three answers in his dollars-and-sense approach."This is my area of expertise coming from the private sector," Ford said in response to creating green jobs, then cited the $1 billion Woodbine Live entertainment complex of him helping to create jobs. When it comes to transit he said he wouldn't build anything the public doesn't want, but failed to lay out what he would do.Pantalone appeared most passionate about the issue at hand. "Frankly the attitude, like that of Councillor Ford that people don't like it so we won't build it, doing nothing is not an option," he said. "This kind of thinking is going to lose another generation... We can not afford not to build Transit City."He said the others don't get what people want in the city when it comes to the environment.Pantalone has helped push the green agenda in his time at city hall by establishing the Green Toronto Awards (presented Friday evening at the Green Living Show), being involved with the greening of Exhibition Place (which has included the installation of solar panels and a green roof) and pushing for a green roof bylaw. He is also the city's self-proclaimed tree advocate. "Because of the challenge of climate change, we need to put all of the city's resources to use to have a green future," he said.