Jun 12 2023 — David Rider — Support for Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow has slipped slightly but none of her rivals made significant gains in the past week, according to a new Forum Research poll for the Toronto Star. The survey of 1,047 Torontonians conducted Friday found the former NDP MP with the support of 35 per cent of decided voters, […]
May 29 2023 — David Rider — Toronto Star — With less than a month until Toronto chooses a new mayor, and after several head-to-head candidate debates, former NDP MP Olivia Chow retains a sizable lead, according to a new Forum Research poll for the Toronto Star. The survey of 1,007 Torontonians conducted Friday found Chow with the support of 34 per cent of decided […]
May 15 2023 — David Rider — Toronto Star — As Toronto’s mayoral campaign kicks into a higher gear, former NDP MP Olivia Chow remains the top choice for decided and leading voters, according to a new Forum Research poll for the Toronto Star. The survey of 1,029 Torontonians conducted Saturday, after nominations closed with a record 102 mayoral candidates, found Chow leading the pack […]
Feb 14 2023 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Torontonians are evenly split on whether Mayor John Tory should follow through on his plan to resign after admitting to starting a secret, extended relationship with a junior staff member in his city hall office. A Forum Research poll of 1,042 Torontonians found 45 per cent do not think he should quit, 43 per cent […]
Feb 13 2023 — David Rider — Toronto Star — John Tory’s hopes of remaining mayor of Toronto — a job he treasured, one that finally made him a political winner — withered over the past week to a grim but undeniable conclusion: he had to quit. Several advisers involved in the agonizing conference calls, and others in Tory’s circle of friends, spoke to the […]
Feb 11 2023 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is paying warm tribute to former political enemy turned ally John Tory, who shocked Toronto by resigning as mayor on Friday. “I want to thank my friend John Tory for his many years of public service, most recently as Mayor of Toronto,” Ford said in a statement released Saturday morning. “John […]
Jul 27 2022 — David Rider — Toronto Star — After 12 years of pushing city hall to build bike lanes and fight climate change, Mike Layton is ready to move on. In a surprise announcement, the Ward 11 University-Rosedale city councillor, one of the most recognized faces in local politics, told the Star he will not seek re-election Oct. 24 and has no firm […]
Oct 17 2019 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Toronto Mayor John Tory sees “shortcomings” in the federal Conservative platform for cities but will not join his Vancouver counterpart in predicting “disaster” if Andrew Scheer is elected Prime Minister on Monday. Tory was asked Thursday about Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s scathing assessment of Scheer’s positions on issues important to his city in remarks to […]
Jan 18 2019 — David Rider — Toronto Star — The Doug Ford provincial government is accepting proposals to redevelop Ontario Place and says the landmark Cinesphere dome and futuristic pods can be demolished. A news release from Tourism Minister Michael Tibollo says the provincial government is soliciting proposals from around the world to turn the shuttered educational amusement park into “a spectacular world-class, year-round […]
Dec 7 2018 — David Rider — Toronto Star — The Doug Ford government has fired the chair of Waterfront Toronto and two other board members one day after the provincial auditor general criticized the agency over the Quayside project and more. Helen Burstyn told the Star provincial Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton called her around 9 p.m. Thursday, telling the chairwoman she was no longer […]
Aug 6 2018 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Mayor John Tory is renewing his call on Ottawa to toughen bail rules for people accused of gun crime, including no bail at all for repeat offenders. “We want to ensure that repeat gun offenders not be granted bail in the event of a subsequent gun charge and remain in custody until the charges have […]
Apr 10 2018 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Amazon.com officials evaluating Toronto as a potential second headquarters host were keen to learn about the benefits of government-provided single-payer health care, Toronto’s education system and the city’s booming tech sector. Toronto Global, the federal-provincial-local agency co-ordinating the regional bid for Amazon’s “HQ2”, revealed those details, and few others, about Amazon’s two-day visit in mid-March. […]
Feb 1 2018 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Doug Ford has abandoned his much-trumpeted plan to again seek election as mayor of Toronto, saying he is focusing solely on becoming the next leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. “I will not be running for mayor,” the former city councillor told the Star on Thursday, confirming statements he made in a Wednesday […]
Jan 30 2018 — David Rider — Toronto Star — Toronto Mayor John Tory has taken aim at nemesis Doug Ford’s shifting political ambitions and campaign launch location. Tory was asked by reporters about Ford — who had vowed a rematch with Tory in the October civic election, but is now seeking the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party — on Tuesday during a […]
Oct 5 2017 — David Rider — Toronto Star — There will be no “Rob Ford Memorial Stadium” in Toronto. City council rejected the proposal late Wednesday night to rename Centennial Park Stadium after the late Ward 2 Etobicoke North city councillor whose turbulent 2010-2014 term as mayor included revelations he smoked crack cocaine and lied about it for months. Mayor John Tory tabled the […]