Miller Outlines His Waterfront Plan

There are a lot of issues that will be front and centre during the municipal election campaign, but it appears candidate David Miller will be returning to the one that helped him get the job in the first place – the waterfront.

Miller unveiled his harbour improvement platform Wednesday, and it illustrates the huge gulf between the incumbent and his nearest opponent, Jane Pitfield.

Miller wants to create 750 acres of new public park spaces, reaching from Scarborough to Etobicoke, insisting revitalizing the area near the lake is among his main priorities.

His plan includes new trails and bike lanes, a clean-up of polluted air and beaches and in what may be the defining statement of his entire campaign, “a waterfront for people, not planes.”

Miller was elected three years ago, successfully battling a bridge to the Island Airport. Pitfield favours the idea of planes taking off in the downtown location, arguing it will be a business boon and boom for Toronto.

Some pundits have criticized Miller’s intense focus on the issue, wondering if crime, garbage and transit aren’t more important.

But in a statement, the candidate notes it has to be front and centre.

“For too long, Toronto’s waterfront had been neglected, and that is why one of my priorities as Mayor is to reclaim and revitalize this natural resource.”

Voters will tell both mayoral wannabes which vision they like best when the election is held November 13th.