Crime, Transit & Garbage Your Top Concerns With Election Just Two Weeks Away
Posted October 30, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
One thing that likely won’t: the issues voters insist are the most important to them.
A new Decima Research survey indicates 85 percent of those asked consider crime and safety the number one overall priority for Toronto residents.
Traffic and transit is number two, chosen by 82 percent of those making their mark. That’s tied with garbage.
And unlike the last campaign, fewer seem concerned with the waterfront or the fact there’s now an airline operating out of the Island Airport.
“I think politicians need to be focusing on the crime,” agrees Joel Francis. “There’s a lot of crime going around, and I think if they make the streets more safer, that would be better.”
Nisar Tee has getting around on his mind. “They should be focusing more on the infrastructure of Toronto,” he complains. “So much congestion everywhere. So many potholes and crime in some of the neighbourhoods.”
But a voter named Babuji is more concerned with what others think of us.
“Start getting all the tourists back in ’cause I know after the whole SARS epidemic we lost a lot of tourists, and with the rising dollar we’re losing even more tourists, especially the ones that we need from the States. I think it would be a lot better if they started focusing more on Toronto, getting people to come here.”
Miller was back on the campaign trail early Monday with a speech to the Toronto Real Estate Board. But one piece of ground he didn’t want covered was the nasty tone this election seems to be taking.
In a weekend election debate, challengers Jane Pitfield and Stephen LeDrew didn’t mince words in attacking the incumbent – and each other.
“A lot of this election has been name calling and I’ll leave it to my two opponents,” he suggests. “They were pretty blunt with each other yesterday and that’s up to them. I’m trying to speak to the issues Torontonians care about.”
That brought Miller back to the issue that helped him win the last time – the harbour. He told the agents he stands by his plans for a redeveloped Toronto waterfront that doesn’t include the busy commercial Island Airport.
His main opponents contend it will not only help revitalize the waterfront, but bring some badly needed revenue into the city and rejuvenate the downtown core.
Who’s right? You get the final say in just 14 days time.
