I am Brian Graff and I am running for Mayor of Toronto in 2023
This website is temporary and is a work in progress. Much of the content is from its previous uses in 2014 and 2018, so please be patient as I update it to reflect my ideas for the City of Toronto and otherwise put together my campaign platform and publish it here.
You might be interested in this Toronto Star coverage regarding Ward boundaries when I appeared before the Executive Committee - HERE
I also had a Letter to the Editor of The Star about the race for Mayor and the need for reform HERE
This website is temporary and is a work in progress. Much of the content is from its previous uses in 2014 and 2018, so please be patient as I update it to reflect my ideas for the City of Toronto and otherwise put together my campaign platform and publish it here.
You might be interested in this Toronto Star coverage regarding Ward boundaries when I appeared before the Executive Committee - HERE
I also had a Letter to the Editor of The Star about the race for Mayor and the need for reform HERE
Brian Graff 's agenda for toronto 2023
Here is a summary of MY PRAGMATIC, COMMON SENSE AGENDA, we need the vision and good political judgment we have been lacking for too many years:
1. STOP Doug Ford’s Plans for Ontario Place Keep the Science Centre where it is in Don Mills. Cancel the 95 year Therme Spa lease for Ontario Place and instead move it to a 30 year lease on the north parking lot at the Science Centre.
2. FINISH the Gardiner Expressway Rebuild An 8 lane road at grade makes no sense given the high volumes of 131,000 cars per day (2013 numbers for Lakeshore + Garrdiner)
3. SHIFT the Ontario Line from Queen Street to Richmond St. Passengers will mostly go south to the Financial District and this avoid interrupting the Queen 501 streetcar service and has other benefits
4. TERMINATE the King St. Transit Pilot Project (Restore parking but keep left turn prohibitions)
5. END the Privatization of the Waterfront – Make the for parks and public institutions only (Parks and not condos or other questionable deals - why develop land for condos then spend billion on a deck over the railway?)
6. RESTRUCTURE the Megacity (because Mike Harris's 1997 structure doesn't work) have 4 or 5 separate local planning boards with members elected separately
7. REPLACE the 2002 Official Plan - the Planning Process and Rules are a mess and the planners do not listen to residents. We need to put citizens ahead of developers.
8. FIRE bureaucrats who do not respect citizens, starting with the Planning Department "experts" who impose their own ideology on planning decisions instead of merely providing information to Council.
9. REFORM our political system to EMPOWER citizens – Fight for ranked ballot elections, term limits (4 consecutive terms max) and other structural democratic changes
10. SOLVE our underlying problems caused by rapid population growth in the GTA – Lobby senior government to reduce growth - we cannot keep up so we have to slow down population growth by changing immigration policies
11. HELP citizens by making Toronto a more prosperous, equal and fair city - we have too much poverty and unemployment and housing is not affordable
12. FIX our roads and infrastructure (Stop raiding reserve funds and fix potholes) municipal government needs to focus on providing services.
13. MORATORIUM on Bike Lanes and find ways to reduce congestion Review existing bike lanes and find other ways to ease congestion such as reducing the 5 second pedestiran delay at intersections.
BE REALISTIC AND FLEXIBLE! instead of imposing rigid quotas (management by numbers) such as with the quota to increase trees by 50% (40% of the city to be covered by trees) and rules which force trees on homeowners against their will - put quality over quantity.
1. STOP Doug Ford’s Plans for Ontario Place Keep the Science Centre where it is in Don Mills. Cancel the 95 year Therme Spa lease for Ontario Place and instead move it to a 30 year lease on the north parking lot at the Science Centre.
2. FINISH the Gardiner Expressway Rebuild An 8 lane road at grade makes no sense given the high volumes of 131,000 cars per day (2013 numbers for Lakeshore + Garrdiner)
3. SHIFT the Ontario Line from Queen Street to Richmond St. Passengers will mostly go south to the Financial District and this avoid interrupting the Queen 501 streetcar service and has other benefits
4. TERMINATE the King St. Transit Pilot Project (Restore parking but keep left turn prohibitions)
5. END the Privatization of the Waterfront – Make the for parks and public institutions only (Parks and not condos or other questionable deals - why develop land for condos then spend billion on a deck over the railway?)
6. RESTRUCTURE the Megacity (because Mike Harris's 1997 structure doesn't work) have 4 or 5 separate local planning boards with members elected separately
7. REPLACE the 2002 Official Plan - the Planning Process and Rules are a mess and the planners do not listen to residents. We need to put citizens ahead of developers.
8. FIRE bureaucrats who do not respect citizens, starting with the Planning Department "experts" who impose their own ideology on planning decisions instead of merely providing information to Council.
9. REFORM our political system to EMPOWER citizens – Fight for ranked ballot elections, term limits (4 consecutive terms max) and other structural democratic changes
10. SOLVE our underlying problems caused by rapid population growth in the GTA – Lobby senior government to reduce growth - we cannot keep up so we have to slow down population growth by changing immigration policies
11. HELP citizens by making Toronto a more prosperous, equal and fair city - we have too much poverty and unemployment and housing is not affordable
12. FIX our roads and infrastructure (Stop raiding reserve funds and fix potholes) municipal government needs to focus on providing services.
13. MORATORIUM on Bike Lanes and find ways to reduce congestion Review existing bike lanes and find other ways to ease congestion such as reducing the 5 second pedestiran delay at intersections.
BE REALISTIC AND FLEXIBLE! instead of imposing rigid quotas (management by numbers) such as with the quota to increase trees by 50% (40% of the city to be covered by trees) and rules which force trees on homeowners against their will - put quality over quantity.
It's "the economy, Stupid!"
And "Change vs. More of the same"
Well known slogans based on a sign in James Carville's office, circa 1992