The case for free public transit - GTWA

Free Transit flash-mob in downtown Toronto.

The Bullet | Socialist Project: "Toronto needs to radically decrease the dependence on private vehicles that has been structured into our living and working lives since the mid-20th century. On its own, Free Transit would not end car dependence. Doing that would require not only dramatic increases in transit capacities, but also measures to transform the way we use cars today."

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Free public transit and eco-social justice - GTWA

NOW editors pick a trio of this week’s can’t-miss events | NOW Magazine: "Sometimes you’ve gotta push the boundaries. The Greater Toronto Workers’ Assembly wants to initiate a discussion of free public transit and invites the interested to share some good cheer, food and conversation. Expect to hear talk about creating an eco-social justice campaign to make moving around the city accessible to all. Tonight (Thursday, December 20), 6 pm. Free. Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst. workersassembly.ca."

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Arrogance no surprise when you have the whole autosprawl industry behind you

The law and Rob Ford: "It all comes down to what the Ontario Superior Court judge called a “stubborn sense of entitlement” and “a dismissive and confrontational attitude to the Integrity Commissioner and the Code of Conduct.”

The judge examined all the possible loopholes — including inadvertence and error in judgment — and found no way out of the legislation’s mandatory punishment: removal from office."

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Oil industry needs to kill #publictransit

Jeff Rubin: Why shale oil won’t save you at the pumps - The Globe and Mail: "The IEA pretends that its prediction for a huge increase in unconventional oil supply can occur with only a modest increase in oil prices from current levels. Such unbridled optimism is belied by what’s going on in the industry. Getting oil out of the ground has never been more expensive. Just look at the pullback in capital spending among oil sands operators. And costs are only going up from here. Forecasts of exponential growth in U.S. shale oil ignore some very real challenges with it – such as wells that deplete at a rate of more than 40 per cent, even in rich fields like Eagle Ford in Texas, and a lack of basic pipeline infrastructure in the Bakken."

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Struggle for #transit continues in Toronto

TTC approves 5 cent fare hike - thestar.com: "But the restraint in funds comes at a time when ridership continues to grow. Transit officials project the delivery of 528 million rides next year, about 25 million more than this year.

But Stintz said the TTC has now done its part to hold down costs for the city, and transit officials are already talking to the city manager about a subsidy increase for 2014.

“I expect that next year we will see an increase to our subsidy,” she said."

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Enbridge’s Hidden Agenda to Export Dangerous Tar Sands Through Ontario Exposed « EcoWatch: Uniting the Voice of the Grassroots Environmental Movement

Enbridge’s Hidden Agenda to Export Dangerous Tar Sands Through Ontario Exposed « EcoWatch: Uniting the Voice of the Grassroots Environmental Movement: "Tar sands oil is more corrosive to pipes and more dangerous to ship through pipelines, putting water and farmland along Line 9’s route at greater risk of oil spills. When tar sands oil spills, it is much harder and more costly to clean up than conventional oil, and it causes more damage to human and environmental health. Line 9 crosses major rivers in Ontario like the Rouge, Humber, Grand and Rideau, all of which feed into Lake Ontario, putting the drinking water for millions of people at risk of pollution."

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TTC sets new ridership record - Transit Toronto - Weblog

TTC sets new ridership record - Transit Toronto - Weblog: "From October 3, 2011 until October 2, 2012, the Toronto Transit Commission carried more than 510 million passengers — a new ridership record. By the end of this year, the TTC expects to have carried 514 million riders, and is planning for as many as 528 million riders in 2013"

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