Daily Archives: January 19, 2010

Media release: Seasoned candidate enters race for councillor of Ward 27

Tindal receives early support from prominent members of major parties

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO – Chris Tindal, a former candidate for federal parliament, today registered to run for city councillor in Toronto’s Ward 27.

Tindal highlighted city finances, transit, and smart development as three areas in need of special focus. In a letter posted to christindal.ca, Tindal said he would “focus on expanding the tax base, not the tax burden,” called on the transit debate “to move from making excuses to finding solutions,” and said he would be “mindful not only of our ward’s current needs, but also the kind of city we’ll be proud to have created further down the road.”

A former Green Party of Canada candidate who has have lived in Ward 27 for more than a decade, Tindal is endorsed by respected individuals from across the political spectrum, including Chrétien-appointed Senator Lois Wilson, former local Progressive Conservative MP David MadDonald, and past Toronto NDP candidate Liam McHugh-Russell, who called Tindal “open-minded, passionate, articulate and thoughtful” and said he “represents the future we need for our city.”

MacDonald added, “Chris Tindal represents the best of what our neighbourhood is all about. He is committed to a community which is diverse, healthy and prepared to meet the challenges of living in an urban environment. We will all benefit from having him represent us on the new City Council.”

Tindal also has the support of high-profile members of Ward 27’s various communities, including Laurie Arron, who worked with Egale Canada to help legalize equal marriage.

“I intend, especially in these early months of the campaign, to do more listening than talking,” Tindal said. “We, as a campaign, will fully engage with residents to listen to their priorities and concerns.”

“As Torontonians we interact with municipal government services more than those of any other government,” he said. “And yet, we tend to pay very little attention to municipal politics, and I doubt there are even many city councillors who would argue we have the kind of governance we can be proud of, the kind of vision we should aspire to, the kind of representation we deserve.”

In a March 2008 by-election in Toronto Centre, the federal riding that includes Toronto’s Ward 27, Tindal achieved what media reports referred to as a “virtual tie” for second. Journalist Susan Delacourt wrote that Tindal’s “significant” result helped to “[seal his party’s] standing as a political force to watch” and moved it closer to becoming a “major player.”

Tindal’s campaign began this morning with a series of messages posted to his website, christindal.ca, and an invitation to residents to become active participants in defining the next city council.

Chris Tindal has served as a Vice President of the Ontario Recreational Canoeing association and as a board member for a boys and girls residential summer camp north of Toronto. Having produced some of Canada’s largest web properties including family.ca (for Astral Television Networks) and ytv.com (Corus Entertainment), Tindal now does strategy and business development for a national newspaper chain’s interactive properties.

For more information

Matthew Ross
matthew.a.ross@gmail.com
416.627.8928
www.christindal.ca

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Announcing my candidacy for Toronto City Council, Ward 27

Friends,

As of this morning I am a candidate for city councillor in Toronto’s Ward 27. After months of consultation and contemplation, I’ve come to the conclusion that this municipal election represents an exciting and unique opportunity for us as residents to, in one small but significant way, seize control of our own democracy and build the kind of community we want.

In one sense, city governance is about a set of very practical things like roads, garbage collection, sewers, and so on. It’s important that these areas are addressed properly and with sound judgment. In addition, however, city governance defines the kind of world we live in. We interact with municipal government services more than those of any other government, and in many ways those services have the largest immediate impact on our quality of life. When we talk about city building and when we elect a city council, we’re deciding what kind of neighbourhood we live in, what our commute to work is like, what kinds of activities we can easily enjoy on the evenings and weekends, what kind of education our children receive, and what it means to exist as a diverse community of equals.

And yet, we tend to pay very little attention to municipal politics, and I doubt there are even many city councillors who would argue we have the kind of governance we can be proud of, the kind of vision we should aspire to, the kind of representation we deserve.

I’m running to be Ward 27’s next councillor because I’ve lived here for a decade, I attended and graduated from university here, and I think we deserve better.

Recognizing that there will be a lot of time to discuss specific policy positions throughout the campaign, in these early days there are three areas I would like to lift up.

First, anyone elected to city council will need to address the very serious and imminent financial crisis. The city must get its house in order and Torontonians expect to see better value for their tax dollars. That will mean finding new creative sources of revenue as well as targeted cost containment. The unrelenting wave of perpetual property tax increases we’ve become used to is not only bad policy, it’s unimaginative. In short, through smart development and planning I will focus on expanding the tax base, not the tax burden.

Second, we expect more from our transit system. Too many of us know the frustration of waiting for a bus that never comes, or watching a full streetcar pass us by as we stand with our Metropass or transfer in hand. While it is true that the TTC is underfunded by provincial and federal levels of government, we need to move from making excuses to finding solutions. We don’t do that by blaming others or creating divisions, we do it by articulating the kind of system we want and a plan to get there together.

Finally, much of what a city councillor does is concerned with building the kind of city we want, whether that means working with developers and residents on a new residential or commercial building or negotiating how our streets are equitably shared among pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and drivers. I will approach these conversations in a way that is open and inclusive, seeking to build common ground. And I will be mindful not only of our ward’s current needs, but also the kind of city we’ll be proud to have created further down the road.

In addition to these larger areas, I’ll enter into dialogue with residents and stakeholders from each of our neighbourhoods about what specific issues we should work on together over the next four years. For example, a conversation about Church Street’s accidental evolution is long overdue, and as a community we need to address what kind of Church Street we want. (Update: conversation about this in the comments.)

Let’s be clear: we can win this campaign, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to those of you who have already offered your support. It’s a long time until election day on October 25th, and there’s much to be done. Let’s get to work.