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85-474: The square hosts a variety of activities throughout the year, but is primarily a quiet space in which to relax or eat lunch. The Square is located on what once was a "500-foot deep grassy field that served no apparent purpose other than to make City Hall hard to reach." The square was named after Lastman in a motion brought forth by Howard Moscoe at a city council meeting in April 1986. Architect Michael Kirkland felt

170-533: A Master of Education at the University of Toronto . Moscoe was first elected to the North York city council in 1978 , defeating incumbent alderman Murray Markin in the city's fourth ward. He soon emerged as a prominent voice on the council's left, and became a frequent critic of Mayor Mel Lastman . Moscoe criticized Lastman's ties to regional developers, arguing that the mayor often used reformist rhetoric to hide

255-530: A Progressive Conservative cabinet minister in Ontario. He criticized Mel Lastman's plans to provide public funding for the North York Performing Arts Centre in 1991, arguing that it was an unnecessary expense and that private entrepreneur Garth Drabinsky would be the primary beneficiary. (Drabinsky was later charged with accounting fraud after Livent went bankrupt.) Moscoe also criticized

340-518: A by-election held four months later. Grey, who had finished a distant fourth running in the same riding in the general election, succeeded rookie Progressive Conservative MP John Dahmer . Dahmer died of pancreatic cancer before taking office. For the Progressive Conservatives , this was the last federal election they would ever win. Articles on parties' candidates in this election: Bold indicates parties with members elected to

425-552: A landslide majority government victory in the 1984 federal election . Despite this achievement, scandals including patronage damaged his polling numbers. However, in his fourth year in office in 1988, his popularity began to recover; a poll a few days before the election call showed the Progressive Conservatives ahead of the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party . The Liberal Party led by John Turner suffered

510-619: A Liberal government. In an ironic reversal of most prior federal elections, the Liberals were kept out of power by their inability to make any headway into the overwhelming Tory majority in Quebec . Indeed, the Liberals actually lost five seats in Quebec. This second election loss sealed Turner's fate; he would eventually resign in 1990 , and was succeeded by Jean Chrétien , who proved to be a more effective leader and when in government, accepted free trade with

595-655: A Liberal government; a week after the debate, the Liberals were six points ahead of the PCs. The Liberal surge prompted the PCs to stop the relatively calm campaign they had been running and instead run a more negative campaign, capitalizing on the perceived lack of public confidence in Turner, his perceived inability to lead the Liberal Party, and arguing that he only opposed free trade because of political opportunism. The PCs' poll numbers started to rebound. The Progressive Conservatives won

680-459: A charity auction, and used it to dust his chair and desk at the start of council meetings. Moscoe asked the Law Society of Upper Canada to intervene in his 1982 re-election campaign, alleging that rival candidate Sydney Moscoe was running with the deliberate intent of confusing voters. He informed the media that the ten nominees who signed Sydney Moscoe's papers also signed those of Eleanor Rosen,

765-815: A child before the First World War . His uncle, Joe Moscoe, was the first licensed taxi driver in Toronto (cab license #1). Moscoe was a junior high school art teacher with the North York Board of Education before entering political life, and was president of the North York Elementary Teachers' Federation and a governor of the Ontario Teachers' Federation. He campaigned for a seat on the North York Hydro Commission in 1974, and ran for

850-437: A fountain under a large sign at Yonge Street down into a large concrete square. Planters, trees, shrubs and wooden benches surround the area. A large pond is located in the centre of the square that serves as a relaxing focal point in the summer and a skating rink in the winter. The square also features an outdoor theatre for a number of events, including Sunday Serenades jazz concerts each summer. Other events include RBC Run for

935-414: A heavy defeat in the 1984 election. Despite this, Turner stayed on as leader and was preparing to campaign for the second election. However, the Liberal Party was in financial and political disarray; by 1986 the party was heavily in debt and the expenses of the national organization continued to rise. Turner's office experienced significant staff turnover, and leaving members were willing to recount stories of

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1020-488: A leading critic of proposed Sunday shopping reforms introduced by the provincial government of David Peterson . Moscoe argued that the Peterson government was abdicating its responsibility by permitting municipalities to legislate change on the issue, and described efforts to expand Sunday shopping as "an attack on labor unions, small business and the family". He served as chairman of a task force on Sunday shopping, and oversaw

1105-444: A list of his priorities to journalists, which was highlighted by a plan to license Toronto's landlords. The plan calls for landlords to pay a high per-unit fee if their properties are run down, and a low fee if the buildings are in good shape. "Good landlords have nothing to fear from the licensing scheme because the amounts they are going to pay will be marginal," he has said. "The emphasis in whatever scheme we establish must be making

1190-459: A local taxpayer group called the Coalition for Municipal Change announced that it would try to find a challenger for Moscoe in the 2006 municipal election . Moscoe described the Coalition as a "Tory front group who are basically trying to destroy the balance of council", and later said "I always face two or three or four opponents during an election [...] Bring them on." No candidate came forward, and

1275-543: A majority government, and the last where a right-of-centre party won the most seats in Quebec . It was also the last election in Canadian history in which only three parties would be elected to Parliament. With Mulroney winning a majority, the agreement was passed into law, even though a majority of the voters had voted for parties opposing free trade. Brian Mulroney led the Progressive Conservative Party to

1360-466: A minor party. The election was the last for Canada's Social Credit Party . The party won no seats, and won an insignificant portion of the popular vote. This was the first election for the newly founded Reform Party which for this vote only contested seats in Western Canada . The party at this stage was filled to a large extent with former Socreds along with some former PC supporters disaffected at

1445-486: A more serious challenger associated with the Progressive Conservatives . A Supreme Court of Ontario judge ruled that both Moscoes were legitimate candidates. Moscoe was re-elected, although by a reduced margin. In 1984, Moscoe was a leading supporter of reform legislation to limit campaign contributions to $ 500 per year and require candidates to declare expenses, contributions and contributors within ninety days of an election. Largely through his efforts, North York became

1530-464: A motion before city council to replace the entire TTC board. Ashton acknowledged that the move was intended to replace Moscoe, whom he described as "very incompetent". Moscoe again retained his position when council rejected the motion, and instead agreed to a compromise plan which saw two new members added to the board. The new appointments did not solve Moscoe's difficulties: both new members were opposed to his leadership, and their appointments led to

1615-529: A motion to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities calling for senior levels of government to provide operating and capital costs for public transit in cities. He recommended that Toronto take steps to improve its transit network in 1989, following the release of a report indicating that rush-hour traffic would double between 1981 and 2001. He was quoted as saying, "We can no longer afford the absolute luxury of people travelling alone and taking up valuable space on

1700-558: A permanent casino to be established on Exhibition grounds. He was a leading opponent of the federal government's decision to sell the Toronto Pearson International Airport in 1993, arguing that the airport should be owned by Toronto-area taxpayers. He described the sale as a "sell-out" orchestrated by members of the governing Progressive Conservative Party , and argued that the deal would be remembered as "the greatest orgy of patronage ever in this country." After

1785-428: A pro-establishment bias. Moscoe once described his rivalry with Lastman by saying, "It's a fundamental difference of opinion. He's the wheeler-dealer, free-enterpriser, step-up-and-see-the-dancing-girls type of politician, while I'm a strong social democrat ." This comment notwithstanding, Moscoe quickly developed his own reputation for political theatrics against Lastman. He once purchased one of Lastman's toupees at

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1870-479: A prominent rival to David Gunn , the TTC's chief general manager. The two disagreed over policy issues, including the proposed purchase of low-floor buses to benefit elderly and disabled passengers: Moscoe supported the purchase, while Gunn argued that it was beyond the TTC's budget. Gunn also accused Moscoe of interfering in TTC management issues, particularly after Moscoe renegotiated a contract for condominium development at

1955-460: A proposed island airport bridge in 2002, even though he actually opposed the bridge in principle. He later explained that his vote was part of a compromise arrangement with Bombardier and developer Robert Deluce to have a large piece of land surrounding the Downsview subway stop set aside for residential development. The city later reached a separate deal with Bombardier, and Moscoe voted against

2040-407: A reduced but strong majority government with 169 seats, and the free trade agreement would go into effect on January 1, 1989. Mulroney was the first Conservative prime minister since John A. Macdonald to win more than one majority. Despite the Liberals more than doubling their seat count from 38 to 83, the results were considered a disappointment for Turner, after polls in mid-campaign predicted

2125-480: A referendum for a 1% property tax hike later in the same year, with the revenues to be targeted toward public transit improvements. The city turned down the proposal. 1988 Canadian federal election Brian Mulroney Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney Progressive Conservative The 1988 Canadian federal election was held on November 21, 1988, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of

2210-406: A renewed effort to remove him as chair. Moscoe responded to the threat by introducing a legal challenge against the manner of the new members' selection: both were chosen by a simple majority of council, and Moscoe argued that a two-thirds majority was required. A court ruling in late June 1999 upheld Moscoe's position and invalidated the appointments. After the ruling, Mel Lastman signalled that he

2295-473: A representative of the "Student Party". Newspaper reports indicate that this was simply a tax-avoidance scheme. The moribund Social Credit Party fielded nine candidates, far short of the 50 required for official recognition. However, the Chief Electoral Officer allowed the party's name to appear on the ballot by virtue of its half-century history as a recognized party. It would be the last time that

2380-481: A seat on the North York Board of Control in the municipal election later in the year, focusing his campaign on issues such as housing and affordable day care. Moscoe was the only left-leaning member on the city's Board of Control between 1985 and 1988, and was frequently at odds with its other members. He nonetheless rose to a position of administrative leadership, overseeing finances, policy initiatives and

2465-605: A series of public meetings on the issue in 1990. Metro Toronto introduced the direct election of councillors in 1988 . Moscoe chose to run for a seat on the new council, and was declared elected when his only opponent withdrew one day after nominations closed. He described his acclamation as bittersweet, in that he had already ordered 25,000 campaign pamphlets. After the election, he supported Dennis Flynn 's unsuccessful bid to be re-elected as Metro chairman . Flynn lost to Alan Tonks , whom Moscoe later criticized as "Mr. Indecision" and "Mr. Subcommittee". Moscoe's efforts to reform

2550-495: A single day's debate, but commissioner Rob Davis unexpectedly suspended the proceedings and suggested that a broader inquiry be launched. Moscoe then withdrew his resignation, saying that the matter should have been resolved quickly to permit the TTC to return to its regular business. There was a further attempt to dismiss Moscoe in January 2000, but this came to nothing. Despite these controversies, Moscoe's first tenure as TTC chair

2635-487: A statement in April 1999, indicating that they were prepared to "reconsider the position of chair". Moscoe was able to retain his position at a subsequent TTC meeting with a deft procedural move that divided the opposition, and later described the attempt to dismiss him as a " kindergarten coup". His opponents attempted to remove him again in May 1999, when TTC commissioners Chris Korwin-Kuczynski and Brian Ashton brought forward

Mel Lastman Square - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-400: A threatened strike by TTC workers. During the negotiations, Moscoe had suggested that council should reach a settlement with the workers and then consider a property tax increase to find the necessary revenues. Mel Lastman opposed this proposal, and is widely believed to have coordinated the subsequent efforts to remove Moscoe from office. Four commissioners on the seven-member TTC board issued

2805-412: A total collapse in the city's transit system. He recommended that WheelTrans users voluntarily limit their non-essential use of the service, so as to ensure that it remained accessible for work and school transportation. He opposed further cuts in 1996, and subsequently supported initiatives to make regular buses wheelchair-friendly. Moscoe was appointed as TTC chair in January 1998, and soon emerged as

2890-405: A variety of technical matters. On policy, Moscoe promoted the creation of a municipal housing corporation in North York to promote rent-geared-to-income housing. He argued that the city's housing situation was in crisis, and that government inaction would result in a rise in homelessness in later years. He also promoted employment equity , and supported the extension of anti-smoking regulations in

2975-650: The 2011 federal election , the 1988 election was the most successful in the New Democratic Party's history. The party dominated in British Columbia and Saskatchewan , won significant support in Ontario and elected its first (and, until the 2008 election , only) member from Alberta . This was the second election contested by the Green Party , and it saw a more than 50 percent increase in its vote, but it remained

3060-581: The 34th Parliament of Canada . It was an election largely fought on a single issue : the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA); the Progressive Conservative Party campaigned in favour of it, whereas the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) campaigned against it. The incumbent prime minister , Brian Mulroney , led his Progressive Conservative Party to a second majority government . Mulroney

3145-522: The Greater Toronto Airport Authority and the City of Mississauga . Several airport drivers protested the new law at city council. In an unrelated matter, Moscoe attempted to have Toronto's numbered electoral wards given new names in early 2007. The motion was defeated by council. Moscoe has long been a prominent advocate for public transit in Toronto. As early as 1979, he brought forward

3230-557: The Liberal Party of Canada won the 1993 federal election , Moscoe encouraged new Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to cancel the deal and turn the airport over to a non-profit local authority. Chrétien subsequently cancelled the deal. Moscoe has long been a supporter of gay and lesbian issues. He was one of three TTC members to support the group "Toronto Area Gays and Lesbians" (TAGL) in a 1993 controversy over TTC advertising: TAGL had purchased advertising space, only to have their contract revoked when other commission members complained that

3315-628: The Metropolitan Toronto council, which was then a part-time body made up of representatives from six municipal councils. He supported several reforms to the council's operations, including direct election and increased powers of governance. Particularly notable was his call for the Metro Police Commission and Toronto Transit Commission to be governed entirely by elected officials, rather than by mixed bodies of elected officials and appointees. Moscoe rose to greater prominence in 1988 as

3400-592: The Ontario legislature in 1975 and 1977 as the Ontario New Democratic Party candidate in Wilson Heights . Moscoe initially supported extension of the Spadina Expressway to reduce traffic in his riding, but opposed further extension once the freeway was partially completed and renamed as Allen Road . Moscoe is also a successful businessman as a designer and producer of election signs. In

3485-520: The Harris government's plan. He was elected to the new city council in the 1997 election , while his old nemesis Mel Lastman was elected as the first mayor of the new city . Moscoe soon resumed his role as Lastman's chief critic, but nevertheless won Lastman's support to become chair of the Toronto Transit Commission in January 1998. His term lasted until the 2000 municipal election . Moscoe

Mel Lastman Square - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-523: The Kids, a farmer's market, cultural festivals, Canada Day festivities and numerous family events. The family of one of the victims of the Toronto van attack donated a piano in April 2019 to the square. It has been placed under a rotunda at Mel Lastman Square. Howard Moscoe Howard Moscoe (born November 28, 1939) is a former city councillor in Toronto , Ontario , Canada, representing Ward 15 in

3655-527: The Manitoba candidates appears to have withdrawn before election day). The Liberal candidate in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Emmanuel Feuerwerker, withdrew from the race after suffering a heart attack, resulting in the Liberals not running a candidate in all 295 ridings during this election. The Marxist–Leninist Party fielded candidates in several ridings. Blair T. Longley campaigned in British Columbia as

3740-492: The South African government as " fascist , no matter how you slice it." Some members of the North York council, including Mel Lastman, attempted to remove Moscoe from the city's planning advisory committee in 1986. Moscoe described the effort as "a thinly veiled direct personal attack on myself", while another councillor later acknowledged that it was intended as punishment for Moscoe's outspokenness against Lastman. He survived

3825-406: The TTC could cut expenses through administration instead. He criticized the service cutbacks introduced by the provincial government of Mike Harris in the mid-1990s, and spoke against a 43% fare increase for students and seniors in 1996. Moscoe later argued that the Harris government's funding cuts were the start of a long period of decline for the TTC, from which it had not entirely recovered by

3910-587: The TTC's Bayview station. Gunn threatened to resign in mid-1998 if Moscoe was not removed, but retracted this threat when the TTC reaffirmed its confidence in Moscoe's leadership. Gunn eventually stepped down in April 1999, saying that Moscoe was "ruining his reputation". His replacement, Rick Ducharme , was openly critical of his predecessor's management style and initially had a more cooperative relationship with Moscoe and other elected officials. There were several attempts to remove Moscoe as TTC chair in 1999, following

3995-471: The Toronto Transit Commission came to fruition in late 1988, when council voted to replace all of the TTC's citizen members with elected officials. Moscoe argued that the change was necessary in light of the Metro councillors's increased responsibilities, adding that the "citizen members" were in fact high-level patronage appointees. One of Moscoe's leading allies in achieving this reform was Chris Stockwell , later

4080-928: The United States and did not overturn CUSFTA. Despite the New Democratic Party enjoying their best result at the time (winning 43 seats), Ed Broadbent resigned as leader in 1989 . Some NDP members were disappointed by the fact that they didn't become the Official Opposition . Note: "% change" refers to change from previous election A number of unregistered parties also contested the election. The Western Canada Concept party, led by Doug Christie , fielded three candidates in British Columbia. The Western Independence Party ran one candidate in British Columbia , seven in Alberta , and three in Manitoba (although one of

4165-421: The area's streets for a first-hand view. Moscoe responded by saying, "Councillor, I leave walking the streets to you", which was a play on words referring to "street-walker", a euphemism for "prostitute". He subsequently apologized, adding "on occasion my mouth gets ahead of my brain". Nunziata wrote an open letter to the city's integrity commissioner, asking that Moscoe be censured for his comments. In July 2006,

4250-587: The bad landlords pay". He conducted a media tour of the worst-kept buildings in Toronto in early 2007. Moscoe has called for Ontario's disabled parking system to be overhauled, arguing that the current system is both outdated and rampant with abuse. He says that many non-disabled Ontarians are currently using disabled parking permits for convenience purposes. In a letter published in the Toronto Star in February 2007, Moscoe argues that subsidies should be provided to

4335-559: The bill through the House of Commons , however, the Liberal-dominated Senate demanded an election before they would pass it. The election was called on October 1. The Liberals had some early struggles, notably during one day in Montreal where three different costs were given for the proposed Liberal daycare program. When asked by reporters about the incident, Turner's chief of staff responded using vulgar language. The campaign

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4420-461: The birds do". Moscoe distributed a prankish memo to other councillors in late 2005, entitled "How far will Lady Jane go?", drawing a connection between Jane Pitfield 's planned challenge against David Miller in 2006 and Lady Jane Grey 's nine-day reign as Queen regnant of England in 1553. He withdrew the memo after complaints, and wrote an apology to Pitfield for any offence given. Rival councillors Karen Stintz and Frances Nunziata argued that

4505-444: The bridge when the issue was reconsidered in late 2003. Moscoe is a prominent ally of David Miller , who was elected as Lastman's successor in the 2003 municipal election . Moscoe's own campaign for re-election in 2003 was complicated by a heart virus, which resulted in a rare condition known constrictive pericarditis . He organized most of his re-election campaign from a hospital bed, and did not publicize his illness until later in

4590-461: The coalition did not endorse any of Moscoe's opponents. Moscoe defeated Ron Singer , his closest challenger, by about a two-to-one margin. Moscoe stood down as TTC chair following the 2006 election, and was selected as chair of Toronto's licensing and standards committee. He is also a member of David Miller's executive committee . Soon after the swearing-in ceremony in December 2006, Moscoe distributed

4675-417: The content was too controversial. Moscoe also spoke out against Metro's decision to reject funding for two gay and lesbian cultural groups in the same year, urging councillors "not to succumb to a radical, right-wing fringe" in withholding revenue. In December 1995, Moscoe co-sponsored a successful motion calling for Metro Toronto to block a contract with Shell Canada , on the grounds that its parent company

4760-443: The contest was demeaning to women, and Stintz suggested that Moscoe had "a history of making disparaging comments to women". Stintz and David Soknacki signed an affidavit requesting that Moscoe be investigated by the integrity commissioner for the comments. Moscoe argued that the contest was not sexist, acknowledging that it was directed against Pitfield but denying that he was targeting her gender. One Toronto columnist suggested that

4845-399: The disabled poor, rather than to those who can afford their own and drive a car. In late March 2007, Moscoe led the licensing and standards committee in supporting a ban on airport limousines picking up fares in Toronto (a practice sometimes called "scooping"). Council approved the motion the following month, but imposed a one-month delay on its enforcement to allow further negotiations with

4930-586: The east, the Toronto District School Board headquarters on the south, North York Civic Centre on the west, and to the north by the North York Central Library and North York Centre shopping/office/hotel complex (5150 Yonge Street), Mel Lastman Square was intended to be the heart of North York. With its sunken configuration and tree cover, activities can take place away from the busy traffic on Yonge Street. An artificial stream runs from

5015-539: The first municipality in the Toronto area to pass such legislation. Moscoe later supported tax credits for municipal political donations, similar to those used at the provincial and federal levels. Also in 1984, he spoke out against the strict enforcement of an anti-scalping by-law outside Exhibition Stadium during home games by the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. He argued that some constituents who were not scalpers were given fines for selling extra tickets outside

5100-716: The late 1980s, he personally designed a brand of plastic sleeves to prevent rainwater damage during campaigns. He claimed 78 candidates as customers in the 1988 municipal election , and a further eighteen in the 1988 federal election . Moscoe later said that he supplied every sign used by the New Democrats in the 1999 provincial election . He is an active member of the Canadian Jewish Congress , and has served on its community relations committee. Moscoe graduated from Lakeshore Teachers College and completed BA degrees at Wilfrid Laurier University and York University , and

5185-448: The mayor under the terms of a planned 12.25% salary increase for the city's unionized employees. Some members of council later said that they did not notice the change, and were unaware that they were voting themselves a pay increase when they approved the bill. Moscoe denied that any trickery was involved, and suggested that certain councillors were disingenuously trying to appear disinterested in their salaries. He added, "I think we deserve

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5270-413: The memo criticisms were politically motivated in order to aid Pitfield's potential candidacy. Pitfield did not consider the memo offensive, and initially joked that she was planning to enter the contest. Moscoe was later criticized for allegedly sexist comments made in an exchange with Frances Nunziata in 2006. Nunziata had complained that bus service in her ward was substandard, and asked Moscoe to walk

5355-422: The mid-2000s. Moscoe joined with other NDP councillors to support increased funding for WheelTrans, a transportation service for Toronto's disabled persons, 1995. After the Harris government introduced its funding cuts, however, he reluctantly brought forward a motion to scale back WheelTrans services. He described the motion as "the most difficult decision I've had to make", but argued it was necessary to prevent

5440-425: The motion by eleven votes to six. Despite his rivalry with Lastman, Moscoe was the prime mover in a motion dedicating North York's 1.8-hectare Mel Lastman Square in 1986. Shortly before the dedication, he said that Lastman was "responsible for the development of the downtown and the centrepiece of the downtown is the civic square". Some speculated that Moscoe, who had his own ambitions to serve as Mayor of North York,

5525-476: The municipal election reforms passed by David Peterson 's government in the same period, arguing that large land developers would be able to avoid donation limits without difficulty. Moscoe was re-elected in the 1991 municipal election , defeating two minor challengers. A Toronto Star survey from the election lists him as the hardest-working member of council, but adds "his effectiveness has been hurt by his penchant for mischief-making, which often casts him in

5610-515: The office's disfunction to the press, resulting in Turner's leadership being nicknamed a "reign of error". Some pundits believed the Liberals would permanently drop to third place. In 1988, Mulroney reached an agreement on free trade with the United States . Turner 's Liberal Party and Ed Broadbent 's New Democratic Party opposed the agreement; Turner believed that the agreement would "Americanize" Canada. Mulroney used his large majority to pass

5695-485: The overuse of concrete made the square feel "chintzy"; he would have used granite had the budget allowed for it. The Square cost $ 5 million to build. The opening ceremony on June 16 was attended by 3500 people, flanked by a choir and a giant inflatable King Kong on a nearby rooftop. Lincoln Alexander and Alan Tonks were present at the ceremony. Finally, MP Alan Redway read a tribute from Brian Mulroney and 7000 balloons were released. Surrounded by Yonge Street on

5780-448: The party, which had been the third-largest or fourth-largest party in Canada at its height, would fight an election under its own name. The party was deregistered before the 1993 election after it failed to nominate enough candidates to keep its registration. xx - less than 0.05% of the popular vote. Note: Parties that captured less than 1% of the vote in a province are not recorded. Until

5865-510: The perceived lack of support from the Mulroney government for western interests. It was led by Preston Manning , who was himself a one time Socred candidate and the son of longtime Alberta Social Credit premier Ernest Manning . Reform won no seats and was not yet considered a major party at the national level. However, Deborah Grey would win the first seat for Reform, Beaver River in Alberta, in

5950-428: The road. The only solution is to improve public transit and increase disincentives to travel downtown by car." In 1991, he argued that Metro should charge developers for transit projects. Moscoe recommended several reforms to transit policy following his appointment to the TTC in 1991. He supported lower rates for Toronto's poorer residents, arguing that transit passes could be mailed out with welfare cheques. This idea

6035-501: The role of the buffoon". He was appointed to the Toronto Transit Commission after the election. Moscoe became involved with municipal gaming issues in the mid-1990s, and supported the provincial government of Bob Rae in its plans for casino expansion. He served on Toronto's casino committee for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), and favoured the introduction of horse race betting in 1994. Moscoe later called for

6120-444: The same raises everybody else got - modest though they may be. I'm not in the slightest bit embarrassed." He withdrew the motion when council reconsidered its raise increase in January 2006, saying that the matter had been "blown all out of proportion" by the media. Moscoe was criticized for yelling an obscenity at Rob Ford in a 2004 meeting, for which he later apologized. He initially joked that he had told Ford to "flock off, as

6205-403: The stadium at face value. To protest the law, he painted a yellow line on the pavement 400 metres from the stadium and declared the area past the line a "free trade zone" for fans to exchange tickets. Moscoe campaigned for the Ontario legislature a third time in 1985 , and finished third against Liberal Monte Kwinter in a provincial swing to the Liberal Party. He was subsequently elected to

6290-437: The village of East Garafraxa determine how public transit funding is distributed in Toronto". This dispute notwithstanding, Moscoe supported of the provincial government's plans to grant increased governmental powers to Toronto. Also in 2004, Moscoe brought forward a successful motion to rename a street in his ward as " Tommy Douglas Gardens". In late 2005, Moscoe amended a municipal motion to include Toronto councillors and

6375-454: The western part of Eglinton-Lawrence . Among the most prominent and longest-serving councillors in the city, he is also known for an outspokenness which caused controversy at times. Moscoe is a member of the New Democratic Party . On August 31, 2010, after 31 years as an elected municipal politician, Moscoe announced his retirement from city council. Moscoe's father, Alexander, was born to a Jewish family in Łódź , Poland, moved to Canada as

6460-411: The workplace. Moscoe was fighting a personal battle to quit smoking at the time. In 1986, Moscoe took part in a demonstration organized by members of Toronto's Jewish community against the South African government's policy of apartheid . He was quoted as saying, "The world stood by while Hitler brought in his Nuremberg korrekt laws. It's important we not make the same mistake again." He also described

6545-536: The year. Moscoe was strongly critical of a 2004 decision by the provincial government of Dalton McGuinty to negotiate future infrastructural arrangements with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario rather than with individual communities. He argued that the plan was detrimental to Toronto's interests, and suggested that the city might consider leaving the AMO in protest. He was quoted as saying, "We are not going to let

6630-444: Was again willing to accept Moscoe as chair. The controversy ended for a time. There was another effort to remove Moscoe as chair late in 1999, when it was revealed that an employee in his office had faxed confidential documents to a company suing the TTC. Moscoe indicated that he had no awareness of the fax, but submitted a resignation notice to take formal responsibility. The other commissioners planned to reject his resignation after

6715-438: Was also hampered by a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) report that stated there was a movement in the backroom to replace Turner with Jean Chrétien , even though Turner had passed a leadership review in 1986 with 76.3 percent of delegates rejecting a leadership convention. Turner strongly campaigned against free trade, arguing that it would cost many Canadian jobs. His October 25 debate performance helped polls suggest

6800-560: Was attempting to hasten Lastman's retirement. Moscoe was the only North York councillor to oppose a ban on Now Magazine from parts of city hall in 1988. He awarded the magazine with a prize for journalistic excellence in March 1988, while serving a week-long term as acting mayor in Lastman's absence. Moscoe's election to the North York Board of Control in 1985 gave him an automatic seat on

6885-535: Was complicit with human rights violations in Nigeria. In 1996, he opposed a plan to fingerprint welfare recipients. The provincial government of Mike Harris eliminated the Metropolitan Toronto council in 1997, and amalgamated its six former municipalities to create the new City of Toronto. Moscoe supported amalgamation in principle, but was skeptical about the future of social service and education funding under

6970-429: Was marked by several notable accomplishments. The city purchased hundreds of new subway cars, rebuilt several buses and streetcars and maintained its "state of good repair" schedule despite provincial cutbacks. After his reappointment in 2003, Moscoe expressed concern that the provincial government of Ernie Eves was abandoning Toronto transit services in favour of projects in the surrounding municipalities. He proposed

7055-438: Was opposed by then-TTC chair Mike Colle . Moscoe also advocated lower advertising rates for small businesses, noting that a national recession was resulting in many spaces being left unused. He opposed the TTC's elimination of environmentally friendly trolley bus services in January 1992, and led a successful initiative for their restoration later in the same year. Moscoe also opposed a 16% fare increase in 1992, arguing that

7140-480: Was re-elected in 2000 over Tony Rizzo , a former NDP Member of Provincial Parliament who had later crossed over to the Liberal Party . He was reappointed as a TTC commissioner, but relinquished the chairmanship to Brian Ashton . He was subsequently reappointed to a second term as TTC chair in March 2003 after Betty Disero 's resignation, and was reconfirmed in the position after the 2003 election. Moscoe broke with other left-leaning councillors to vote in favour of

7225-431: Was the party's first leader since John A. Macdonald to win a second majority government. The Liberal Party experienced a recovery after its 1984 wipeout , doubling its seat count. The New Democratic Party won its largest number of seats up to the time (they would beat the 1988 record in 2011) . The election was the last won by the Progressive Conservatives, the last until 2011 in which a right-of-centre party formed

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