2013-05-19T05:47:50-04:00 David Turner http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/author/index.php?author=david-turner Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for David Turner Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.1117003 2011-12-04T00:53:14-05:00 2012-02-02T05:12:01-05:00

David Turner http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-turner/ Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller -- it was a well written but alarming read.

The impact of "triple-digit oil prices" is real and will transform the global economy as we factor in the pass through costs across various industries and geographies. It also got me thinking closer to home and about our monumental infrastructure challenges in Toronto. Since the mid-' 90s I have been hearing about, and have even participated in discussions around, bold plans for Toronto's waterfront and other major transformational initiatives for the city. They always seem to get shelved or delayed for the same reasons -- there's no funding, new environmental study required, or there's one level of government pointing to another as the unwilling partner. There are thousands of commuters pouring into the city every day, and I suspect many of them would vie for public transit if it were accessible, reliable and seamless. Try getting from Mississauga to Markam on a single fare.

I am as guilty as the next person and sometimes choose the car when public transit might be cheaper and quicker -- yet with all the construction under way in the city right now, seemingly all at the same time I might add, driving is certainly no easy pill to swallow either. It is also tough to miss the hundreds of cranes across the city's skyline -- tangible evidence that this city will soon be even more crowded. I certainly hope we are charging commensurate density taxes on developers to help fund the infrastructure costs required to serve these new urban dwellers. If we are trying to wean people off cars and onto bikes or public transit, our plan needs to include a system that handles the additional demands, instead of playing politics with the city's transit strategy.

The transportation issue is not Toronto's alone -- there have been debates over building a 21st-century rail system between Quebec and Windsor since the 1970s. It would span over 1,100 km and serve over 11 million people, but we still have not had the political fortitude to move this forward. Infrastructure spending does cost money -- lots of it -- but the economic benefits over time surely outweigh the cost. Are we going to wait for yet another generation of politicians to kick this issue down the road? Imagine relief on our roads if a viable efficient high-speed rail system existed.

I know it is tough to sell the public on the long-term benefits of projects that will span decades, especially when we are trained to expect instant gratification from almost everything these days, but I fear there are more painful days ahead. We are going to need to seriously consider a congestion tax to help absorb the heavy costs of increased density. We will need other incentives to move people into smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Just imagine the impact of these simultaneous initiatives -- upgrading/expanding our transit system while erecting 40-story structures at every main intersection in the city. Sometime I wonder if there is even a city planning strategy. We block off major city streets to construct new condominiums, but we forget that the alternate routes are already blocked off for some other reason. We encounter miles of construction, but often there is no work being done. We should be demanding fixed-price and fixed-time contracts, with financial penalties for even the slightest overruns. You think traffic is painful today, just wait -- we haven't even touched on other essential services like schools, hospitals, garbage collection, water, and many more.

For many people, municipal governments have the most direct day-to-day impact on their lives. Bold actions are being taken in other cities (i.e Chicago) where every service provided by the government is measured against the value to the "customer." If Toronto wants to remain a first class city, let's make it attractive to live here, to work here and to visit here. As Toronto City Council debates its 2012 budget in the coming weeks, it would do well to remember the customer.
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David Turner http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-turner/


Recently I attended a reception at the law firm Miller Thomson to launch the book Elusive Destiny: The political vocation of John Napier Turner. It was a wonderful event and I was pleased to know that his complete story was finally being told. I have had a front row seat to John Turner's life since I was born in 1968. In fact, I had not quite entered the world when my father, at the age of 38, ran for the leadership that year, staying to the final ballot and eventually finishing a distant third behind Trudeau and Winters.

All my siblings and I were born into a political life. We each experienced it somewhat differently, but recall many specific moments over the years. We had soldiers in our house in 1970 during the October Crisis; I was once locked outside in my birthday suit as campaign supporters paraded by our home -- thankfully there was a sign to provide some protection. I remember when Trudeau resigned in '84 and our father advised us of his decision to run. At the time, we just wanted to know what impact this would have upon our lives. I remember the craziness of the '84 convention -- complete strangers fanatically yelling your last name or that of a competitor. I realized at that moment that politics was a sport -- and the politician the horse in the race. At times I found the whole thing to be quite an inconvenience, especially while attending the University of Western Ontario -- although my housemates did get a kick out of my father's brief visit to our house in 1988 while in town for a campaign rally. We also had some fun weekends at Stornaway between 1984 and 1990.

My father's short term as prime minister does not define his political career, as it was just another chapter in his life's story. In politics, many variables factor into one's success -- but timing stands out as an important one. In his book, Paul Litt suggests, "Right Man, Wrong time." The book elaborates, but I support the notion. The Liberal Party in 1984 had been in power almost uninterrupted since 1968, and the country was more than ready for change. There are some politicians in Canadian political history who have benefited from timing. The problem in today's politics is that substance and principle are only parts of the package -- style and celebrity have become almost as important.

This book well documents many of my father's accomplishments -- as an athlete, as a scholar, in business and in politics. He was Canada's fastest sprinter, a Rhodes Scholar, and a respected lawyer with three different national firms. He was a cabinet minister under both Pearson and Trudeau, introducing legal aid, reforming the criminal code, and navigating our economy through a fragile period. He also remains the only member of Parliament ever elected in three different provinces.

I suppose what I admire most about John Napier Turner is his loyalty and integrity. In and out of politics he has been privy to many tales sensitive or confidential in nature -- because people trusted him -- and he will take these to his grave. He has been disappointed and betrayed, but won't use a book to settle old scores. Politics can be a cruel vocation. You can be the saviour one day, and then dead weight the next. Yet through it all my father drew his strength from family, faith and friends. He loves and has travelled this country from coast to coast to coast, and can recall more names and faces across this great land that anyone I know.

To this day, at the age of 82, he continues to work tirelessly to ensure MPs have a voice, and encourages everyone who will listen to assign some time in their lives to public service. He believes to whom much is given much is expected. His legacy might just be his own example. He served 20-plus years for this country, and we are all better off for it.

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David Turner http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-turner/
I have watched many an election in my life, in some cases with a front row seat, and I am always amazed by the low voter turnout. Do we stay home because we don't know what to do, or is it because we feel our one vote won't make a difference? I often wonder what would happen if we were all legally required to vote -- it might correct the turnout problem but voting under duress isn't right either.

I enjoy politics -- which might seem strange to many. I respect people who put their name on the ballot, and believe it is a calling and not a career. I have been inspired by leaders, and am often frustrated by a lack of leadership. Good leaders aren't always the most polished or able to deliver the most rousing speeches, yet each time an election is upon us, we hold out hope that some adults will emerge and work for us, and not fall into the same rhetoric and excuses we have seen all too often before. I had to turn off the recent leader's debate because each was essentially calling the other a liar.

To mull through each party's platform in detail would be an arduous and frustrating task. However, depending on our age, job status and marital status, these promises matter. I have been working in the renewable energy business for two years now. On principle I believe we should resist subsidies where we can, yet I also believe in the merits of renewable energy. There has been considerable investment into Ontario's economy as a result of the Feed-in-Tariff program. Yes, the rates are high and provide a reasonable return to private sector companies putting up the capital to build solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy systems. These rates will come down in line with falling equipment costs. Many direct and indirect jobs have been created. The Conservatives have promised to cancel this program and focus instead on hydroelectric and nuclear power. They have also promised to cancel a Samsung deal which is going to create thousands of jobs across the province. I think voters are now used to classic campaign promises of cancelling contracts once they are elected only to discover the penalty to doing so is too onerous.

Outside of energy policy, we care about jobs, education, taxes, services, health care, and infrastructure improvement. In all cases I would encourage you to look for the details. Each party has committed to balancing the budget by 2017 or 2018. Assumptions are what drive these commitments. Don't forget tax cuts need to be paid for. The Conservatives have promised the most aggressive cuts in spending but won't go as far to be specific. Be aware of the classic post-election claim by the winning party: "We are in worse shape than we thought, so we will have to adjust some of our promises."

I cannot, and will not tell anyone how to vote, but I make my decisions based on a few basic factors; my candidate, party leaders, validity of both spending and tax cut assumptions, and specific programs that personally affect me and my family. At the very least, take a few minutes to compare platforms on those issues that matter to you most. More importantly, please VOTE! It is a privilege to have free and fair elections. If you have been watching footage from around the world over the past 12 months, you will know that millions of people would fight to the death to secure this privilege.
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