Howard Moscoe
Encyclopedia
Howard Moscoe was a city councillor in Toronto
, Canada
, representing Ward 15 in 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 has landed him in 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.
, moved to Canada as 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 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 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 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. His daughter Cheryl Moscoe
was a school trustee in North York from 1988 to 1991.
, defeating incumbent councillor 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 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 toupee
s at 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, 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 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 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 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.
In 1986, Moscoe took part in a demonstration organized by members of Toronto's Jewish community against the South Africa
n 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 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 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, 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.
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 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 a series of public meetings on the issue in 1990.
'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 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 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 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.
, 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 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 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 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 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 was complicit with human rights violations in Nigeria
. In 1996, he opposed a plan to fingerprint welfare recipients.
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 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 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 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 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 the year.
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 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 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 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.
at Rob Ford
in a 2004 meeting, for which he later apologized. He initially joked that he had told Ford to "flock off, as 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 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 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 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.
. 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 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 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 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 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.
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 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 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
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 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 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 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.
, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
was abandoning Toronto transit services in favour of projects in the surrounding municipalities. He proposed 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.
In 1999, Moscoe began a lobbying effort to have a percentage of provincial revenues directed toward the TTC. He achieved success in 2004, when Premier Dalton McGuinty
declared his support for the plan. In the same period, the federal government of Paul Martin
announced that it would contribute a portion of its fuel tax revenues to municipal transit, including the TTC. Moscoe welcomed a $1 billion investment over five years from the federal and provincial governments in 2004, and received a separate $90 million infusion from the provincial Liberal government in the same year to stave off a 25-cent fare increase. Moscoe endorsed the Martin government's 2005 budget, which implemented the federal gas-tax plan.
In April 2005, Moscoe led the TTC in last-minute negotiations with the city's transit union to prevent a city-wide strike. Published reports indicate that a shouting match between Moscoe and union president Bob Kinnear
sparked the final successful negotiations. When the union accepted a tentative deal, Moscoe remarked, "I feel like a member of the bomb squad who was faced with a green wire and red one and thank God we cut the red wire".
Moscoe oversaw TTC fare increases in both 2005 and 2006. The 2005 increase saw adult fares rise by 25 cents and the price of tickets and tokens rise by ten cents; the TTC attempted to mitigate the inconvenience by simultaneously introducing a $30 weekly transferable pass that could be shared among friends, family and co-workers. Moscoe was quoted as saying, "I don't like having to raise fares. We haven't had a fare hike in two years and it barely covers inflation. We've tried to make it as painless as possible." Critics nevertheless argued that the hike would hurt the city's working poor. A separate ten-cent fare increase in 2006 was justified as a necessary consequence of soaring gas prices in North America. Moscoe argued that the alternative of cutting back services was not a viable option.
Moscoe is a prominent supporter of a streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair Avenue. He has argued that cancelling the project, as some Toronto politicians have suggested, would be costly and would worsen gridlock in the city. He has also called for the province to re-assume responsibility for the western section of the Gardiner Expressway
, which was formerly part of the Queen Elizabeth Way
(QEW) until it was downloaded to the city in 1998. He suggested that it be renamed the "Dalton McGuinty
Expressway" if the province refused.
In March 2006, Moscoe announced that he would support provincial funding for a united transit system covering the Greater Toronto Area
from Burlington
to Oshawa
. He later criticized federal Finance Minister
Jim Flaherty
's plans for a transit tax credit, arguing that it would be difficult to administer and would only benefit the most affluent transit users. Moscoe has also criticized the provincial government's plan to introduce "smart card" transit passes for the Greater Toronto Area, arguing that the city could buy 400 buses with the money being spent on the program.
responded saying that Moscoe was attacking Lowe's honesty. Moscoe apologized to Lowe during a meeting at City Hall, and promised to "sort out our procedures" to ensure that coverage would not be delayed to injured workers in the future.
TTC General Manager Rick Ducharme
announced his resignation on June 7, 2006, following a one-day wildcat strike
by transit workers. He blamed political interference for his decision, saying that Moscoe had conducted direct negotiations with the union without consulting him. The Toronto Star speculated that the illegal strike might have resulted from Moscoe's negotiations, while David Shiner
and other councilors said that Moscoe had a history of interfering in management affairs. John Barber, a columnist for the rival Globe and Mail, argued that Ducharme's resignation was not a reasonable response to Moscoe's alleged interference. Moscoe defended his actions, arguing that he had an obligation to take part in the discussions and was attempting to ensure that a second strike did not take place. He later said that management was to blame for the wildcat strike, and that he intervened in an attempt to stop it.
Ducharme also criticized Moscoe for granting a non-bid contract to Bombardier
for the purchase of new subway cars, citing an estimate from rival company Siemens
suggesting that it would cost Toronto as much as $100 million. Ducharme and several councillors had advocated making the process open to competition, arguing that this would result in the best deal for the city. Moscoe defended his decision by noting that Bombardier plans to construct the cars in Thunder Bay
, Ontario
with parts-supply work in Toronto, while Siemens would have exported construction to China
. He also cited a Bombardier-initiated study asserting that the contract will generate $142 million in provincial and federal tax revenues. Moscoe has also defended the contracting process, arguing that non-competitive contracts are standard practice for such purchases in other jurisdictions. He later added that he initially considered an open-bid contract, but reconsidered after discovering that Siemens constructs its cars in China.
Some councillors accused Moscoe of having an improper relationship with Bombardier, which had donated to Moscoe's campaign and sent out invitations to a political fundraiser for TTC Vice-Chair Adam Giambrone
, an ally of Moscoe, although he turned down the assistance. Moscoe had also taken part in a Bombardier-organized trip to Tel Aviv
in 1998, to promote subway construction in Israel
. Moscoe responded to the accusation by saying that he was the target of a smear campaign, noting that there had been "nothing secret" about his 1998 trip, which was funded by the Israeli government. He added that he had also received campaign contributions from Siemens. Moscoe said that his opponents were "trying to get to the mayor" by attacking him, and argued that the controversy was being fomented by Siemens and its lobbyists, who were in contact with a number of councillors critical of the non-bid contract.
In the aftermath of Ducharme's resignation, the Toronto Star
newspaper and some city councillors called for Moscoe to stand down as TTC chair. He initially dismissed these calls as politically motivated, but later said that he was thinking about resigning after the 2006 municipal election
. There was another attempt to remove Moscoe as TTC chair in July 2006, but he defeated the challenge by a vote of 5 to 3.
In late August 2006, an outside panel of experts judged that Bombardier's offer was a good deal for city, with one consultant saying that the proposed bid "is below most of the recent comparable North American procurements." In the aftermath of the report, councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker
was quoted as saying, "if what you have told me [about the price] is true, somebody owes Howard Moscoe an apology". The TTC staff have also recommended finalizing a deal with Bombardier. Some councillors, such as Karen Stintz, have continued to oppose the contract on procedural grounds. Stintz has said, "it's not about Bombardier. It's about a process we didn't follow", noting that other city departments require competitive bids on contracts of this size.
The TTC unanimously endorsed purchase of the subway cars on August 30, 2006. After the vote, Moscoe told reporters, "We got a fair deal. We got a good deal. And we've got a first-class set of subway cars. [...] I have no apologies to make". The purchase was subsequently approved by council in late September 2006, by a vote of 25 to 18.
One day after the 2006 municipal election, the federal government of Stephen Harper
announced that it would provide the TTC with $1.4 million for anti-terrorism measures. Moscoe described the announcement as a "slap in the face", far below the $35 million the TTC had requested for security upgrades. He declined to participate in a photo opportunity with federal officials, and asked the Harper government to reconsider its proposal. Moscoe has also rejected the Conservative government's suggestion that Toronto consider public-private partnership
s for transit services, saying "In transit we call them public-pirate partnerships. All the experience has been bad."
In a surprise move, Moscoe declined to seek renomination as TTC chair after the 2006 election. He is currently seeking appointment to the Greater Toronto Transit Authority, a new regional body.
industry, and has often championed the interests of taxi drivers against perceived exploitation from owners. He himself trained as a cab driver in 1990, in an effort to learn more about the industry. He once described taxi drivers as "the most vulnerable people in town" due to threats from belligerent passengers, and called for a Metro taskforce on driver safety after attending the funeral service of a cab driver killed by a customer in 1998. He later encouraged the installment of cameras in taxi cabs. The council adopted his suggestion and mandated security cameras in taxi cabs. As a result, the crime rate against cab drivers dropped by 70%.
Moscoe supported a pioneering unionization effort for Toronto cab drivers in 1993. He later spoke out against abuses in Toronto's taxi licencing system, drawing attention to cases in which wealthy owners purchased plates that were rented to drivers at exorbitant rates. In 1998, he collaborated with Denzil Minnan-Wong
to pass reform legislation granting "Ambassador" plates for licence holders who drive their own cars.
Moscoe defended a taxi fare increase in 2003, arguing that it was first such increase in seven years and was necessary to cover rising insurance and gas prices. In 2005, he argued that drivers deserved a further fifty-cent increase per ride to cope with soaring fuel costs. He has supported a motion to have all Toronto cabs painted the same colour, arguing that this measure will help crack down on illegal drivers.
Following the murder of a taxi driver by a passenger, Moscoe commented that drivers "live a very dangerous existence", adding "I would venture to say their job is more dangerous than a police officer". According to a Toronto Star report, some members of the police force found this comment offensive.
His 2006 appointment as chair of the Licensing and Standards Committee gives Moscoe direct authority over the city's taxi industry. He has acknowledged that owners and brokers disapprove of some of his ideas, but says that most drivers support him.
, particularly as regards the force's relations with racial minority groups. Following the 1990 shooting of a black teenager by Toronto police, he introduced a motion at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities calling for police officers to be trained with "the information they need to deal sensitively with racial and ethnic minorities". He was a founding member of Metro Toronto's Council Action Committee to Combat Racism but resigned in January 1991, saying that it had rendered itself ineffectual by declining to make police issues a priority. Metro Chairman Alan Tonks
, who established the committee, argued that an emphasis on police issues would duplicate the work of the Metro Police Commission and reduce police morale. Moscoe sought an appointment to the Police Commission in late 1990, but withdrew his name after failing to win Tonks's support.
Moscoe criticized the tactics of the Toronto Police Association during Craig Bromell
's tenure as union leader. In 1999, he argued that TTC advertisements by the union portrayed Hispanic
s as criminals. Bromell said that the ads were not meant to be offensive. The next year, Moscoe accused Bromell of having "crossed the line" by hiring private investigators to probe city councillors critical of the police force. Moscoe had his own office swept for bugs as a precautionary measure. Some councillors, including Tom Jakobek
, derided this as a publicity stunt.
Moscoe described a 2004 proposal for police helicopters as "pure testosterone", and sarcastically suggested that the helicopters should be equipped with Sidewinder missiles to ensure maximum effectiveness. He said during a council debate, "Do we need a helicopter to track down drug dealers in Parkdale
? It's tough to land a helicopter on a doughnut shop." Rival councillor Rob Ford said that Moscoe's comments were insulting to the police force. Some current and former members of the Toronto police, including Julian Fantino
, have criticized Moscoe's approach to police affairs.
The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
, 13 November 1991.
The final official results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Globe and Mail, 14 November 1985.
Electors could vote for four candidates.
The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
The final official results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Globe and Mail, 9 November 1982.
The final results confirmed Moscoe's victory.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
, 11 November 1980.
The final results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
, 14 November 1978.
The final results confirmed Moscoe's victory.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
, 3 December 1974.
Electors could vote for two candidates.
The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
There may be a transcription error in the result for Carl Anderson (the last two numbers were partly obscured).
The final official results were not significantly different.
All municipal election information is from the City of Toronto, unless otherwise noted.
.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, representing Ward 15 in 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 has landed him in controversy at times. Moscoe is a member of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
. On August 31, 2010, after 31 years as an elected municipal politician, Moscoe announced his retirement from city council.
Early life and career
Moscoe's father, Alexander, was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, moved to Canada as a child before the First World War. His uncle, Joe Moscoe, was the first licensed taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver in Toronto (cab license #1).
Moscoe was a high school art teacher with the North York
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
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 the Ontario legislature
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
in 1975
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
as the Ontario New Democratic Party candidate in Wilson Heights
Wilson Heights (electoral district)
Wilson Heights was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It was created prior to the 1975 provincial election and eliminated in 1999, when most of its territory was incorporated into the ridings of York Centre, Willowdale and Eglinton—Lawrence...
. Moscoe initially supported extension of the Spadina Expressway
Spadina Expressway
The Spadina Expressway was a proposed north-south freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was only partially built before being cancelled in 1971 due to public opposition. It was proposed in the mid-1960s as part of a network of freeways for Metropolitan Toronto. Its cancellation prompted the...
to reduce traffic in his riding, but opposed further extension once the freeway was partially completed and renamed as Allen Road
Allen Road
William R. Allen Road, known more commonly as Allen Road, The Allen Expressway or simply The Allen and formerly as the Spadina Expressway, is a short expressway/freeway in Toronto, Ontario, which runs from Kennard Avenue in the north, to Eglinton Avenue West in the south...
.
Moscoe is also a successful businessman as a designer and producer of election signs. In 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
Toronto municipal election, 1988
The 1988 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held November 14, 1988.-Metro:...
, and a further eighteen in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
. Moscoe later said that he supplied every sign used by the New Democrats in the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. He is an active member of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
, and has served on its community relations committee. His daughter Cheryl Moscoe
Cheryl Moscoe
Cheryl Moscoe is a former school trustee in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She served on the North York School Board from 1988 to 1991. Moscoe is a teacher in private life, and is the daughter of prominent city councillor Howard Moscoe....
was a school trustee in North York from 1988 to 1991.
Ward Councillor
Moscoe was first elected to the North York city council in 1978Toronto municipal election, 1978
The Toronto municipal election of 1978 held on Monday, November 13, 1978, was the first seriously contested mayoralty race in Toronto, Canada, since David Crombie took office in the 1972 election...
, defeating incumbent councillor Murray Markin
Murray Markin
Murray Markin is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served on the North York city council from 1976 to 1978, and campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1977. His brother, Joseph Markin, served on North York's Board of Control from 1974 to 1976.-Political career:Markin was...
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
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
. Moscoe criticized Lastman's ties to regional developers, arguing that the mayor often used reformist rhetoric to hide 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 toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
s at 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
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Upper Canada is responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1797, it is known in French as "Le Barreau du Haut-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, a more serious challenger associated with the Progressive Conservatives
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
. A Supreme Court of Ontario
Supreme Court of Ontario
The Supreme Court of Ontario was a superior court of the Canadian province of Ontario. Now defunct, in 1989 the Courts of Justice Amendment Act, 1989 was enacted by the Government to create one large superior trial court for 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 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
Exhibition Stadium
Canadian National Exhibition Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that formerly stood on the Exhibition Place grounds, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
during home games by the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
baseball team. He argued that some constituents who were not scalpers were given fines for selling extra tickets outside 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
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, and finished third against Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1985, was a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson from 1985 to 1990, and was re-appointed to a cabinet position when the Liberals returned to power under Dalton...
in a provincial swing to the Liberal Party. He was subsequently elected to a seat on the North York Board of Control in the municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1985
The 1985 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held on November 12, 1985.-Mayor:...
later in the year, focusing his campaign on issues such as housing and affordable day care.
City Controller
Moscoe was the only left-leaning member on the 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 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 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 Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n government's policy of apartheid. He was quoted as saying, "The world stood by while Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
brought in his Nuremberg korrekt laws. It's important we not make the same mistake again." He also described 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 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, 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.
Part-time
Moscoe's election to the North York Board of Control in 1985 gave him an automatic seat on the Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
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 a leading critic of proposed Sunday shopping
Sunday shopping
Sunday shopping refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognizes as the Sabbath, a "day of rest". Rules governing shopping hours, such as Sunday shopping, vary around the world but some European nations continue to ban Sunday shopping...
reforms introduced by the provincial government of David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
. 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 a series of public meetings on the issue in 1990.
First term
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 FlynnDennis Flynn
Christopher Dennis Flynn O.Ont, was Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto from 1984 to 1988. Flynn rarely used his first name and was commonly known as Dennis Flynn.-Background:...
's unsuccessful bid to be re-elected as Metro chairman
Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto
The Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or Metro Chairman was the leader of Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, and the most senior political figure in the municipality. The Metro Chairman was elected by the members of Metropolitan Toronto Council.-New Level of Government:The position...
. Flynn lost to Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks is a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal electoral district of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toronto into the new City of Toronto.-Background:Tonks is the son of the late...
, whom Moscoe later criticized as "Mr. Indecision" and "Mr. Subcommittee".
Moscoe's efforts to reform 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
Chris Stockwell
Chris Stockwell is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Before entering provincial politics, he had been a...
, later a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
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
Garth Drabinsky
Garth Howard Drabinsky, OC is a former Canadian film and theatrical producer and entrepreneur. In 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to prison for fraud and forgery. His sentence is stayed, pending appeal.-Biography:...
would be the primary beneficiary. (Drabinsky was later charged with accounting fraud after Livent
Livent
The Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada, Inc., also known as Livent, was a theatre production company in Toronto, Ontario, begun as a division of the motion picture exhibitor Cineplex Odeon...
went bankrupt.) Moscoe also criticized the municipal election reforms passed by David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
's government in the same period, arguing that large land developers would be able to avoid donation limits without difficulty.
Second and third terms
Moscoe was re-elected in the 1991 municipal electionToronto municipal election, 1991
The 1991 Toronto municipal election was held on November 12, 1991 to elect councillors in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, and mayors, councillors and school trustees in Toronto, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke....
, defeating two minor challengers. A Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
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 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
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
in its plans for casino expansion. He served on Toronto's casino committee for the Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
(CNE), and favoured the introduction of horse race betting in 1994. Moscoe later called for a permanent casino to be established on Exhibition grounds.
He was a leading opponent of the federal government's
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
decision to sell the Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
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
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, and argued that the deal would be remembered as "the greatest orgy of patronage ever in this country." After the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
won the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, Moscoe encouraged new Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
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 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 was complicit with human rights violations in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. In 1996, he opposed a plan to fingerprint welfare recipients.
1997-2003
The provincial government of Mike HarrisMike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
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 the Harris government's plan. He was elected to the new city council in the 1997 election
Toronto municipal election, 1997
The 1997 Toronto municipal election was the first election held for offices in the amalgamated "megacity" of Toronto, Canada. The elections were administered by the old City of Toronto and its five suburbs within Metropolitan Toronto...
, 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 was re-elected in 2000 over Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995....
, a former NDP Member of Provincial Parliament who had later crossed over to the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. He was reappointed as a TTC commissioner, but relinquished the chairmanship to Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton (politician)
Brian Ashton was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, representing Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest. He did not run for re-election in the 2010 municipal election and was succeeded by Gary Crawford.-Career:...
. He was subsequently reappointed to a second term as TTC chair in March 2003 after Betty Disero
Betty Disero
Betty Disero is a former city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was elected to the Toronto City Council in 1985, and served until her resignation in 2003.-Early life and career:...
's resignation, and was reconfirmed in the position after the 2003 election.
Moscoe broke with other left-leaning councillors to vote in favour of 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
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
and developer Robert Deluce
Robert Deluce
Robert J. Deluce is a Canadian airline executive. He is currently the president and CEO of regional airline Porter Airlines and a past airline executive with Air Ontario and other airlines.-Career:...
to have a large piece of land surrounding the Downsview subway stop
Downsview (TTC)
Downsview is a station of the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto subway and RT. It is located at the intersection of William R. Allen Road and Sheppard Avenue West. The station is currently the northern terminus of its western branch, the Spadina line. It is also a ‘Vivastation’ on the...
set aside for residential development. The city later reached a separate deal with Bombardier, and Moscoe voted against the bridge when the issue was reconsidered in late 2003.
Moscoe is a prominent ally of David Miller
David Miller (Canadian politician)
David Raymond Miller is a Canadian politician. He was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto and the second since the 1998 amalgamation. He was elected to the position in 2003 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2006 for a four-year term...
, who was elected as Lastman's successor in the 2003 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
. Moscoe's own campaign for re-election in 2003 was complicated by a heart virus, which resulted in a rare condition known constrictive pericarditis
Constrictive pericarditis
In many cases, constrictive pericarditis is a late sequela, in other words a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease, of an inflammatory condition of the pericardium...
. He organized most of his re-election campaign from a hospital bed, and did not publicize his illness until later in the year.
2003-2006
Moscoe was strongly critical of a 2004 decision by the provincial government of Dalton McGuintyDalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
to negotiate future infrastructural arrangements with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is a non-profit organization representing municipal and regional governments in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created on June 22, 1972 through a merger of the Ontario Municipal Association and the Ontario Association of Mayors and Reeves...
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 the village of East Garafraxa
East Garafraxa, Ontario
East Garafraxa is a rural township in Dufferin County, Ontario, Canada, to the west of Orangeville and within relative commuting distance of Toronto, Brampton, Guelph, and Kitchener.The township includes the population centres of Marsville and Orton....
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
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
Gardens".
In late 2005, Moscoe amended a municipal motion to include Toronto councillors and 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 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.
Council controversies
Moscoe was criticized for yelling an obscenityFuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
at Rob Ford
Rob Ford
Robert Bruce "Rob" Ford is the 64th and current Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to city council in the 2000 Toronto municipal election, and was re-elected to his council seat in 2003 and again in 2006...
in a 2004 meeting, for which he later apologized. He initially joked that he had told Ford to "flock off, as 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
Jane Pitfield
Jane Pitfield was a Toronto city councillor, representing one of the two Don Valley West wards. She ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Toronto in 2006.-Personal life:...
's planned challenge against David Miller in 2006 and Lady Jane Grey's nine-day reign as Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of England in 1553. He withdrew the memo after complaints, and wrote an apology to Pitfield for any offence given. Rival councillors Karen Stintz
Karen Stintz
Karen Stintz is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. She represents Ward 16, one of two municipal wards enclosed within the federal-provincial riding of Eglinton—Lawrence....
and Frances Nunziata
Frances Nunziata
Frances Nunziata is a Toronto city councillor for Ward 11 York South-Weston . She is the sister of former Member of Parliament John Nunziata....
argued that the contest was demeaning to women, and Stintz suggested that Moscoe had "a history of making disparaging comments to women". Stintz and David Soknacki
David Soknacki
David Soknacki is a former city councillor in Toronto, Canada. He represented one of the two Scarborough East wards.He moved to eastern Scarborough in 1963, and founded the Densgrove Park Community Association. He first ran for Scarborough city council in 1991, but lost to Frank Faubert...
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 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
Frances Nunziata
Frances Nunziata is a Toronto city councillor for Ward 11 York South-Weston . She is the sister of former Member of Parliament John Nunziata....
in 2006. Nunziata had complained that bus service in her ward was substandard, and asked Moscoe to walk 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.
2006 election
In July 2006, 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 electionToronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
. 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 the coalition did not endorse any of Moscoe's opponents. Moscoe defeated Ron Singer, his closest challenger, by about a two-to-one margin.
2006-2010
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 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 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 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 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.
Transportation
Moscoe has long been a prominent advocate for public transit in Toronto. As early as 1979, he brought forward a motion to the Federation of Canadian MunicipalitiesFederation of Canadian Municipalities
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is a civic advocacy group representing many Canadian municipalities. It is an organization with no formal power but significant ability to influence debate and policy, as it is main national lobby group of mayors, councillors and other elected municipal...
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 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 was opposed by then-TTC chair Mike Colle
Mike Colle
Michael Colle is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Eglinton—Lawrence for the Ontario Liberal Party.-Background:...
. 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
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
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 the TTC could cut expenses through administration instead.
He criticized the service cutbacks introduced by the provincial government of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
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 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 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.
TTC Chair, 1998-2000
Moscoe was appointed as TTC chair in January 1998, and soon emerged as a prominent rival to David GunnDavid L. Gunn
David L. Gunn is a transportation system administrator who has headed several significant railroads and transit systems in North America....
, 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 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
Rick Ducharme
Richard C. Ducharme P.Eng. has served as an administrator for several Canadian transit and transportation authorities, most recently as General Manager of Transportation for the City of Edmonton....
, 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 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 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
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
coup". His opponents attempted to remove him again in May 1999, when TTC commissioners Chris Korwin-Kuczynski
Chris Korwin-Kuczynski
Chris Korwin-Kuczynski is a Canadian politician. He served as a councillor in Toronto from 1981 to 2003, and was the city's deputy mayor for a time....
and Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton (politician)
Brian Ashton was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, representing Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest. He did not run for re-election in the 2010 municipal election and was succeeded by Gary Crawford.-Career:...
brought forward 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 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
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
signalled that he 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 a single day's debate, but commissioner Rob Davis
Rob Davis (Ontario politician)
Rob Davis is a Canadian politician. He served on the York city council from 1991 to 1997, and was a member of the Toronto City Council from 1997 to 2000.-Background:...
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 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.
TTC Chair, 2003-2006
After his reappointment in 2003, Moscoe expressed concern that the provincial government of Ernie EvesErnie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
was abandoning Toronto transit services in favour of projects in the surrounding municipalities. He proposed 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.
In 1999, Moscoe began a lobbying effort to have a percentage of provincial revenues directed toward the TTC. He achieved success in 2004, when Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
declared his support for the plan. In the same period, the federal government of Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
announced that it would contribute a portion of its fuel tax revenues to municipal transit, including the TTC. Moscoe welcomed a $1 billion investment over five years from the federal and provincial governments in 2004, and received a separate $90 million infusion from the provincial Liberal government in the same year to stave off a 25-cent fare increase. Moscoe endorsed the Martin government's 2005 budget, which implemented the federal gas-tax plan.
In April 2005, Moscoe led the TTC in last-minute negotiations with the city's transit union to prevent a city-wide strike. Published reports indicate that a shouting match between Moscoe and union president Bob Kinnear
Bob Kinnear
Bob Kinnear is a labour leader in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, which represents approximately 9,000 TTC workers and approximately 200 workers at Veolia Transportation in York Region....
sparked the final successful negotiations. When the union accepted a tentative deal, Moscoe remarked, "I feel like a member of the bomb squad who was faced with a green wire and red one and thank God we cut the red wire".
Moscoe oversaw TTC fare increases in both 2005 and 2006. The 2005 increase saw adult fares rise by 25 cents and the price of tickets and tokens rise by ten cents; the TTC attempted to mitigate the inconvenience by simultaneously introducing a $30 weekly transferable pass that could be shared among friends, family and co-workers. Moscoe was quoted as saying, "I don't like having to raise fares. We haven't had a fare hike in two years and it barely covers inflation. We've tried to make it as painless as possible." Critics nevertheless argued that the hike would hurt the city's working poor. A separate ten-cent fare increase in 2006 was justified as a necessary consequence of soaring gas prices in North America. Moscoe argued that the alternative of cutting back services was not a viable option.
Moscoe is a prominent supporter of a streetcar right-of-way on St. Clair Avenue. He has argued that cancelling the project, as some Toronto politicians have suggested, would be costly and would worsen gridlock in the city. He has also called for the province to re-assume responsibility for the western section of the Gardiner Expressway
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, colloquially referred to as "the Gardiner", is a municipal expressway in the Canadian province of Ontario, connecting downtown Toronto with its western suburbs...
, which was formerly part of the Queen Elizabeth Way
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...
(QEW) until it was downloaded to the city in 1998. He suggested that it be renamed the "Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
Expressway" if the province refused.
In March 2006, Moscoe announced that he would support provincial funding for a united transit system covering the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
from Burlington
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
to Oshawa
Oshawa
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
. He later criticized federal Finance Minister
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
's plans for a transit tax credit, arguing that it would be difficult to administer and would only benefit the most affluent transit users. Moscoe has also criticized the provincial government's plan to introduce "smart card" transit passes for the Greater Toronto Area, arguing that the city could buy 400 buses with the money being spent on the program.
Summer 2006
In May 2006, the Amalgamated Transit Union placed ads in local newspapers suggesting that the TTC was callously denying benefit coverage to injured transit operator Bobby Lowe. Moscoe called the union's allegations false, noting that a different agency was responsible for the payment of employee benefits. Moscoe also said that TTC workers were treated consistently with other injured workers in the province, and noted that injury pay issue was not mentioned during the last bargaining session on April 2005. ATU President Bob KinnearBob Kinnear
Bob Kinnear is a labour leader in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the leader of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, which represents approximately 9,000 TTC workers and approximately 200 workers at Veolia Transportation in York Region....
responded saying that Moscoe was attacking Lowe's honesty. Moscoe apologized to Lowe during a meeting at City Hall, and promised to "sort out our procedures" to ensure that coverage would not be delayed to injured workers in the future.
TTC General Manager Rick Ducharme
Rick Ducharme
Richard C. Ducharme P.Eng. has served as an administrator for several Canadian transit and transportation authorities, most recently as General Manager of Transportation for the City of Edmonton....
announced his resignation on June 7, 2006, following a one-day wildcat strike
2006 TTC wildcat strike
The 2006 Toronto Transit Commission wildcat strike was an illegal strike in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 29, 2006. It was initiated by 800 Toronto Transit Commission mechanical and janitorial workers who were protesting proposed changes in work schedules, including permanent re-assignment of...
by transit workers. He blamed political interference for his decision, saying that Moscoe had conducted direct negotiations with the union without consulting him. The Toronto Star speculated that the illegal strike might have resulted from Moscoe's negotiations, while David Shiner
David Shiner (politician)
David Shiner is a city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He represents ward 24, one of the two wards in Willowdale.-Background:He is the son of the late Esther Shiner, who served on the borough and later city council of the City of North York as alderman, and later as a member of the Board of...
and other councilors said that Moscoe had a history of interfering in management affairs. John Barber, a columnist for the rival Globe and Mail, argued that Ducharme's resignation was not a reasonable response to Moscoe's alleged interference. Moscoe defended his actions, arguing that he had an obligation to take part in the discussions and was attempting to ensure that a second strike did not take place. He later said that management was to blame for the wildcat strike, and that he intervened in an attempt to stop it.
Ducharme also criticized Moscoe for granting a non-bid contract to Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
for the purchase of new subway cars, citing an estimate from rival company Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
suggesting that it would cost Toronto as much as $100 million. Ducharme and several councillors had advocated making the process open to competition, arguing that this would result in the best deal for the city. Moscoe defended his decision by noting that Bombardier plans to construct the cars in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
with parts-supply work in Toronto, while Siemens would have exported construction to China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. He also cited a Bombardier-initiated study asserting that the contract will generate $142 million in provincial and federal tax revenues. Moscoe has also defended the contracting process, arguing that non-competitive contracts are standard practice for such purchases in other jurisdictions. He later added that he initially considered an open-bid contract, but reconsidered after discovering that Siemens constructs its cars in China.
Some councillors accused Moscoe of having an improper relationship with Bombardier, which had donated to Moscoe's campaign and sent out invitations to a political fundraiser for TTC Vice-Chair Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone is a Canadian politician who was a Toronto City Councillor, representing the southern of two Davenport wards. Elected at 26, he remained the youngest member of Toronto council after re-election. He is also a former president of the federal New Democratic Party...
, an ally of Moscoe, although he turned down the assistance. Moscoe had also taken part in a Bombardier-organized trip to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
in 1998, to promote subway construction in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Moscoe responded to the accusation by saying that he was the target of a smear campaign, noting that there had been "nothing secret" about his 1998 trip, which was funded by the Israeli government. He added that he had also received campaign contributions from Siemens. Moscoe said that his opponents were "trying to get to the mayor" by attacking him, and argued that the controversy was being fomented by Siemens and its lobbyists, who were in contact with a number of councillors critical of the non-bid contract.
In the aftermath of Ducharme's resignation, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspaper and some city councillors called for Moscoe to stand down as TTC chair. He initially dismissed these calls as politically motivated, but later said that he was thinking about resigning after the 2006 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
. There was another attempt to remove Moscoe as TTC chair in July 2006, but he defeated the challenge by a vote of 5 to 3.
In late August 2006, an outside panel of experts judged that Bombardier's offer was a good deal for city, with one consultant saying that the proposed bid "is below most of the recent comparable North American procurements." In the aftermath of the report, councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker
Glenn De Baeremaeker
Glenn De Baeremaeker is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, who represents Ward 38, one of the two Scarborough Centre wards. The son of a working class family he has a Masters in international development and spent six months in Ethiopia at the height of the 1980s famine.He originally rose to...
was quoted as saying, "if what you have told me [about the price] is true, somebody owes Howard Moscoe an apology". The TTC staff have also recommended finalizing a deal with Bombardier. Some councillors, such as Karen Stintz, have continued to oppose the contract on procedural grounds. Stintz has said, "it's not about Bombardier. It's about a process we didn't follow", noting that other city departments require competitive bids on contracts of this size.
The TTC unanimously endorsed purchase of the subway cars on August 30, 2006. After the vote, Moscoe told reporters, "We got a fair deal. We got a good deal. And we've got a first-class set of subway cars. [...] I have no apologies to make". The purchase was subsequently approved by council in late September 2006, by a vote of 25 to 18.
Late 2006
Moscoe announced in late October 2006 that the TTC was considering the installment of electronic signs, to show bus and streetcar riders how long they would have to wait for the next vehicle. The following month, he announced that the TTC would introduce new tokens to combat counterfeiting. He has also proposed shifting Toronto to an automatic train system to increase service capacity, and introducing a station master at each stop to handle upgrades and customer complaints.One day after the 2006 municipal election, the federal government of Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
announced that it would provide the TTC with $1.4 million for anti-terrorism measures. Moscoe described the announcement as a "slap in the face", far below the $35 million the TTC had requested for security upgrades. He declined to participate in a photo opportunity with federal officials, and asked the Harper government to reconsider its proposal. Moscoe has also rejected the Conservative government's suggestion that Toronto consider public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
s for transit services, saying "In transit we call them public-pirate partnerships. All the experience has been bad."
In a surprise move, Moscoe declined to seek renomination as TTC chair after the 2006 election. He is currently seeking appointment to the Greater Toronto Transit Authority, a new regional body.
Taxis
Moscoe has long promoted safety concerns in the taxiTaxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
industry, and has often championed the interests of taxi drivers against perceived exploitation from owners. He himself trained as a cab driver in 1990, in an effort to learn more about the industry. He once described taxi drivers as "the most vulnerable people in town" due to threats from belligerent passengers, and called for a Metro taskforce on driver safety after attending the funeral service of a cab driver killed by a customer in 1998. He later encouraged the installment of cameras in taxi cabs. The council adopted his suggestion and mandated security cameras in taxi cabs. As a result, the crime rate against cab drivers dropped by 70%.
Moscoe supported a pioneering unionization effort for Toronto cab drivers in 1993. He later spoke out against abuses in Toronto's taxi licencing system, drawing attention to cases in which wealthy owners purchased plates that were rented to drivers at exorbitant rates. In 1998, he collaborated with Denzil Minnan-Wong
Denzil Minnan-Wong
Denzil Minnan-Wong is a Toronto city councillor representing one of the two Don Valley East wards, Toronto City Council Ward 34. He is the son of Denzil Minnan-Wong, Sr., a Chinese immigrant who became a prominent member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. His father died in 1988 at...
to pass reform legislation granting "Ambassador" plates for licence holders who drive their own cars.
Moscoe defended a taxi fare increase in 2003, arguing that it was first such increase in seven years and was necessary to cover rising insurance and gas prices. In 2005, he argued that drivers deserved a further fifty-cent increase per ride to cope with soaring fuel costs. He has supported a motion to have all Toronto cabs painted the same colour, arguing that this measure will help crack down on illegal drivers.
Following the murder of a taxi driver by a passenger, Moscoe commented that drivers "live a very dangerous existence", adding "I would venture to say their job is more dangerous than a police officer". According to a Toronto Star report, some members of the police force found this comment offensive.
His 2006 appointment as chair of the Licensing and Standards Committee gives Moscoe direct authority over the city's taxi industry. He has acknowledged that owners and brokers disapprove of some of his ideas, but says that most drivers support him.
Police
Moscoe has often called for reforms in the Toronto Police ServiceToronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
, particularly as regards the force's relations with racial minority groups. Following the 1990 shooting of a black teenager by Toronto police, he introduced a motion at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities calling for police officers to be trained with "the information they need to deal sensitively with racial and ethnic minorities". He was a founding member of Metro Toronto's Council Action Committee to Combat Racism but resigned in January 1991, saying that it had rendered itself ineffectual by declining to make police issues a priority. Metro Chairman Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks
Alan Tonks is a Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal electoral district of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toronto into the new City of Toronto.-Background:Tonks is the son of the late...
, who established the committee, argued that an emphasis on police issues would duplicate the work of the Metro Police Commission and reduce police morale. Moscoe sought an appointment to the Police Commission in late 1990, but withdrew his name after failing to win Tonks's support.
Moscoe criticized the tactics of the Toronto Police Association during Craig Bromell
Craig Bromell
Craig Bromell is a Canadian radio personality. Prior to his broadcast career, Bromell served as president of the Toronto Police Association from 1997 to 2003. In that position, he was often at odds with the two chiefs of police during his tenure, Julian Fantino and David Boothby...
's tenure as union leader. In 1999, he argued that TTC advertisements by the union portrayed Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
s as criminals. Bromell said that the ads were not meant to be offensive. The next year, Moscoe accused Bromell of having "crossed the line" by hiring private investigators to probe city councillors critical of the police force. Moscoe had his own office swept for bugs as a precautionary measure. Some councillors, including Tom Jakobek
Tom Jakobek
Tom Jakobek is a former member of the Toronto City Council. He was first elected to council in 1982 after serving as a school trustee, and remained a member until 2000....
, derided this as a publicity stunt.
Moscoe described a 2004 proposal for police helicopters as "pure testosterone", and sarcastically suggested that the helicopters should be equipped with Sidewinder missiles to ensure maximum effectiveness. He said during a council debate, "Do we need a helicopter to track down drug dealers in Parkdale
Parkdale, Toronto
Parkdale is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by Roncesvalles Avenue, on the north by Queen Street. It is bounded on the east by Dufferin Street from Queen Street south, and on the south by Lake Ontario...
? It's tough to land a helicopter on a doughnut shop." Rival councillor Rob Ford said that Moscoe's comments were insulting to the police force. Some current and former members of the Toronto police, including Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino
Julian Fantino is a retired police official and the elected Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a November 29, 2010 by-election...
, have criticized Moscoe's approach to police affairs.
Taxation
Moscoe played a significant role in Metro Council's deliberations over market value tax reform in late 1992, working with three Progressive Conservative councillors to broker a last-minute compromise on the issue. Under the proposed plan, businesses and factories that paid rates below the market level would have had their rate increases capped at 25% over three years, while tenants and homeowners would have had increases capped at 10% over three years. Those paying more than the market rate would also have had their reductions capped. The compromise won the support of council, despite opposition from councillors representing wards in downtown Toronto. The provincial government later rejected the proposal. Moscoe supported a similar five year phase-in plan in 1998, which was accepted.Trivia
- Moscoe has dabbled in the visual arts. His sculpted wooden birds were featured at the 1990 Cabby Art Festival in Toronto. He later created a "pop artPop artPop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
haven" of tacky orange furniture in his council office, to the chagrin of other councillors. - Moscoe has weighed in excess of 300 pounds at different times in his career, and was nicknamed "Hungry Howard" by the Toronto media in the 1990s. He took steps to control his weight in 1991 after being told that he had diabetes. By June 1992, he had dropped to 285 pounds. As of late 2005, he weighed 275 pounds.
- When the restoration of capital punishmentCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was discussed at a 1979 meeting of the Federation of Canadian MunicipalitiesFederation of Canadian MunicipalitiesThe Federation of Canadian Municipalities is a civic advocacy group representing many Canadian municipalities. It is an organization with no formal power but significant ability to influence debate and policy, as it is main national lobby group of mayors, councillors and other elected municipal...
, Moscoe introduced a facetious motion calling for the restoration of torture. He later clarified to reporters that he intended his proposal as a parody of the original motion, and said that he opposed both torture and the death penalty as irrational acts. He expressed concern that some constituents took his motion seriously, and approved of it. - He organized a sarcastic "Howard Moscoe Re-Election Money Grub Banquet" to raise funds for his re-election bid in 2000.
Table of offices held
External links
Municipal politics
Electors could vote for two candidates.The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, 13 November 1991.
The final official results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Globe and Mail, 14 November 1985.
Electors could vote for four candidates.
The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
The final official results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Globe and Mail, 9 November 1982.
The final results confirmed Moscoe's victory.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, 11 November 1980.
The final results were not significantly different.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, 14 November 1978.
The final results confirmed Moscoe's victory.
Results taken from the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, 3 December 1974.
Electors could vote for two candidates.
The percentages are determined in relation to the total number of votes.
There may be a transcription error in the result for Carl Anderson (the last two numbers were partly obscured).
The final official results were not significantly different.
All municipal election information is from the City of Toronto, unless otherwise noted.
Provincial politics
All provincial election information is from Elections OntarioElections Ontario
Elections Ontario is a non-partisan Agency of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. They work under the Chief Electoral Officer, an officer of the Legislative Assembly. responsible for the conduct of provincial elections.-External links:*...
.