Rob Ford's Lackey, Gordon Chong, Rips Off Consultants for $80,000

Gordon Chong mismanaged his funds and ripped off consultants to the tune of  $80,000 (hired them knowing there was no money to pay them).
Now the city will be on the hook to bail out his mismanagement. Guess who picked Chong to do this? Yep, Rob Ford, mathematician extraordinaire.
THANKS ROB FORD!

The Toronto Star paints up the title all nice-like, but knowingly ripping someone off is still ripping someone off. And doing it while in a position of trust (Chong was trusted with the funds on behalf of the City of Toronto) is worse.
TTC Subway study ran out of money, Gordon Chong and consultants still owed more than $100,000

Rob Ford's Gravy Train total on this one: $260,000
(Amount over the original amount reported April 7, 2012: $60,000 + $100,000 = $160,000)

UPDATE
Ironically, the big picture here is that the agency set up with Chong heading it to figure out a way to fund a Sheppard subway line went broke. If they can't figure out how to find funding to figure this out, how do they expect to find funding for the subway ?! LOL (thanks Nick, in the comments on this story at All Fired Up In The Big Smoke)

Respect for the Taxpayer from Rob Ford - NOT!

Rob Ford got his lackeys on the TTC council to fire Gary Webster, the Chief General Manager the other day for doing his job well. They fired him without just cause. As a result, the City (that's you, taxpayers), will be on the hook for $560,000.00 for Gary's severance package. They could have let him stay for one more year until his retirement and it would have cost far less.

Now, we have no one at the helm of the TTC during a time when we need a very experienced and competent person there.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount = $560,000.00

Rob & Doug wasting Toronto Money - Again

Toronto agency backed by Mayor Ford spent $55,000 on single-source contracts - The Globe and Mail

Asked if there was a discrepancy between his anti-sole-source rhetoric and his backing of sole-source waterfront proposals, he said “it all depends” before referring all further questions to Michael Kraljevic, president and CEO of Toronto Port Lands.
“There are circumstances when sole-sourcing is acceptable,”
How much would it have cost for Rob and Doug to run their plan by council to see if they would support it before going ahead and spending $55,000?

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: $55,000

Rob Ford refused to pay election fines

City officials waived fines related to Ford’s election campaign - The Globe and Mail
Rob Ford was fined $13,362.25 for 483 infractions of the bylaw governing the placement of election signs.
He delayed almost a month past the due day for appealing the infractions before he appealed them. He had to be prompted by officials to appeal. The other mayoral contender who had similar fines (Smitherman, $8,559.75) has paid. In the past, other mayoral contenders have paid these fines.
Officials decided, back in the Spring, to wave Ford's fines.
See Also:
http://torontoist.com/2011/07/if_youre_looking_for_a.php

Rob Ford Gravy Train amount: $13,362.25

Rob Ford continues to lie to the public as he wastes more money and increases the deficit

Ford’s financial numbers don’t add up - The Globe and Mail
Rob Ford claimed the other day to have saved the city $70 million in the first six months. In this Globe & Mail story, they reported that most of that was the money from the vehicle registration tax. So, this is not a savings but a loss of income for the city.

In actual fact, Ford has wasted over $533 million in the first 8 months in office, by either cutting income for the city or spending money in wasteful ways (see Rob Ford's Gravy Train sidebar on this site.)

Let's look at the money he has wasted so far (see the Gravy Train link above for the details)
- Cancelling Transit City - money spent so far + penalties (there will be more penalties and costs to come, but this is the minimum money wasted in cancelling Transit City) = $179 million
- Abolishing the Land Transfer Tax = $204 million
- Abolishing the vehicle registration tax = $50 million
- Not raising the property taxes this year by a very small amount = $3.5 million
- Hiring consultants to do the work city staff and councillors already do = $3 million
- Hiring a friend to do work the TTC already does = $100,000
- Overgenerous raise to the police (and then he wants to lay some off! I'm not opposed to giving the police a raise, but he gave them a raise that was above and beyond reasonable, especially in consideration of the cost cutting he plans and the layoffs) = $50 million
- Painting over artwork that was commissioned by the city = $2,000
- Removing the Jarvis, Birchmount and Pharmacy bike lanes (this amount also includes the original cost of installing the Jarvis lane, as this is now wasted. I don't know what the other lanes cost to install) = $469,000
- Taking over management of an arena that is greatly in debt, thinking that they will be able to turn things around and make millions renting it out = $43.4 million
There is more, but these are all I have the numbers for so far.

TOTAL = OVER $533 MILLION DOLLARS WASTED BY ROB FORD AND HIS SUPPORTERS ON COUNCIL

The city is looking at a deficit for next year of over $744 million. Imagine if the above money was not wasted. The deficit next year would be in a much more manageable range.

The Globe article says:
Either Mr. Ford is misleading the public or he simply does not
understand the apples-and-oranges difference between money taken in and
money saved.

I think it is a bit of both. I can sort of understand that Ford disliked the previous administration so much that he wants to tear down things that it put in place/built. But, what I can't understand is why he wants to punish everyone in the city, especially those in his old ward in North Etobicoke, by tearing down the good and useful things in the city, by stopping things that would help people, especially in North Etobicoke (Transit City would have brought a lot of much-needed rapid transit to all sections of Etobicoke). What boggles the mind even more is that the majority of city councillors are supporting his plans to destroy Toronto. If I was one of these councillors constituents (luckily, my councillor is one of the few fighting for reason at City Hall these days), I would be giving him/her an earful and voting them out of office next election.

The clincher to the Globe & Mail story is that here we have the Globe & Mail, one of the main corporate media companies, who are staunch Conservative supporters, who usually love this kind of action from a Conservative politician, saying that he has gone too far - that Ford is either malicious or ignorant and that is why he is doing what he is doing.

Wake up Toronto, the city is burning. Talk to your councillors to get them to stop supporting the Ford madness.

Noncommittal Rob Ford brushes off $130 million + $49 million wasted in cancelling Transit City

Metro - Ford deals death blow to Transit City

Toronto must pay at least $49M to cancel LRT plan

I was waiting for more numbers to come in before posting this. So far, we have a waste, by Ford, of $179 million.

From the Metro article:
Ford was noncommittal when asked who will be responsible for the $130
million already spent on Transit City as well as the penalties on more
than $1.3 billion worth of signed contracts

On Rob Ford's first day as mayor, he cancelled Transit City. The city had already spent $130 million dollars on it.
In addition, the city will have to pay penalties for breaking contracts related to Transit City.
From the CBC article:

Toronto is currently on the hook for at least $49 million for
cancelling the Transit City light rail plan, says the head of the
regional transportation agency tasked with implementing Toronto Mayor
Rob Ford's new transit plan.

That outlay is likely to rise, said Bruce McQuaig, the CEO of
Metrolinx. The city would have to pay for any penalties incurred for
breaking or altering contracts secured in the previous Transit City
plan, he confirmed.

"$49 million is what would be known at this point in time and then
there would be additions based on how the discussions go with some of
the suppliers," he told reporters Thursday.

So, it will be more than $49 million.


Rob Ford Gravy Train amount: $179 million

Rob Ford's Gravy Train - another $43.4 million please

City takes over debt-ridden Leafs practice facility - thestar.com

The City of Toronto will take over interim management of the
debt-plagued Lakeshore Lions Arena while it seeks to find a new operator
for the four-pad rink that opened two years ago.

The facility, also known as the MasterCard Centre for Hockey
Excellence, carries a debt of $43.4 million. The city, which guaranteed
the loan, stepped in because the facility was in danger of defaulting.

....
And this part is the funniest part, if it didn't cost so much:

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday predicted a rosy future for the facility.

“I think in the end it will still be there for the community, it
won’t be run by the city and it won’t cost the taxpayers any money,”
said Holyday, who plays recreational hockey there.

Does anyone smell the hypocrisy here, in regards to the recent cost cutting and layoffs?

Rob Ford's Gravy train amount: about $43.4 million

Jarvis Bike Lane dead. Ford's war on cyclists continues

Jarvis Bike Lanes Saved for One Year, Birchmount and Pharmacy Bike Lanes to be Removed - Torontoist
Today, Toronto City Council voted 28-9 in favour of removing the Jarvis, Birchmount and Pharmacy bike lanes.

Excerpt from the link:
As per the language in today's city council agenda, this decision does
not follow any recommendation or guidance provided by staff or outside
planning consultants. It is the result of implementing the mayor's
preferred approach to cycling infrastructure—"a 100 km network of
off-street bike trails and completion of critical on-street bike lane
connections where the community supports them and where they do not
impede traffic flow"—itself not a policy that resulted from any
environmental assessments, traffic studies, or advice from urban
planning experts (at least not any on public record).


As a cyclist who rides every day all over the city, I am usually riding to get from one location to another (as opposed to recreational cycling). So, I need to travel on the quickest, shortest, most direct routes. Due to this need, I'm often travelling on routes that are popular for cars as well. When there is a bike lane, that is a bonus, and it also makes it safer for those who aren't as experienced. To build a network of off-street bike trails is counter-productive. Most current off-street bike trails, and places where they could build more off-street bike trails, are out of the way and don't follow directions I need to take back and forth across the city. And, for many who travel by bicycle now to and from work and school, off-street bike paths will be inconvenient as well. Rob Ford and his war-on-cyclist supporters don't understand this issue. They don't listen to the facts and studies about cycling and cycling routes. And, for all their bluster about a gravy-train and wasteful spending, they certainly are not paying any attention to wasteful spending. It would be far more useful, efficient and cost effective, to put bike lanes on well-used routes for cyclists, than to build a large network of bike lanes in out-of the way places where they will not be used by the majority of cyclists in the city.

It will cost a lot of money to remove bike lanes that currently exist and are not causing any problems on the roads. It will cost much more to build a network of off-street routes that will not be used by most cyclists. Neither of these projects will solve any problems of car gridlock or bicycle safety, and they will not improve traffic conditions for cars or cyclists. The solution would be to build on the existing network of bike lanes, not tear them down.

More views, news and ideas on this topic at:
The Reeves Report: Compromising on Bike Lanes at Toronto City Hall: Pt. II

The Jarvis vote: what the hell happened?
Those who supported the elimination responded by generally just wandering around the council chamber and not listening. The hundreds of taxpayers who came to City Hall to support maintaining the lanes were dismissed by some councillors — notably Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday — as “bike people.”

Toronto Star: Council Votes to Scrap Jarvis Bike Lane

http://www.globaltoronto.com/City+council+votes+remove+Jarvis+bike+lanes/5096020/story.html
Many of the councillors who wanted to save the lanes walked out of City Council before the final vote, resulting in a lopsided, 28-9 vote in favour of killing the lanes. [Note: that would be 8 councillors, who after 7 hours of debate with 27 councillors and 1 mayor who were going to vote to remove the lane for no reason, and could not be reasoned with, walked out in disgust.]
Also of note from the Global video story is that there are a number of Bixi bike stations installed on Jarvis. Jarvis is a busy cycling route and it has become 3x as busy as it was a year ago. And Bixi rentals are booming. So, here is yet another reason to keep the Jarvis bike lane.

http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110713/110713_bike_lanes/20110713/?hub=CP24Home
One of the councillors pushing for the bike lanes to be removed was Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong. He said it would be safer for cyclists and motorists to have separate bike lanes away from major streets.
This is unbelievable. I've read many news accounts of the vote and this is the only reason for removing the lane? If this is the reasoning, why are they not removing all the lanes that still exist on major streets downtown? And why are they going to build a fancier lane on Sherbourne then? The real reason they removed the lane is out of spite for the previous, Miller, administration.

How council voted
Voted to remove the bike lanes (28):
Paul Ainslie, Ana Bailão, Michelle Berardinetti, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, James Pasternak, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson
People of Toronto: If one of these people is your councillor, please ask them what reason they had to vote to remove the lanes - lanes that provided a more safe cycling route, that had shown increased cyclist traffic, that showed no decrease in car traffic, and would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove and zero dollars to let them remain. We deserve a real answer.

It is interesting to note that in all the news stories about this vote in council, and, although the issue was debated for many hours, there are no reasons cited from the side that voted to remove the lanes for removing the lanes. Outrageous.

Some media has spun the story to say that this was a win for cyclists (wtf?!) - since the Jarvis bike lane with stay there for a year while the Sherbourne lane is revamped. But no, this is a loss for cyclists and a loss for reason, and taxpayers, and logic.

Voted against removing the bike lanes (9):
Maria Augimeri, Raymond Cho, Glenn De Baeremaeker, John Filion, Mary Fragedakis, Josh Matlow, Joe Mihevc, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza

Walked out in protest (would have voted against removing the bike lanes) (8):
Shelley Carroll, Janet Davis, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher, Mike Layton, Pam McConnell, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam



CONCLUSION
What it cost to install the Jarvis Bike Lane originally: $59,000
How much it will cost to remove it: $200,000
How much it will cost to remove the Birchmount and Pharmacy bike lanes: $210,000
Total addition to Rob Ford's Gravy Train: $469,000
Reason for removing the lanes: none.

Ford wastes city money painting over art the city had paid for

Artist says city erased mural it paid him to paint - thestar.com
Methinks Ford wanted to paint over the art that was commissioned by an old political foe - Adam Giambrone.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: $2,000 (plus the cost to paint over the commissioned art).

Rob Ford - more for the I-Told-You-So department

Ford's costly police deal a 'rookie mistake,' critics say - thestar.com
Rob Ford has given the police a generous salary hike. By not negotiating a better deal for the city, Ford has set a very dangerous precedent for future negotiations with other groups, especially the newly-made-essential-service TTC workers.

People were warned that Rob Ford was not good with math, but, they didn't listen. We had a surplus with David Miller. With Rob Ford we already have a deficit and a growing debt thanks to Rob Ford's gravy train of bad economics.

Excerpts:

“This is going to drive every single essential service contract in
the city. The city has said it can afford to pay 3 per cent a year. Not
only are the firefighters going to get it, but who else is going to now
that they’re an essential service? The TTC,” said left-wing councillor
Adam Vaughan.

“This will have a ripple through the largest employee groups in the city.”

The TTC contract expired in March within days of the province
declaring the system an essential service. Negotiations are underway,
but if an agreement can’t be reached, the system’s newfound essential
status means it would be sent to a provincial arbitrator.

That arbitrator now has an expensive precedent in the police contract to use as a comparable, said Vaughan.
...

The proposed police contract, which has not yet been ratified, would add more than $20 million annually to the bottom line.

If a similar award was given to the TTC’s 9,000 unionized employees, the annual financial impact would be around $25 million.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train addition: $50 million.

Ford must be drugging 2/3 of the city council

Council Votes to Bring in Consultants for Major Service Review - Torontoist
The fact that 2/3 of the Toronto City Council continue to vote for wasteful and nonsensical things, while voting against reasonable and sensible things means that Ford must be spiking their drinks with something to turn them into mindless zombies.

The other 1/3 of Council who seem to be awake must be bringing their own drinks to meetings.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: - see: If you can't find a gravy train, make your own

Rob Ford continues to wallow in gravy

Newsstand: April 7, 2011 - Torontoist
And spread it around to his cronies. Read.

Rob Ford's Gray Train amount: $100,000

If you can't find a gravy train, make your own

Aptly put, by someone who commented on this Toronto Star article:
City to spend $3 million on consultants.
These consultants will duplicate work of city staff and the auditor general.
This money could go to stop the TTC cuts and cuts to other services.

On another note, Rob Ford was the lone person on city council vote against accepting provincial funding for an anti-HIV/syphilis initiative.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: $3,000,000

Rob Ford: Reckless and irresponsible

Ford unfazed by looming budget hole - The Globe and Mail
“We talk about what’s in front of us,” Mr. Ford said. “You can’t talk
about 2014 or 2015. We’re talking about 2011 and that’s before us, and
that’s the proper procedures before council. … I’m only focused on
2011.”

For a mayor, this is totally irresponsible. To not be planning ahead is to be asking for trouble in the future. We know that Ford is doing this so that next year he can say "Oh, look, we are short all this money. Okay. I guess we'll have to cut all these services and programs that make Toronto a great city to live in.

There is no Gravy Train. Ford just wants to slash all the services so there are few left. Same thing Mike Harris did. Same thing Stephen Harper is doing. Destroy.

Councillor Gord Perks, who tried unsuccessfully to pass a property-tax
increase, argued Mr. Ford is setting the city up for a slash-and-burn
exercise to balance next year’s books.

“It’s reckless and irresponsible, what he’s doing.”

Toronto Star: Council rejects 2011 tax hike, will consider one for 2012

Excerpts:

Challenging Mayor Rob Ford’s pledge to freeze taxes for 2011, Councillor Gord Perks on Wednesday proposed an increase of 0.16 per cent in residential taxes — amounting to less than $5 for the average homeowner — and 0.052 per cent in non-residential taxes.

The twin hikes, he said, would have raised $3.5 million, enough to prevent many of the proposed cuts to TTC bus routes, keep a threatened library branch open, and allow for enhancements to student nutrition and anti-bedbug programs.

...

Councillor Joe Mihevc told Ford that the tax freeze, the elimination of the $60 vehicle tax and the depletion of reserves would “basically make it almost impossible to balance the books next year.”

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: $3.5 milliion (not hiking property taxes by a small amount)

Jabba the Ford - does not compute

Jabba The Ford - This is not the Budget you are looking for,…
He is hard at work creating a huge mess in the near future.

Rob Ford's Gray Train amount: $50 million (eliminating the vehicle registration tax)

If Ford wasn't such an idiot at math, we might not be facing such a shortfall

CBC News - Toronto - Toronto facing $774M shortfall in 2012

If, they had kept the land transfer tax, the vehicle registration tax, increased the property tax this year by 2% and allowed a 10 cent increase in TTC fees, we might not be facing such a shortfall in 2012. Instead, Ford and council will have to increase taxes and fees by much more to make up for his idiocy in the 2011 budget.

Rob Ford's Gravy Train amount: $204 million (abolishing the land transfer tax this is how much money it brought into the city in 2010)