Toronto Hot and Cold List

Who and what are impressing us these days — and what isn’t

Toronto Hot and Cold list

Who and what are impressing us these days — and what isn’t. The NEXT Who’s Hot and Who’s Not List

HOT

The return of Adam Giambrone

 It seems quaint now, that a semen-stained couch and a chatty lover could derail the political career of horny rising star politician Adam Giambrone back in 2010 when the scandal caused him to abandon a mayoralty run  — a campaign  the most scandalous mayor in history, Rob Ford, would eventually win. Giambrone was a great TTC chair while on city council, and he served his post-Toronto penance helping lead transit systems around the world, most recently in Saudi Arabia. Rumoured as possible new CEO of the TTC — he should be welcomed back with open arms. Just don’t get feely, Adam.

Olivia Chow gets feisty

Mayor Olivia Chow’s finally ready to take on Vandal-in-Chief Doug Ford after strategically gently prodding rather than fully fighting the city-crushing premier. But Ford’s destruction of bike lanes, the Science Centre and overrule of local government is enough to finally get her fighting mad. Whatever it takes, Olivia!

We’re Building Co-op Housing Again

Politicians of every stripe are suddenly in love with co-op housing again. There’s a massive co-op going up across from Kennedy Station in Scarborough and potentially more coming soon, with the mayor’s blessing — after all, she used to live in a housing co-op herself.

We’ve got ice!

 So glad the ice rink will be back at Harbourfront Centre following a huge outcry from many who treasure the lakeside rink. Congrats to Ausma Malak and other members of city council as well as the Feds who all found the cash to keep this icy waterfront oasis open.

Reconnecting the Don River and the Lake

Toronto’s visionary re-naturalization of the Don River — remember when the city was visionary? — is a reminder of what can be achieved when politicians think past the next vote and short-term ways to stay in power. The naturalized river route was fully connected with the lake in November, part of a massive project that is creating parks, new neighbourhoods and flood control in the once derelict east side Port Lands.

COLD

Brad Bradford’s barking 

Like a neighbour’s dog that just won’t stop barking, Brad Bradford has become this annoying howl at City Hall. The massively defeated former mayoralty candidate is still dripping in bitterness, offering knee-jerk opposition with inflammatory language to almost any initiative from Mayor Olivia Chow or progressive forces on council. Bradford thinks Toronto has U.S.-style polarization while, to its credit, City Hall, without explicit party lines, sees tons of co-operation between right and left. Even has a tradition of it. So, no need to be a dick about it if you’ve got issues, Brad. Take a breath and tell us what’s bugging you.

The Giller Awards

 The late Jack Rabinovitch’s Giller book awards have been a pretty cool, though super-bougie celebration of Canadian books. Anything to raise the profile of Canada’s neglected authors. Well, almost anything. It’s harder to get behind the award, recently presented to author Anne Michaels, after its fumbling of the outcry over its Scotiabank sponsorship, the bank investing significantly in an Israeli arms supplier. Rabinovitch’s daughter Elana has been doing peevish damage control since protests interrupted last year’s ceremony, but taking the sponsor’s name off while keeping the cash and largely ignoring complaints just doesn’t cut it. What was once a glittering night of celebration now seems an overstuffed, tone-deaf gathering of out-of-touch elites.

NIMBYs Fighting Neighbours in Tents

Encampments of people experiencing homelessness are an inevitable symptom of over a decade of Liberal and Conservative governments gutting affordable housing and social services funding. People are demanding the city bulldoze those tents in local parks whih  just makes it some other neighbourhood’s problem. It’s the provincial and federal governments that need to step up and stop downloading shelter costs onto the city. Then we can all focus on the real solution: Building more affordable housing.