8 Responses for "TRINITY-SPADINA"

1. Max Fernandez September 14th, 2008 at 4:16 pm 1

   I hear that Ianno’s wife is the Liberal candidate for this riding. Is this true? I can’t think of a more incompetent MP than Ianno. He was very disingenuous and the thought of another Ianno clan member makes me nervous. I was going to abstain from voting but I will have to vote for Olivia just to prevent another Ianno catastrophe if all of this is true.

2. King of Kensington September 18th, 2008 at 5:19 pm 2

   Democratic Space is right to call this one for the NDP. Christine Innes is a low-profile candidate and most polls show the Liberal-NDP spread to be narrowing in Ontario. Olivia Chow has established herself as a very high-profie MP (unlike Tony Ianno who did nothing for 13 years) and I think she will win by at least 6000 votes.

3. Krystyn Tully September 26th, 2008 at 11:05 am 3

   Not sure what’s up with this page, but you’re showing Tony Ianno as the Liberal candidate for this riding. The candidate is actually Christine Innes. You don’t need to post this comment.

4. Peter Holt September 29th, 2008 at 1:37 pm 4

   I loved Olivia’s response when asked for her reaction to Ianno’s wife running. “I am delighted,” she said, “we need more women running in this election.” She’s great!

   And what amazes me as a canvasser is that so many people have known Olivia as a politician for most of their voting lives, and yet they don’t know her as an accomplished and talented artist and sculptor, as a passionate and knowledgeable gardener and committed environmentalist (though they know Jack is) and that she’s a fabulous and imaginative cook!

   These folks walk the talk… and they cycle the City… they are solid real people and seem to always be there, tirelessly, when someone needs them.

   I don’t think one could find a couple that better exemplifies the best of the inner city, and the best of the whole country… and our best hope for, to borrow a phrase from another broken Liberal promise… a “Just Society”, based on good citizenship, mutual respect, and care for the weak and the environment… not on fear, greed, and corruption.

   Like the Pork Authority and Porker Airlines which was largely blamed on ianno’s Party and playing one end of the country off against the other like the Harperites are artfully doing now. Danny Williams, Newfoundland’s PC Premier said it best… “If you think Harper with a minority was bad, just wait til he gets his Majority”. Check it out and post it everywhere!

   http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/10/williams-harper.html

5. eve October 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am 5

   Christine Innes is Ianno’s wife – she also represents the kind of political representative we need locally in Trinity Spadina and federally in Parliament. You may want to educate yourself about her instead of judging her only by an assessment of her husband.

6. Andrew October 8th, 2008 at 12:04 pm 6

   Innes seems smarter and more likeable than Ianno and look how good he just did. If Innes can introduce herself around the riding enough – this might turn into an NDP heartbreaker on a night the NDP will be doing well nationally.

7. CSD October 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pm 7

   I’m very surprised by this call. Ianno and Chow were neck-and-neck throughout the past 3 elections, and the growing number of red signs sprouting up throughout the neighbourhoods seem to indicate that Innes may be having more success than Ianno did.

   Couple that with an explosion of condo dwellers on the south end, with 2007′s race between Kate Holloway and the far safer Rosario Marchese was tighter than anybody expected thanks to NDP voters shifting to the Green party, and with resurging Liberal support in Ontario, and this still strikes me as definitely TCTC.

8. Wayne Smith October 9th, 2008 at 7:53 am 8

   ACM at the JCC, October 6

   The all-candidates’ debate at the Miles Nadal Jewish Cultural Centre at Bloor and Spadina, sponsored by local neighbourhood associations and BIAs, is a regular election feature in Toronto’s Trinity-Spadina riding. This has been a very hotly contested riding in past elections, and it took former city councillor Olivia Chow, Jack Layton’s spouse, a few elections to knock off her Liberal nemesis, Tony Ianno. Now that Ianno has stepped aside, the way seems reasonably clear for Chow’s re-election, but stay tuned. Liberal candidate Christine Innes is Ianno’s wife, and the Green Party has a warm and articulate candidate in actor Stephen LaFrenie. He won’t get elected, but he could complicate things by pulling votes from both the Liberals and the NDP. Conservatives are not a factor in this riding. There is also a Libertarian candidate and two Independents.

   As usual, there was a full house of about 300 for the event. This riding houses the downtown University of Toronto campus, and there were lots of young folks in the audience. I was there to push electoral reform for Fair Vote Canada, and made sure that almost everybody got our tabloid flyer either going in or coming out. I didn’t get to ask a question, but my topic was well covered. LaFrenie led off with proportional representation in his opening remarks, and answered two questions with the need for PR, one on women’s equality and one on civility in Parliament. Chow also mentioned PR, usually in response to LaFrenie. None of the other candidates were biting. Conservative candidate Christine McGirr, a business consultant, mainly hunched over her script and read off her stock replies, often talking over boos from the audience, especially when the topic got around to arts and culture. Still, you have to admire these good soldiers who go over the top for the party in a riding where they are just showing the flag. Libertarian candidate Chester Brown, a cartoonist, provided comic relief with his one-line replies that, as a non-interventionist, he would do nothing if elected. An honest candidate at last! However, he did get applause when he said that he would get us out of Afghanistan. Independent Carlos Santos Almeida, a bit of a downtown character, didn’t have much of substance to say, but was endearing saying it. The other Indie candidate didn’t show.

   Chow is not really a strong speaker, but did hush the room when she spoke movingly about child poverty. Fast-talker Innes had her facts and figures lined up and her cheering section in the audience, but she is not quite ready for prime time. Still, it’s going to be an interesting race, especially if the Liberal campaign catches fire in the remaining days of the campaign.