Artisano Bakery event with George Takach will take place at 10:00 am Saturday, April 12, 2014. You are cordially invited to attend.

The purpose of this post is to invite you, as a visitor to my website, to a meeting with George Takach, who is running for the federal Liberal nomination in the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding.

I support the Liberals provincially and federally.

Among other things, the Parkview School story turned out beautifully thanks to the decision by the Ontario Liberals to release $5.2 million some years ago to enable the school to remain in public hands. I set up this website some time after I became involved with the Parkview project.

The latter story was my introduction to local issues in my neighbourhood. Otherwise, I would have been content to just go about walking my dog. As it turned out, our family dog played a key role in enabling us to mobilize resources to address the Parkview sale – but that’s an other story.

The purpose of the meeting with George Takach is to enable a small group of people to discuss topics of interest affecting our neighbourhoods.

I much enjoy face to face meetings. They’re a great complement to social media; face to face meetings are the original social media and in my view are tremendously valuable.

The meeting is on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 10:00 am

Adam Feldman, from the George Takach Campaign for Liberal Party of Canada Nomination in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, will say a few words at 10:00 am, with George saying something at 10:30, followed by a Q & A.

The location is the Artisano Bakery (1020 Islington Ave., at Islington and Titan Road) this Saturday. You can view 1020 Islington Ave., which is north of the Queensway and south of Norseman, at Google Maps.

I look foreword to meeting you at this informal get together.

Local and federal issues are closely connected

At a recent meeting for campaign volunteers that I attended, George Takach spoke of the saying that “All politics is local.” He’s also spoken of a close connection between local and federal issues. By way of example, he noted that public transit is an issue affecting all levels of government.

He spoke of three things, at a recent meeting, as they relate to the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding.

Residents in Humber Bay Shores, he noted (as I best recall; my notes were rudimentary), can have a concern about whether a GO Station will be built to help with transit for the new condos in the area. In Long Branch, the concern may be with regard to the development that will be under way in Lakeview in Mississauga. In an area further north of the Lake Ontario shoreline, a concern is with regard to what’s going to happen with the Six Points project.

Comment from a resident regarding public transit issues

I’ve spoken with a number of residents with regard to the connection between what happens locally and what happens federally. Here’s one comment that I’ve recently received from an area resident regarding this topic:

• We are a country without a national transportation policy so that’s a federal issue! And the TTC is subsidised less than any public transit system around the world so that is both federal and provincial! At the transit forum that the Community Forum group held a month or so ago at Father Redmond school a group emerged I think called SEMTAC (South Etobicoke Transit something or other) which has been looking at transit issues because everyone agrees we are a forgotten corner when it comes to improvements. But most people are asking for service improvements rather than major investments like an LRT. There are suggestions of going back to have streetcars turn at Humber Loop – there is one group wanting the 501 to go up Roncesvalles to Dundas subway station and everyone wants more streetcars and more reliable service. Metrolinx have made it clear that they do not foresee another Go station and the renovations to Mimico Station will include a tunnel to the south side of the tracks to make access easier for people in Humber Bay Shore – there will be a path up Mimico Creek to join in with Manchester Street. Humber Bay Shores have the express bus which costs the TTC a bundle and is not very well used.

[End of comment]

This is a great overview, shared by a local resident, of issues we are facing.

As I understand (to the best of my recollection: this point will require confirmation), George Takach supports a GO Station at Humber Bay Shores.

I look forward to meeting you at the Artisano Bakery event with George Takach at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 12, 2014.