To state the obvious – time is running out. With four days left the candidates are making choices about how they use the hours they have left.
This morning Joe Pantalone is hoping the rain holds off so he can be at the corner of Jarvis and Sherbourne Streets for a last minute announcement on transportation. One of the striking things about Pantalone's campaign is how few original policy initiatives he has put forward. This morning, Pantalone will outline a series of measures regarding transportation. They include creating more bike parking at the expense of cars, improve coordination of TTC construction projects and something to do with "food vending options" in subway stations. Not all of this is new. Pantalone has advocated bike lanes on major roads throughout the campaign and has talked again and again about the need to for Torontonians to share roads responsibly.
Yesterday, Pantalone stepped forward and released his list of donors. Toronto municipal election rules stipulate that each candidate must submit his/her audited donation list by March 25, 2011. The Globe and Mail reports this morning the Rob Ford campaign has promised to release its list today. No word on when George Smitherman will table his list.
The Pantalone campaign is promising another policy announcement for Friday.
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Smitherman will go down to Queen's Quay this afternoon and deliver a late policy announcement on economic development and the unveiling of his job creation plan.
This morning, Ford and Smitherman will be at a carefully structured event sponsored by Greater Toronto Realtors. Here is how the release is worded.
The meeting will feature… a conversation with each of the candidates as they individually discuss REALTOR(R) and City Hall issues. "Given that TREB hosted the first major debate with the original six hopefuls in May, it is fitting that the two frontrunners return to share their proposed policies with Greater Toronto REALTORS(R),"
Back in May, it was a debate but today appears to be arranged so that there will be no opportunity for the two finalists to debate each other. There is an all candidates "meet and greet" event later in the day, but there are no more scheduled debates.
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Ford, the leader in all the polls this week, will be on the sidelines as his high school team takes the field in a semi-final game. Ford has cleared his schedule every week to coach the team. If his Don Bosco team wins today, Ford will be back on the sidelines in a few days for the final game – but will he be the mayor elect?
Toronto will decide that on Monday.
