Empowerment 2.0

With transit fare hikes being a hot topic in the city this fourth quarter, Torontonians are finding new ways to express their ideas and discontents. The benefits of social media seem to be measured by the amount of action TTC Chair Adam Giambrone's Facebook page receives daily - where thousands of Toronto residents have access to him directly voice their concern on the City's biggest service.

This online forum allows for real-time conversations and provides anonymity to citizens to voice their concerns. It is even able to attract those who are not politically inclined to participate and to do so in the comfort of their homes, expanding on the idea of the public forum by creating a digital one. Traditional forms of capacity building and the empowerment are done in a new way, addressing concerns with the goals of facilitating change in their communities.

Use of social networking around the world (courtesy of Weboptium)

I had a chance to speak with Mr. Giambrone - when he wasn't busy wearing TTC Chair or Ward 18 Councillor hats - about this new form of communication for the City and if it is a useful forum for him to inform decisions. As he is active in posting and responding, and with the public participation being there, he simply declared, "It works for me."

Not all Councilors utilize this resource, but think of the change it would bring to the political process for the city, and any metropolitan area for that matter. It would be a responsible move to react to these changes but even Giambrone questions, "I don't know how many councillors will respond."

It would be beneficial for a politician to have an online presence to interact with their constituents, and equally beneficial for them to participate in the discussions. Although this movement isn't mainstream yet, it proves to be a great forum to voice your opinions and add to the discussions happening within your city.

I challenge you to find your local politicians on Facebook and Twitter. If you can't, then bug them to get connected! With life moving at a 21st century pace, it should be part of their job description.

Ontario's Top 20 Worst Roads

Driving down Steeles Avenue east from my girlfriend's place reminded me to post this link from CAA's website released last week. The list of the Province's worst roads include eight in found in Toronto alone, topped by my route home today.

Toronto is planning a $10 million resurfacing of Steeles Avenue pending the approval of Federal infrastructure stimulus funding. A hefty $139 million of Toronto's annual budget goes towards road repairs, but they have been suffering from a $300 million roadwork backlog.

This is what it costs to make Toronto's roads drivable (courtesy of The Star):

• $25 Average cost to repair one pothole
  
• 275,000 Potholes fixed by the city in 2008
  
• $6 million Cost of pothole repairs annually in Toronto
  
• $7,000-$10,000 Annual cost of preventative patching, routing and sealing 1 km of new four-lane road
  
• $110,000 Cost of applying new overlay to the same stretch (year 15, or earlier if the preventative work has been neglected)
  
• $650,000 Cost of full reconstruction of road (year 20 if neglected; year 40 otherwise)

The cold, unforgiving Canadian winter is coming and these conditions will surely get worse. This doesn't look good, Toronto.