Why the election stakes are high
Benjamin Shingler looks at the issues in the municipal election, singling out housing as the top problem afflicting the city.
One phrase in this piece bugs me, because it isn’t otherwise written as an opinion piece. See what you think:
Their dividing lines are shaping up to be much the same as last time around, in 2017, when Plante beat out Coderre on a promise to boost funding for public transit, increase social housing and improve the city’s network of bike paths.
Coderre has promised a more balanced, business-friendly approach to help the city out of the pandemic.
Shingler doesn’t explain why he thinks Coderre’s ideas are “more balanced” and it seems like a sly attempt to make the old mayor seem more like a stable, sensible choice. Which I don’t think he is, at all, but then I’m allowed to have opinions on a blog.
DeWolf 09:27 on 2021-10-04 Permalink
It’s an analysis piece so a certain amount of editorializing is inevitable. But that definitely seems like a turn of phrase ripped out of Coderre’s campaign material. Balanced how?
Kevin 09:40 on 2021-10-04 Permalink
The key words in that sentence are “has promised”.
Shingler uses the same phraseology a few sentences later in reference to Mouvement Montreal: The unlikely partners *have promised* a more community-based approach to politics, and policies aimed at addressing the shortage of affordable housing.
Kate 10:49 on 2021-10-04 Permalink
Maybe, but it’s difficult to discern in context in whose judgement the platform is more balanced – Coderre’s or Shingler’s.
Joey 11:14 on 2021-10-04 Permalink
Shingler is comparing concrete plans from Plante’s last campaign (money for transit, housing, etc.) with Coderre’s vague plans for his governing style – moderate, business-friendly. Not a particularly illuminating piece of writing (disclosure: I didn’t click through and only read what was excerpted). Compare plans with plans and attitudes with attitudes, but don’t mix the two.
david277 03:46 on 2021-10-05 Permalink
I think that the implication in re housing is obvious and clear on the first read: Coderre will let people build, and PM won’t. PM’s growth-killing inclusionary zoning mandate is basically a pall-bearer’s kiss, but since everyone rushed their projects through before it was implemented (with PM’s blessing, btw, so it wouldn’t be an electoral issue), there’s not obvious effect yet. This is right, and PM just has no excuse here, they’ve just blown it and been pulled somewhere they tried to resist going because they know it’s dumb, but have a very dumb activist base to keep happy.
But on the second and more charitable read, what this opinionator is saying more broadly is that PM has driven through a lot of pretty controversial stuff, if you’re some old guy in the suburbs. And a lot of it was great and transformative.
The correct plan is both massive increase in density, and the massive increase in street animation, walkability/bikeability, etc. – it’s a false choice to say one much pick between the two.