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We have had over 30 mayoral debates so far, but discussed just two things: (1) The merits of a Ford in the mayor’s chair. (2) The merits of John Tory’s SmartTracks plan.

We have a month to go. Can we please hear the candidates’ views on other topics? A few suggestions:

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Jets at the Island Airport

This was the number one topic of the 2003 campaign. This time Olivia Chow says no jets, Doug Ford says yes to jets, Tory isn’t sure. Can we debate this please?

TTC backlog

We all like to focus on transit expansion, but the TTC has a gigantic capital budget that is not funded — $2.6B. Ms. Chow said she would put some money (saved by replacing a Scarborough subway with an LRT) towards TTC repairs, but it’s muddy.

Gardiner Expressway

Most everyone is lining up behind the “hybrid” model of tearing down part of the eastern Gardiner and realigning it. But none say how they will pay for it.

Police budget

David Soknacki made the cost of policing an issue. Now he’s gone. Mr. Tory did say the other day in a debate that he won’t be presiding over an administration that shrinks its police force. Mr. Ford has his own problems with police. Ms. Chow has said little.

Development

Can we really squeeze a condo tower on every street corner? Where do we walk our dogs? Should we raise development charges to pay for the infrastructure new arrivals will need?

Homelessness

We spend hundreds of millions of dollars sheltering our thousands of homeless people. No candidate has mentioned this massive industry in the election campaign.

The Waterfront

Aside from the kerfuffle over umbrellas and rocks, there hasn’t been much said recently about the future of Toronto’s waterfront, an ambitious project to completely remake the city’s southern face.