This is a trailer (4:52) for “Playing with Democracy”, a video documentary of the Gomberg for Mayor campaign in Toronto, 2000. The video is a no budget production by Kelly Reinhardt of Boiling Frog in Toronto.
Who is Tooker Gomberg?
“Tooker Gomberg is a visionary…
an activist who puts principle into practice!”
Elizabeth May, Executive Director, Sierra Club of Canada“Tooker Gomberg — One of Toronto’s Top Ten Activists”
Now Magazine, Jan. 6-12, 2000
Tooker Gomberg is a freelance writer and works part time for the City of Toronto with the City’s worm composting program. Recently, Tooker worked with Greenpeace as national Climate Change and Energy campaigner. He is well versed in issues of urban health and sustainability, including transportation, city design, energy conservation, solar/wind energy, and waste management. Tooker Gomberg has travelled extensively, and has a passion for cities that work.
While serving as Edmonton City Councillor from 1992-1995 Tooker:
- saved the city $300 million dollars by spearheading water conservation instead of plant expansion.
- consistently fought transit cuts.
- helped clean up the river by tightening up the city’s Sewers Use Bylaw.
- worked to secure North America’s largest composting plant, ensuring that Edmonton now reduces its residential waste stream by 70%.
- received top marks from Arts Vote for consistently supporting the arts.
- fought for safer residential streets through more crosswalks and action on speeding traffic
The Campaign: What’s it about?
It’s about a better Toronto. Can you imagine a toronto where…
- people don’t have to live in cardboard boxes?
- our kids don’t have to use inhalers to breathe?
- we compost and recycle our garbage instead of dumping it on Northerners who don’t want it?
- TTC is quick, far-reaching and accessible?
- we can safely swim in Lake Ontario?
- we create employment and wealth by protecting the environment?
- cyclists abound in safe bicycle lanes?
The Tooker Gomberg for Mayor Campaign aims to electrify this municipal election with chutzpah, creativity, passion, and intelligent, cogent insights on what Toronto could be.
We’ll be talking about problems and solutions. About smog and about homelessness. About the Olympics and about the police. Green taxes and garbage. The TTC, and the sorry state of Lake Ontario.
It will be a campaign about trees and about cyclists; about sustainable jobs and about small business; about the arts and about tenants rights.
Let’s discuss the income gap and urban agriculture. Pesticides and solar energy. Public utilities and unions. Youth. Gay rights. Racism. Car traffic. And much more.
In other words: justice, ecology and democracy will be the currency of this campaign. And just as importantly, we aim to have a blast doing it.
Let’s have parties that celebrate the musicians in our community, and hold rallies in the streets. Let’s laugh and eat and sing and dance together as we change the world right here in our city.
Welcome to the campaign! Our webpage is under development. In the coming weeks, we’ll be plugging in platform planks and our positions on various issues.
We’ll be inviting you to events. We’ll be posting our press releases and news coverage. Every day we’ll be updating our website, so bookmark it and check it regularly. We welcome your feedback and your input. Please Join Us!
What are the issues?
Over the next two months, leading up to election day on Nov. 13, we will be unveiling our platform planks on the issues. Every few days we will announce to the public, through this website, via email, and through the media, our campaign position on an issue of importance to the city.
We will highlight what the problem is, what the opportunities are, and what needs to be done.
Our perspective will be global: what have other cities done? What works? And our solutions will be practical, popular, and affordable.
Platform
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Province of Toronto’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Energy’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Water’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Olympics’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Garbage’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Women’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Recreation’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Smog’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Democracy’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Youth’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Arts’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Polcing’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Poverty’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Pesticides’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Housing and the Homeless’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Food in the City’ platform plank
- The Gomberg for Mayor ‘Transportation’ platform plank
News Releases
- August / September
- Gomberg to run for Mayor’s seat
- Smoggy, toxic air: Where’s the Mayor?
- Gomberg campaign to reach critical mass today
- Gomberg challenges Lastman to debate Adams Mine
- October
- Gomberg to inaugurate alternative “garbage train”
- Gomberg to give Lastman a compost bin
- Last(man) out of touch
- On nomination day, Gomberg delivers a blanket to Mayor’s office
- For World Food Day, Gomberg breaks bread
- Activist elections: Just do it!
- Debate me, Mr. Lastman!
- Gomberg throws Lastman the gauntlet
- Gomberg to join picket of pro Adams Mine Candidates
- Gomberg team heading straight for the top (of the CN Tower)
- Tent city established at City Hall
- Suzuki and Naomi Klein Endorse Gomberg campaign
- Democracy withers as Collenette, Lastman and Ootes avoid debate
- Playing with (coal) fire: The toxic view from Lakeview
- Gomberg burns $200 cheque, and promises to freeze taxes
- Frankenfoods party at Loblaws
- Robin Hood rides to City Hall
- Robin Hood launches debate at the Stock Exchange
- Police trick or treat?
- November
- Opening the doors to City Hall
- Gomberg to unveil Arts platform plank
- Transportation platform to be released in the street during guaranteed bike lane
- On a streetcar named “New Toronto”, green book for the mega city to be released
- Gomberg declares the Princess Margaret Shelter open
- Concerned citizens open the old Princess Margaret Hospital
- Let there be light
- Good bye, Queen’s Park
- Gomberg breathes for healthy air and clean water
- Gomberg to release Olympics platform at Lastman HQ
- Today Gomberg votes for change
- Gomberg to unveil garbage platform at Lastman HQ
- Gomberg to unveil platform plank on women
- Public recreation for a healthy citizenry
- Students speak out — With or Without Mr. Lastman
Letters to the editor
- Letter to the editor, Suzan Murphy, Montreal
- Letter to the editor, Mark Grieveson, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail
- Letter to the editor, Jacob Allderdice (2), Globe and Mail
- Letter to the editor, Jacob Allderdice (1), Globe and Mail
- Letter to the editor, Chris Winter, Toronto Star
- Letter to the editor, Kevin Devitt, Toronto Star
- Letter to the editor, Tooker Gomberg, Toronto Star
- Letter to the editor, Anne Hansen, Toronto Star
- Letter to the editor, Ruth Cohen, Eye Magazine
Articles
- Portrait of a Tooker Gomberg disciple, Dave Carpenter, Toronto Observer
- Tooker Gomberg and the politics of garbage, Silver Donald Cameron, Halifax Sunday Herald
- Submitted to the Toronto Star, Daryll Newbury
- Letter about debate, Rob Grand
- Letter to the editor, Anne Hansen, Globe and Mail
- Letter to the editor, Anne Hansen, Toronto Star
- Article: Lastman becomes a bit player in his own show, National Post
- A response to Eye Magazine’s media column, Davis Mirza
- Is Global in cahoots with Mel? Kay Hubley
- Change in Selma, Alabama, Ocean Robbins
- Article: Bread, not garbage: Candidate fights hunger, Adams Mine, Sharon Lem, Toronto Sun
- Mayoral candidate says “enough” to Lastman’s garbage, Tooker Gomberg, Independent Weekly
- Gomberg trying to make it a real race, Bill Taylor, Toronto Star
- Garbage foes to invade T.O., Alan Cairns, Toronto Sun
- Dumping garbage in a hole? The plan just stinks, Michele Lansberg, Toronto Star
- Garbage seen as way to unseat Lastman allies, James Rusk, Globe and Mail
- Critics trash city recycling plans, Paul Maloney, Toronto Star
- Cyclists’ best feet forward as they pedal their beliefs, Jon Anderson, Chicago Tribune
- It’s only garbage if you throw it away, Tooker Gomberg, Globe and Mail
Endorsements
Video and print
- long list of videos http://www.greenspiration.org/elections/Election01/video/video.html
Campaign Thoughts
- 11 short videos
Campaign Photos – make slideshow