David Miller’s term in office as mayor was characterized, at least in part, by efforts made to combat climate change and make Toronto into a “green city.” There is now, for example, a green development standard, a green roof bylaw, a tower renewal program, new and more fuel-efficient streetcars and buses, and if a certain someone hadn’t gotten in the way, some new transit lines would already be up and running. But that was then, and Miller, after a brief hiatus, has jumped back into the environmental fray in a big way with World Wildlife Fund.
If you could give the city one present for Christmas, what would it be?
A hug.
Don’t you miss politics?
I loved being elected. I was elected for 16 years, involved in politics for over 20. It was a privilege, and I am very proud of my record of on the ground accomplishments. Every council meeting something groundbreaking was moving Toronto forward, whether it was on homelessness, transit or solving deep fiscal issues that started with amalgamation. But I was ready to go. My children had been born after I was first elected. They were entering high school and I’d almost never been home for dinner.
You’ve been out of the public eye for a couple of years. Why this step now?
This is a tremendous opportunity for me. I’ve stopped being mayor, but I can still make an impact, and one of the areas of considerable interest for me is environmental initiatives because they touch so many parts of our lives. They are also about social justice and about cities, and they are about solving problems.
How bad is it out there in terms of how our country is doing on the climate change front and the impact on our reputation internationally?
Extremely bad. I can appreciate it. I was at COP15 in Copenhagen, and I heard what people were saying on the ground. I’m not sure Canadians appreciate how negatively our government is perceived internationally, and I find it very sad. We could be a leader.
Climate change is tricky, but those storms this past summer seemed to indicate some of the costs associated with climate change.
One part of Toronto’s part of that is called the wet weather flow master plan. That program is costing a billion dollars. That’s almost a third of Toronto’s tax revenue in any given year. That’s a huge amount of money for this city, and that’s just one part of the response to the increasing frequency and severity of storms. So there is a very real on the ground impact right now in Canada, which is another reason why we should be leading.
What are some of your holiday traditions?
There are two things I love to do: one is to play shiny on a local outdoor rink. I’ve being doing it for a very long time, and I just love it. You never know who is going to show up. Second, on Christmas Day, I like to take a really long walk. It is so quiet in the city, and if it snowed, it can be so beautiful. From my house, I can walk through High Park down to the Humber and you really connect to nature.
