Canadians are stuck in gridlock. Here's why congestion tolls can get things moving.
Driving in Toronto has officially become a nightmare: construction projects everywhere, gridlock, blocked intersections. I don't take my car downtown. When I do drive, I avoid rush hour at all costs. According to a recent index by the digital mapping company TomTom, Toronto now has the worst traffic in North America, ahead of Mexico City, New York and even Los Angeles. Vancouver isn’t far behind, and congestion in other major Canadian cities, like Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and their suburbs, has spiked since 2022. We need new solutions for our quickly growing cities: bigger fines for illegally parked drivers, levies for builders who block lanes and better public transportation. Reece Martin, a Toronto-based transit analyst, makes a strong case in Maclean’sfor another potentially transformative solution: congestion pricing. Martin argues that Canadians will be less inclined to drive into a crowded area if they know they'll be charged. These tolls can also generate money that could be invested in transit infrastructure. There are other benefits too–less pollution and speedier deliveries if trucks can move faster. But can any politician generate the enthusiasm for this idea to make it happen? Martin’s case is compelling. Maybe now’s the time. —Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief |
Before Jaeden Izik-Dzurko could read, he would listen to his parents reciting The Remarkable Farkle McBride, a book about a child prodigy who tries out every instrument in the orchestra. By five, he had settled in front of the piano, and in 2017, he was accepted to Juilliard for a bachelor of music degree—a long shot, he thought, due to his small-pond beginnings in Salmon Arm, B.C. Now, at 25, he’s one of Canada’s most exciting classical music talents. |
Diana Beresford-Kroeger was orphaned young, bouncing around southern Ireland to stay with extended family who taught her about ancient Celtic plant medicine. After collecting a few degrees—including two Ph.D.s in biology and biochemistry—she gained international recognition as a champion for the world’s forests, doing for trees, some argue, what Jane Goodall did for chimps. In this interview, she chats with Maclean’s editor Katie Underwood about saving the trees and living the simple life from her home in rural Merrickville, Ontario. |
Canada is one of the world’s hottest destinations for travellers who want to see climate-threatened places before they’re gone. But is the rush to visit glaciers and polar bears accelerating their decline? Read Christopher Lemieux’s feature on last-chance tourism from our November issue. |
|
|
Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved SJC Media, 15 Benton Road, Toronto, ON M6M 3G2 You are receiving this message from St. Joseph Communications because you have given us permission to send you editorial features Unsubscribe |
|
|
|
