About Ari

47 years old

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

After graduating from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, Ari began his legal career in corporate litigation before moving on to criminal law. He opened his own practice in 2006, and has since represented a number of high-profile clients as a public defender.

Ari Goldkind opposes the Toronto Island Airport expansion.^[1]

Gardiner Expressway

If elected, Goldkind has proposed turning the Gardiner into a four-season urban park, with trees, grass, walkways and cycle paths on a roof over the existing road.^[1]

Auto Congestion

Goldkind has proposed introducing tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and DVP to pay for on-going maintenance, road congestion and traffic infrastructure improvements throughout the city. He would also look to integrate smart-city technology that organizes and improves the way cars, buses and trucks flow through the city.^[1]

If elected, Goldkind would cancel the proposed subway plan and move forward with the fully funded 7-stop LRT extension into Scarborough.^[1]

Goldkind supports the construction of the Toronto Relief Line (TRL), a downtown relief subway line. Under his plan, the city’s share would be paid for through new and existing taxes.^[1]

Transit

If elected, Goldkind would reinstate the Vehicle Registration Fee to provide a new revenue source for the TTC. He has stated that by "deprioritizing the car" and looking towards transit, walking and cycling as principal modes of transit, the city will become easier for all forms of transportation.^[1]

If elected, Goldkind promises to build at least one new "transformative" green space per term through community collaboration and consultation.

Culture

If elected, Goldkind proposes to use sources like hotel levies and a higher billboard tax to increase the city's per capita arts & culture funding to $75.^[2]

Cycling

Goldkind has committed to a ‘Minimum Grid' of 100 km of protected bike lanes and 100 km of bicycle boulevards by 2018. If elected, he has promised to build physically separated cycling lanes on Yonge and Bloor streets, as well as convert one side of parking lanes on Dundas and College into dedicated bicycle lanes.^[3]

No specific policy has been suggested in the party's current platform.

After School Programs

Goldkind has promised to implement $10 per day childcare for children from low-income families under the age of 10 by 2017. He would also make fees for after-school and recreation programs "voluntary".^[4]

Public Housing

Goldkind has stated there is a need for the creation of "incentives" for developers to construct low income residential units. He has not released any specific initiatives as of yet.^[5]

If elected, Goldkind would raise property taxes in a "fair and measured way" to help fund the expansion of the city’s transit system.^[1]

Goldkind would raise the Land Transfer Tax on homes over $1.1 million.^[1]

Small Businesses

No specific policy has been suggested in the party's current platform.

Goldkind vows to promote Toronto as a world centre for high-tech, manufacturing and service industries in an effort to create new jobs.^[1]

Goldkind supports the creation of a $16 an hour “living wage” instead of a minimum wage for employees of businesses that wish to work with the city.^[6]