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This is alarming. Google's Sidewalk Labs, which is developing a part of Toronto's waterfront into a heavily surveilled "smart city," also wants a cut of property taxes and other revenues that would normally go into public coffers. https://t.co/ibdC3XRZ6G
— ishmael n. daro (@iD4RO) February 15, 2019
Expanded vision is 30 times larger than Quayside, would require some property taxes to go to private corporation instead of the city. Leaked slides suggest weekly briefings with 3 levels of government @TorontoStar exclusive by @MarcoOved https://t.co/hkeoegugeS
— Irene Gentle (@IreneGentle) February 15, 2019
Hell of a lot of Chutzpah from Sidewalk Labs here. They’ve built basically nothing to date but a giant pile of negative press, but sure, ask to be responsible for even more waterfront land. https://t.co/55kiDP6Ifw
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) February 15, 2019
#Breaking The Star has learned Google's Sidewalk Labs is planning a massive expansion to its waterfront vision and wants a share of the property taxes, development fees and increased value of city land that would normally go to the city. #StarExclusive https://t.co/lsfY9GFveA
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) February 15, 2019
And this ... this here, this is a big problem:
— Bianca Wylie (@biancawylie) February 15, 2019
"One slide states there have been “weekly briefings with officials from the three levels of government,” and “regulatory dispensations,” have been drafted to allow the plan to go ahead."https://t.co/ITa8yU58us?
“Internal documents obtained by the Star show Sidewalk Labs plans to make the case that it is “entitled to … a share in the uptick in land value on the entire geography ... a share of developer charges and incremental tax revenue on all land.” https://t.co/T0f9zhFr8i
— Gus Papaioannou Realtor (@GusPapaioannou) February 15, 2019
I see Amazon apologists lining up, so here's the simple thing about both Amazon and Sidewalk Labs, just to pre-empt the same nonsense here.
— Bianca Wylie (@biancawylie) February 14, 2019
There is no economic development plan for Queens or for Toronto that makes anti-democratic process ok. Not one. Process is not for sale.
Google is a very innovative company, as can be seen here in their bold experiments in private government https://t.co/98NZKpZkHD
— Connor Wroe Southard (@ConnorSouthard) February 15, 2019
As a member of Waterfront Toronto’s Board & as the local Councillor for Quayside, let me be crystal clear: We have not received a proposed business plan from Sidewalk Labs. When we receive one, the City of Toronto will host a rigorous public debate on it. https://t.co/CGBkgEO7SW
— Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) February 15, 2019
Sidewalk has now shared their proposed strategy here, in considerable detail https://t.co/aE06NbyExJ
— Alex Bozikovic (@alexbozikovic) February 15, 2019
Our CEO @DanDoctoroff with an update on the @SidewalkToronto project - https://t.co/VdJHMKkNwl
— Sidewalk Labs (@sidewalklabs) February 15, 2019
I don’t really get this bit from Sidewalk CEO Dan Doctoroff’s letter either. The first phase of the Waterfront East LRT needs ~$1 B and a decision on the Union Station connection. It’s not like it’s a problem that can only be solved by digital wizardry. https://t.co/Zab5FUsJiP pic.twitter.com/boQ0RWrIeq
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) February 15, 2019
This is what happens when #Topoli gov't mantra is "Keep taxes low" https://t.co/8OdZKj8ON6 "We came to Toronto because we want to build great things and innovate in ways that improve urban life — and this is the only city in the world that" will let us. #Quayside as Trojan horse.
— Gerry Brown (@GerryBrown20) February 15, 2019
If you want to see Sidewalk's "The @TorontoStar Star Leaked Our Shitty NeoColonial Business Plan So Here's An Ass Covering Blog Post," that's here: https://t.co/0IEGDhNvFz
— Molly Sauter (@OddLetters) February 15, 2019
.@sidewalklabs CEO @DanDoctoroff chatting with @Loogan640 at @am640 about our latest plans on the eastern waterfront https://t.co/7Bx1IPJ5tY We are excited about this vision and hope Torontonians will be too. pic.twitter.com/5XWyQUiQcL
— Keerthana Rang (@keerthanarang) February 15, 2019
1/ The Sidewalk Labs Toronto idea is not yet a formal proposal to @WaterfrontTO as I understand it, though there have been meetings and possibly negotiations already? Lack of transparency troubling.
— Cameron MacLeod ???️????? (@c_9) February 15, 2019
Their blog: https://t.co/eLz7wjOQLt
Their presentation: https://t.co/MUf0ds6mNU
This post reads as an attempt to get ahead of the potential damage of this new story: https://t.co/7hzUVcTyfM - why is it so hard to grasp (or do they simply not care?) that it's secrecy and lack of transparency, the sense of backroom dealing, that is many's biggest problem here?
— Alan Harnum (@waharnum) February 15, 2019
Sidewalk Labs released this note due to the Toronto Star exclusive:https://t.co/KpP8GCHzcn
— N/A (@nasma_ahmed) February 15, 2019
As a member of Waterfront Toronto’s Board & as the local Councillor for Quayside, let me be crystal clear: We have not received a proposed business plan from Sidewalk Labs. When we receive one, the City of Toronto will host a rigorous public debate on it. https://t.co/CGBkgEO7SW
— Joe Cressy (@joe_cressy) February 15, 2019
It never was just a test project.
— Charlie Angus NDP (@CharlieAngusNDP) February 15, 2019
This was a backroom deal with @JustinTrudeau and @google @sidewalklabs to turn over the richest real estate in the country to a massive US corporation.
Toronto is getting used. https://t.co/1UntZCbf30.
So Google wants our data AND our taxes? ? #TOpoli https://t.co/HTzokn6kfV
— Chiara Padovani (@chipadovani) February 15, 2019
#Breaking The Star has learned Google's Sidewalk Labs is planning a massive expansion to its waterfront vision and wants a share of the property taxes, development fees and increased value of city land that would normally go to the city. #StarExclusive https://t.co/lsfY9GFveA
— TorontoStar (@TorontoStar) February 15, 2019
Sidewalk Labs wants you to talk about the plan in this story. That's falling into their PR spin cycle.
— Bianca Wylie (@biancawylie) February 15, 2019
The story about this project is about anti-democratic process, power, and money. This is a fiasco and an insult. Shut it down. https://t.co/ITa8yU58us?
Hell of a lot of Chutzpah from Sidewalk Labs here. They’ve built basically nothing to date but a giant pile of negative press, but sure, ask to be responsible for even more waterfront land. https://t.co/55kiDP6Ifw
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) February 15, 2019
Sidewalk wants a share of Toronto's property taxes, development fees, and increased land value in exchange for its services as middle man, data, hoover, and infrastructure bank. Helluva scoop from the @TorontoStar https://t.co/EhfDIAUyJB
— Molly Sauter (@OddLetters) February 15, 2019
Expanded vision is 30 times larger than Quayside, would require some property taxes to go to private corporation instead of the city. Leaked slides suggest weekly briefings with 3 levels of government @TorontoStar exclusive by @MarcoOved https://t.co/hkeoegugeS
— Irene Gentle (@IreneGentle) February 15, 2019
There aren’t enough lawyers in Toronto to review this deal. Sidewalk Labs want a share in development charges and taxes in exchange for building infrastructure. https://t.co/RfSP66Ekey pic.twitter.com/MMDt7z43Ol
— Robert Ruggiero (@robert_ruggiero) February 15, 2019
@Google controls the world's information. Now they want to control a huge part of #Toronto, AND they want a cut of public tax revenues! Are residents supposed to opt out of the city? Who is in charge? Is this #democracy?#topoli #cdnpolihttps://t.co/qy4HZBGLLf
— FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting ● Les AMIS (@friendscb) February 15, 2019
If Toronto stops polluting Don River & inner harbour every time it rains or melts - Port Lands will thrive. Google’s Sidewalk Lab is just a tech savvy landlord in waiting. #swimdrinkfish https://t.co/1FnqFS06FH
— Mark Mattson (@waterkeepermark) February 15, 2019
There is a lot to unpack here https://t.co/IhsfeDCB5y
— Jennifer Pagliaro (@jpags) February 15, 2019
Suspicions confirmed. Sidewalk Labs really wants control of Toronto’s PortLands: Sidewalk Labs plans massive expansion to waterfront vision | The Star https://t.co/YTocIGRBnE
— Paula Fletcher (@PaulaFletcherTO) February 15, 2019
SCOOP: Leaked slides show Google plans to expand its Toronto waterfront project to the entire Port Lands, and it wants a piece of public tax revenues in exchange. #quayside #TOPoli #ONpoli #cdnpoli https://t.co/ghHlOytcXF
— Marco Chown Oved (@MarcoOved) February 15, 2019
If Toronto City Council agrees to the transfer of public assets and tax revenue to Sidewalk Labs (a sanctioned corporate theft of public goods), every single resident in the city should demand the resignation of EVERY Councillor and the Mayor. #TOpoli https://t.co/XbutiaIIN8
— Fuad (@fuad_on) February 15, 2019
"The presentation raises questions about the transparency of the waterfront planning process as it appears Google’s sister company is already having talks with public officials about lands beyond what they’ve been publicly invited to plan for." https://t.co/ITa8yU58us?
— Bianca Wylie (@biancawylie) February 15, 2019
Big news from the Star re: Sidewalk Labs, whose ambitions are not small. https://t.co/adSqr9vpNX
— John Michael McGrath (@jm_mcgrath) February 15, 2019
ProBeat: Tech company expansions need to be less arrogant and more transparent https://t.co/OUvUtTmdxN #Business pic.twitter.com/BmCUFYBdst
— Evan Kirstel at #HIMSS19 (@evankirstel) February 15, 2019