December 14, 2009: This week we lost a great Torontonian and a great Canadian. Many are calling him the best mayor Toronto never had. His accomplishments are many, his range of interests and depth of engagement in these were outstanding. He made an art and a science out of problem-solving in a uniquely collective manner. He never took no for an answer; there was no problem that he could not imagine some way out of. But I think his greatest accomplishments were those that brought him into contact with people on the margins. He understood intuitively and completely that Toronto would never prosper if its newest residents did not have a share in that prosperity. He also understood that a city region as diverse as Toronto needed to go beyond celebrating diversity by making it part and parcel of our DNA.