Who hold Jacobs, Suzuki, Layton, etc. as their heros and measure progress by how they can stop it whether it is opposing affordable housing because artists are more important, reneging on agreements with the private sector; ie: island bridge, Union Station, etc., giving union workers, in return for their votes, lifetime jobs, refusing to look at more effective ways of supplying services and the list goes on.
Toronto has met the enemy and it's Toronto
February 26, 2007
Christopher Hume
Mike Harris would be proud. There was a time when it was up to a heavy like the former Ontario premier to put Toronto in its place.
Now we do it to ourselves.
True, Toronto is the city the rest of Canada loves to hate, but who hates us more than we hate ourselves?
There was a small but revealing instance of that recently when word came that the civic government would spend $6 million to renovate City Hall. Specifically, the money was set aside to cover the cost of expanding the mayor's office and adding a committee room.
But judging from the response, you'd have thought the city had announced it would be stealing money from the mouths of hungry babes so the mayor could feed his overstuffed ego.
Municipal politicians led the chorus of outrage.
"How could he (Mayor David Miller) put this forward given the financial environment we're in?" huffed Case Ootes (Ward 29, Toronto-Danforth), right on cue.
And one can only imagine what poor old Rob Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) was thinking. This is a man whose (very successful) political career is based on his role as a tireless Toronto hater.
Of course, Ootes is right; the city is in a financial mess. But Ootes doesn't go the one step farther to wonder why. Neither do many of his Toronto-hating colleagues on city council. Nor do many Torontonians.
Instead, they prefer to believe the city is the author of its financial misfortunes, that we are unworthy.
If only it were so simple.
The truth is that Toronto has been systemically ripped off by the rest of the country and province for decades. We're the patsies of Confederation and, what's most remarkable, happy to be so.
And now we have internalized the deep and abiding dislike Canada feels for us.
As the Ooteses and Fords remind us, we are the unworthy rich who deserve to be poor. It would be wrong to spend money on ourselves. Our duty is to serve others, keep the federation intact, never mind our own needs.
So instead of demanding the provincial government pay its traditional share of, say, transit funding, or social services, or road maintenance, we blame ourselves because municipal services haven't kept pace with growth.
It's not their problem; it's ours. We're happy to go without so that Rainy River doesn't. We're thrilled to pay more so that Quebeckers won't have to, so that Maritimers have health care and Manitobans keep their highways in good repair. We're thrilled to send billions to Ottawa so it can pay off its debt.
Meanwhile, Toronto continues on its downward spiral.
And yet the Toronto CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) generates nearly 20 per cent of the country's GDP, or $263 billion. This is not an inconsiderable amount.
Still, we're full of fear and self-loathing.
Recently, for example, the city received a raft of new powers from Queen's Park, powers that allow the city to levy taxes, change its system of governance and control development.
How has the city responded? Well, in a word, it hasn't.
If the Ooteses, Fords and other elected city-haters on city council are offended by a simple reno project, just think what they would say about the city imposing road tolls, parking taxes, emission fees.
What in many municipalities – and countries – would be seen as a wise investment is seen in Toronto as mere profligacy.
Where do we get off?
Little wonder the civic infrastructure has decayed almost to the point of no return.
However, as the late Colin Vaughan observed, "All the work that the economists have done has indicated that the Canadian economy is not terribly important to Toronto any longer. It's the North American economy that's important."
In other words, the reality is that Canada needs Toronto more than Toronto needs Canada. Scary thought, but also empowering.
Meanwhile, today and tomorrow at the Metro Convention Centre, the third Toronto City Summit will unfold. Once again, a gathering of well-intentioned experts will tell a gathering of well-intentioned Torontonians what they already know, namely that we could – and should – be doing better.
No doubt about that. But first we must learn to stop hating and love the city.
chume@thestar.ca
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