It Just Goes Up & Down Up & Down

If nothing else Toronto's financial woes might cut the legs off McGinty's dog and pony show but will still leave us with Comrade Miller for another few years.

City taxes roller-coaster ride goes on

By ROB GRANATSTEIN

The ups and downs of uploading and downloading continue on a vomit-inducing roller-coaster ride.

Follow along, won't you? A decade or so ago Premier Mike Harris hits every town and city across this province with the bill for social services -- promising not to let costs explode on the property tax bill. Oops. Massive drop.

If you believe Toronto Mayor David Miller, that downloading -- plus a little extra, everything from transit to court security -- cost city taxpayers $731 million in 2006. Start screaming.

But fear not, Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty said in 1997 and continues to reiterate to this day, those downloaded costs should not be nailed to the property tax bill. "Social programs, as a general rule, don't belong on property taxes," McGuinty said yesterday.

He's already picked up some ambulance costs and public health money. So here comes the taxpayer crusader to the rescue, again. In his announcement yesterday, McGuinty promised $935 million of help.

That's money to take the total cost of the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Drug Benefits for social assistance recipients. Alright! Smooth riding.

But wait. We're still strapped in to this wild ride. Why? Because while Toronto had hoped for $175 million for 2008, it will get just $38 million.

Little bucks won't help Premier pledges more money for cities, but Toronto's spending problem still leaves huge hole

By SUE-ANN LEVY

So let me get this straight.

It seems the provincial uploading of social services has at long last made its way on to the Queen's Park radar screen with Premier Dalton McGuinty pledging yesterday to take back at least some of the costs from all Ontario cities -- which means $200 million or so for Toronto over four years. The first $38 million to cover provincial disability and drug benefit payments would come to the city next year.

Only a hardened cynic would suggest that the Liberal epiphany was more due to the tight race to lead this province after the Oct. 10 election than any yen to help cities.

That said, when McGuinty tossed Ontario's cities a few bones yesterday -- during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa -- none of Mayor David Miller's lapdogs were there to hear about it.

His Blondness had long ago opted to sever all ties with AMO because he perceived Toronto far too important to negotiate with the rest of Ontario's cities.