Politicians have painted the town red
Aug. 11
I'm relieved that Toronto will save money by cutting fat and frills, such as libraries, road repairs and other silly services. I'm sure we'd all hate to see any cutbacks to the essentials, such as councillor salaries, benefits and pensions, office budgets, grants to every group that comes along and generous compensation for union members.
Thank goodness Mayor David Miller and his pals won't have to suffer.
Ed Lenarcic, Toronto
City cuts quality of life
Aug. 11
There is something seriously wrong when, during a time of record profits and extreme wealth, we can't afford to build and maintain Toronto's infrastructure. There is something seriously wrong when we seek to solve our problems by impoverishing others. Temporary and full-time city employees did not cause the cash crisis. So who did?
Take a look in the mirror. We did and the tax-cutters we voted in did. Governments have been telling us some pretty boldfaced lies over the past decade. Remember the one about downloading? Wasn't that supposed to be "revenue neutral"? Remember the one about "tax cuts paying for themselves"? The promise of tax cuts was that "all boats would rise" in the booming economy. As we've seen, only the luxury liners are rising and everyone else is sinking in their wake.
Tax cuts and endless tax freezes have created this cash crisis. People forget that tax cuts for the working person were a smokescreen for big tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.
So now we're going to solve this crisis by slashing part-time jobs that the working poor need just to get by?
It is impossible to cut or freeze taxes indefinitely and still have a civil and just society. When you slash public-sector services or wages and benefits, or contract services out to low-wage contractors, all you get is hollowed-out cities. Take a look south of the border to see what happened when American cities went along this path.
Fair taxes and a healthy public sector have been very effective ways to spread the wealth, reduce huge gaps between the haves and have-nots, and reduce poverty and violence.
Paul Kahnert, CUPE Local One, Toronto
It's terrible and outrageous that city councillors voted to procrastinate on finding new sources of revenue and, like Samson, brought down the pantheon of services on their own heads. In July, they stared a $575 million monster in the face and ran away. Whether it's because they don't understand the seriousness of this number or because of pure cowardice, we cannot know. All we know is that they could have done something a month ago to avoid this and they didn't.
We need to bring in the land transfer tax, a liquor tax and congestion tolls on our commuter roads. And it's long past due that the province paid for police protection in courts, for social services, and its 70 per cent share of transit infrastructure and 50 per cent of transit operation – not just for Toronto but for every city from Kenora to Cornwall.
The world is in a race to build cities that will be the 21st century's economic powerhouses. Toronto council wants to fight election battles from the 1990s, and Queen's Park wants to run cities like it's 1889. It's time to look around the world for examples of livable cities and look ahead to our own future. It's time for council to have some courage and for Torontonians to speak loud and clear about the kind of city we want to build.
Will you stand by while they dismantle the TTC? Will you let the lobbyists speak louder than you? Or will you call your city councillors and give 'em heck?
David Dewees, Toronto
It is unfair to all of Toronto to amputate many good things, while we avoid deep-sixing costly and stupid capital projects that somehow remain sacrosanct. Proceeding with the Spadina subway extension – which only benefits a relatively tiny group of individuals and interests – while savaging the transit system is beyond foolish.
Similarly, the quarter-billion-dollar Front St. W. extension should be sunk, though we need to first think of converting it to an effective transit project or two in the tight waterfront corridor, as participation from the three levels of government in this road folly make it an ideal template for a good transit project, or even a couple of new GO trains.
A homeowner, faced with needing to eat and making mortgage payments, likely wouldn't keep planning to build a massive new driveway, nor would they keep setting aside large amounts of money for such follies, adding to already substantial sums.
Why do we persist in wanting to build costly subways to sprawl and a highway in the core, while amputating many things of far greater value to all of us?
Hamish Wilson, Toronto
These cuts to services are nothing short of tax blackmail on the citizens of this city.
Doretta Wilson, Toronto
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