The latest report card on the health of Toronto shows disturbing and growing cracks in Canada's largest city which, if not addressed soon, could have a dramatic impact on our social, economic and environmental well-being for decades to come.
The sixth annual Vital Signs report by the Toronto Community Foundation is telling in its numbers.
While the 905 region saw a 27.6 per cent increase in jobs from 2000-06, the city lost 1.6 per cent of its jobs. While the 905 region saw its population grow by 9.2 per cent in the five years up to 2006, Toronto's grew by only 0.9 per cent, far less than forecast.
In the city, the gap between the richest 10 per cent of families and the bottom 10 per cent is widening; child poverty is rising; public school enrolment has dropped by 6.6 per cent in five years; young people and new immigrants are finding it hard to live in the region where the average price of a house has risen 78 per cent in the past decade.
At the same time the infrastructure is aging and the city is in more debt with fewer reserves to deal with it than ever.
Still, there are some encouraging signs. Crime, including violent crime, is down. We are healthier than in the past, use public transit more often, recycle more waste and our beaches are cleaner.
To reverse this slide, action is clearly needed on many fronts, especially by the federal and provincial governments to make this city more livable for all its residents. That action plan should include more affordable housing, more child care, decent benefits for the disabled, and an Employment Insurance scheme that covers all workers.
All three major parties in the Ontario election have pledged to help Toronto, with more money for public transit and social housing.
In the wake of the federal government's announcement last week that it now has a $13.8 billion budget surplus, Prime Minister Stephen Harper should act on calls by Mayor David Miller and others to give one percentage point of the GST to Canada's major cities to help them repair roads, replace sewers and build affordable housing.
We ignore the warning signs of our troubled city at our peril.
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