Where Do Your Tax $$$$ Go?

The city shells out millions for jobs like a 'fairness monitor.' It's our money, but guess who's never consulted?

By JOE WARMINGTON

Does $62,500 to hire a "fairness monitor" sound fair to Toronto taxpayers?
Or foul?
There is a stench to it as far as Councillor Rob Ford is concerned.
"It's a blatant waste of money," says Ford, who has provided a whole list of interesting expenditures -- $15 million worth -- highlighted in a document that shows City Hall handing cash out to dozens of consultants.
"We don't need a lot of it," says Ford.
There are a lot of things Toronto does not have but we now have a fairness monitor. Wonder who got that job? Do they have a degree in fairness? Should we allot more dollars to make sure the fairness monitor's hiring was a fair process?
Property One Consulting Inc. was given $62,500 to create a "fairness monitor for the City of Toronto affordable housing office with respect to the development at 110 Edward St."
NEED WHOLE TEAM
A tax fairness monitor might be more appropriate, but in Toronto we'd need a whole team.
The slogan for Toronto sometimes should be As Stupid As It Gets.
But unlike the snappy new As Gay As It Gets campaign, at a cost of $300,000 to the taxpayer, the city can have mine free of charge.
I often wonder if Mayor David Miller and his followers see us that way -- as stupid as it gets -- because they'd have to to dream up a new $350-million tax grab courtesy of doubled land-transfer taxes and an extra hit when registering your vehicle.
Only in Toronto could you get something like that through without riots in the streets.
And some people are pretty sure that with this council there will be no new grand waterfront at the end of it. There will be no new transit system or rapid train to Pearson or nothing introduced to fix the disgraceful commute.
There will probably be millions more, though, spent to establish more homeless shelters and drug rehab clinics. There will be lots of talk, lots of BS, lots of studies, lots of blame on other levels of government (all justified by the way) and in the end it will be a whole bunch of nothing.
One thing there will be a lot of is tax hikes.
The arrogant lefties love our money, and love even more to spend it -- not only on things we don't need but on things we never even thought of before.
'OUT OF CONTROL'
"It's out of control," Ford says. "It's spending for spending sake."
Ford gets snickered at every time he raises these issues but maybe now that we have a fairness monitor, he or she can get the mayor to at least consider some of these concerns.
"They don't seem to want to have a debate at City Hall," Ford says. "I call it Communist Hall. They don't care. It's not their money. They want to give jobs to their friends, I guess."
Perhaps its time for a grant to study where all our grants are.
"We are not even allowed to call them grants anymore," Ford says. "They want us to call them 'community investments.' "

So what are we investing in? So many things and so many millions!

How about the $41,684 to Consulting Matrix Inc. for a "hostel services funding review?"
Why not give the money straight to the panhandlers instead?

Some $6,150 went to Caryl Arundel and Associates to "develop and organize a protocol for focus groups and interviews ... and analyze data and write a report on the findings of the research."
Do we really need that?

A group called Office for Urbanism received $86,350 to "conduct a heritage study for Queen St. W. from University to Bathurst."
Shouldn't we just send these guys to the library?

There are other odd grants, too.
"For the provision of the services of a search consultant to assist in the recruitment of a City of Toronto lobbyist," $18,667 of your money went to Organization Consulting Ltd.

We had other searches. You paid $41,883 to Margaret Genovese as a "consulting fee for executive search for Executive Director for the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts."
'WORK WEEK SCHEDULE'
Strategic Division Ltd. was given $97,200 to "review compressed work week schedule."
Did we tender that contract? Could someone have done it for half?

Same goes for DVA Navian who for $142,248 was "hired to implement a review development plan" for the TTC with "responsibilities to include the analysis of current fundraising efforts."
Why didn't we just give the TTC the $142,000?

A firm called Ritchie, Ketcheson Hart and Bigart LL was given $26,044 on "defence of the waterfront plan."
Are they sure that's enough to defend that plan?

Then there's the $35,664 to Carters Professional Corporation for "legal services related to Corporate Governance and advice regarding Toronto Zoo and Foundation."
Here's some free advice for the zoo: Take away council's zoo passes and lower the admission price so regular families can afford to go more than once in a lifetime and you'll not need tax handouts.

My favourite? Lang Mitchell got $3,987 for "employee termination advice."

I wonder if that could apply to this mayor and many members of his council.
That might be a "community investment" I wouldn't complain about.