Toronto slashes $83 million
Before Mayor Miller proposed tax increases, it wasn't so obvious that the city was facing a budget crunch. After all, plans were afoot to spend millions beautifying City Hall (and the Mayor's office), construction was well under way to create a St. Clair Ave. TTC right-of-way (a plan many residents oppose), and construction was under way to narrow Lansdowne Ave (another controversial plan - whatever prompted that silly idea....including the now aborted plan to chop down 35 year old trees?).... So now the city faces cut-backs in service, library closures on Sundays, community centre closures on Mondays. As near as I can tell though, the St. Clair and Lansdowne projects are still under way. The City Hall project has apparently been shelved.
Royson James, from the Toronto Star: "We've just gone through a civic election where little of this was contemplated or debated. Every year, the city budget has progressed in a manner designed to create insomnia and lead to the impression that there will always be a saviour and a bailout, so don't worry.
And now – boom!"
I think it's time we pay a lot more attention to what the mayor and our city councillors are up to.
3 comments:
Attending the meetings can be fun and informative. I do think we all ought to start going and start holding these guys accountable. I was just reading a book recommended by Candy Minx - the artist even ran for mayor!
I know it would take determination of steel to stay on these guys (politicos) but they sure seem to lose touch with the ordinary person - if they were ever in touch.
vox said....
i should think that if accountability and good governance are positive attributes that we expect from those we elect to govern us, perhaps we ought to erect the odd guillitine in the places where these folks gather; just as a friendly sort of reminder that they only have the power they do so long as it pleases us.
hmmm. vox, the guillotine might be a trifle extreme, although elections haven't worked for getting some of these clowns out of office.
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