Toronto Tax Revolt
Mister Anchovy salutes Suzan Hall, for her motion to defer the Miller tax hikes until after the provincial elections in the fall to put pressure on provincial candidates to upload social services money. To quote Royson James in the Star, "Council's mushy middle collapsed arund Miller, likely because they have never been wooed and made to feel a part of the action at city hall".
Now there is time for some second thought, and some creative proposals on the cost side.
For those readers not from Toronto, please bear with me, as I list the councillors and their votes.
Councillors who voted yes to Ms. Hall's motion:
Brian Ashton, Maria Augimeri, Mike Del Grande, Mike Feldman, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Suzan Hall, Doug Holyday, Cliff Jenkins, Chin Lee, Peter Milczn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata, Case Ootes, Cesar Palacia, John Parker, Anthony Peruzza, Bill Saundercook, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson and Michael Walker.
Councillors who voted no:
Paul Ainslie, Sandra Bussin, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Frank di Giorgio, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Adam Giambrone, Adrian Heaps, Norm Kelly, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Pam McConnell, Joe Mihevc, Mayor Miller, Howard Moscoe, Joe Pantalone, Gord Perks, Kyle Rae, and Adam Vaughan.
Politicos out there will have noted that Brian Ashton, from Mayor Miller's Executive Council - voted yes. He will likely be turfed from the Miller camp for his disobedience to the king. It was a brave move.
7 comments:
Taxes down here have been a political platform too, from local to the top. There is a move about to dismantle the IRS and institute something called the Fair Tax Act. That scares me. No use going from bad to worse. We'll see what happens. Perhaps people are tired of being taxed and not seeing the benefits from taxes?
Now Miller turns to cost-cutting.
What are you going to suggest for Miller to do?
I hope some folks come up with good creative ideas for helping the city keep it's employees and ship shape.
I would suggst instead of cutting the hours of seasonal workers...that Miller ask the pliticians and people who make more than 100,000 a year to donate...it will be an option...to donate 5000 dollars each family unit that makes more than 100,000.
I also suggest carbon taxes for the entire city.
Then, Miller should organize a mass buying of solar panels for cheap...and sell them to residents...much like the compost containers available...then with the money saved by having solar subsidy...people could donate that money saved just ONCE (so that for the rest of the coming years...they benefit from savings) to help the city balance their budget.
I also suggest...that Miller open a phone book...randomly pick thirty names and request that those peopel go through in groups of ten...so three groups...go through all the city's budget and make the cuts. NOT A POLITICIAN MAKING THE CUTS...but rather thirty random folks...
What are you going to suggest for Miller to do?
It is clear in my mind, since the MFP computer scandal, that the business processes at city hall need some work. I think they need to take a shot at finding some of the waste and saving money that way. That doesn't mean going crazy and stopping all reasonable spending. My problem with Miller's approach is that he came out and said look we need these taxes and if we don't get them, we're going to have to raise property taxes by 18%. I don't think it is so clear cut as an either/or scenerio. We need to spend some money, and we need to invest in the future for sure. Miller is right about that. However, it is pretty bad timing to be dropping $1M+ on fixing up the mayor's office at the same time as trying to raise taxes.
All I'm suggesting is that before we raise the taxes, we should take an honest look around for waste. I expect the characters who administrate the city to do that on an ongoing basis. But the MFP enquiry showed the city to be negligent with our money in a really serious way. Now the onus is on our politicians to show us they are being more fiscally responsible.
Recently I wrote about the protests around the narrowing of Lansdowne. Maybe the city should back off spending all this cash in areas where the residents don't want the money spent. How much is that project costing?
Last year, councillors received a pay hike that I read today was 9%. That's way better than most industry. I read that 17 councillors have come forward and said they are willing to give some back. Bravo for these good-hearted people....but I don't think we have to take any wild action.....just start auditing how the city is doing business, looking for better ways.
I hope that Miller isn't going to take the approach that if he can't have his taxes, he's going to cut everything (take his ball and bat and go home?).
Well, wasn't it actually Miller who confronted and faced the scandal of MFP enquiry?
I was relieved that someone decided to hold those fuckwads Lastman and Harris accountable...?
But I absolutely agree withe verything you say...unfortunately it was really stupid of Lastman to increase the taxes of peopel who live downtown to equal the folks who live in suburbs...everybody knows the burbs should pay more taxes seeing as they come downtown to drive and walk...but no urban folks fgo to the burbs to drive and walk.
Miller could straighten that out by increasing the taxes of the burbs as I said in my last comment.
Of course there shouldn't be any reno work to the mayor OR ANY POLITICIAN...they are the last people who should even have any office space, their office spaces should be outside in cafes and walkign around and sending people on errands. A mayor doesn't NEED an office nevermind renovations.
But people are stupid.
Anyways, I agree with your ideas. I just had some to add...heh heh...
Who exactly has been held accountable for the computer scandal? Who's been arrested? Who's been tried? A couple people got some very bad press.
Many of the same councillors who were in office at the time are still there. Mr. Miller had a broom and was going to sweep away corruption, but really, the money is gone and nobody is accountable.
Howard Moscoe with NDP MPP Paul Ferriera want to raise rents on all tenants no matter how poor with a new tax scheme disguised as licensing!
This new tax would bring in tens of millions of dollars in new money to the government out of the pockets of tenants who are usually tenants because they don't have the income of property owners.
I wonder how many poor tenants will support the NDP over this?
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/251850
MPP wants to license landlords
August 31, 2007
Carol Goar
From the street, it didn't look like a bad building. The windows weren't broken. The balconies weren't corroded. The property wasn't an eyesore.
But inside, the signs of neglect were obvious. There were mould spots on the walls, exposed pipes with loose insulation hanging from the ceiling and drywall that didn't quite cover the water-damaged plaster. The lock on nearly every apartment door was broken. The stairwells smelled.
"I've seen it worse," said Paul Ferreira, MPP for York South-Weston.
The rookie New Democrat, who won his seat in a by-election last February, brings skeptics to this apartment block to convince them that Ontario needs a landlord licensing system.
He is not a welcome visitor at 1775 Weston Rd. He was once forcibly removed from the premises.
But he keeps going back, knocking on doors, asking tenants if their pipes are fixed, their appliances are working and their kids are safe.
Some tenants are afraid to answer. Some reel off lists of complaints.
Some are resigned to the bugs, the break-ins and the general state of disrepair.
On a recent visit, a young mother with a 1-year-old girl in her arms said she had to put the baby's dresser out on the balcony to keep the cockroaches from crawling all over her clothes.
A 74-year-old man who'd lived in the building for 30 years said it was a nice facility in the beginning. Then the owner sold it. Now it's been through a string of absentee owners, including the current landlord, Vincenzo Barrasso of Montreal. "You get the leaks, the water stains all over the place and the mice," he said. "I just grin and bear it. It's kinda late to change addresses."
A teenager who'd lived there with her mother for 13 years said the worst thing was to get up in the morning and have no water.
Ferreira doesn't claim his licensing scheme would solve all of these problems. But it would give tenants protection against negligent landlords.
Under his proposal, the province would set minimum health and safety standards for all multi-unit residential buildings. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing would enforce these standards.
Landlords of buildings with more than 10 living units would be required to obtain licences. Those who violated the terms of their licences would face substantial fines.
As Ferreira envisions it, apartments would post colour-coded certificates in their lobbies – much the way restaurants in Toronto now do – displaying the results of their latest inspection. "This way, a tenant looking for accommodation would be able to make an informed choice."
Last spring, he put forward a private member's bill, calling on the government to establish such a program. It was defeated 23 to 8.
The Liberals said there was no need for provincial involvement. "Municipalities have the power and the authority to set up this kind of licensing system now, if they want to do so," pointed out Housing Minister John Gerretsen.
Ferreira acknowledges that this is true. But having the power to act is of little use without the resources to run the program, he contends.
The Conservatives said licensing landlords would drive up rents and penalize responsible apartment owners.
"It will mean more red tape and higher costs," warned housing critic Ernie Hardeman.
Ferreira tested this argument on his constituents. He asked tenants in dozens of buildings whether they'd be prepared to pay an extra $2 to $5 a month to live in a clean, well-maintained apartment. The vast majority said yes.
If he is re-elected this fall, the 34-year-old New Democrat will redouble his efforts to get landlords licensed.
He's seen too many buildings like 1775 Weston Rd. to believe that municipal bylaws or market forces will solve the problem.
From now until Oct. 10, Ferreira is urging fellow candidates to take a close look at the apartments they visit, then ask themselves how they'd like to call these places home.
Post a Comment