Toronto is at a tipping point.
Families across the city are swimming upstream against a cost of living that just keeps climbing, even though most people’s paycheques aren’t. And the city is struggling with crumbling infrastructure, inadequate transit, and roads completely clogged with cars.
This situation didn’t come out of nowhere.
Starting in the ’90s, the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris made drastic cuts to municipal funding, including stripping away critical transit operation funding in 1998. For 13 years, the Liberal government has refused to restore it. Those cuts have left social housing across the city crumbling, and families struggling to find affordable, safe child care.
Twenty years of cutting, and downloading the price tag for things such as transit onto the city have left Toronto desperately in need of funds, but out of revenue options, leading City Council to consider tolls that I believe would only make life harder for many GTHA residents already struggling to get by.
We can do something about this.
Investing in our cities is a practical way to make life more affordable for everyday Ontarians, without depending on unfair user fees and flat taxes. Great cities and communities aren’t built through cuts — they are built through collaboration and co-operation between the province, the federal government, and local government.
Mayor Tory hit the nail on the head in his recent letter to Premier Wynne, saying “it can no longer be business as usual because the status quo leaves Toronto taxpayers footing the bills that the province should be paying.”
It is the duty of a provincial government to respond to the pressing needs of cities and municipalities now, not just when it’s politically convenient. To me, that duty means all levels of government coming back to the table and investing in our shared future.
Federal and provincial governments have the ability to raise revenues through an array of progressive tax measures, as well as the ability to shift priorities. Many of these same options are not available to cities. The Ontario government’s priority should be helping to build a world class transit system for Toronto, not competing with the state of Alabama for the lowest combined corporate tax rate.
Here’s my plan for a fair deal that makes life a little more affordable for everyone.
We need to protect and restore affordable municipal child care spaces. Investing $50 million would bring subsidies back to 2010 levels. But this investment alone is not enough. I believe the province has a role to play in making high-quality, not-for-profit child-care accessible to all Ontarians
The province should commit to providing an equitable one-third split on affordable housing, alongside the federal government and the city, so the Toronto Community Housing Corporation can make more affordable housing options available to families, and make necessary repairs to existing affordable homes.
And the province should restore the Toronto Transit Commision’s operating cost subsidies. That would put over $330 million back in to Toronto’s transit system, which is more than the estimated revenue from the proposed road tolls, and nearly double the new gas tax funding being offered by the Wynne Liberals.
I believe in a fair, affordable Toronto where everyone can participate, and I know I’m not alone in this vision. That’s why I’m meeting with Mayor John Tory today, and will meet with other municipal leaders across the province going forward. It’s time to talk about how we can, and should, make life more affordable for everyone by investing in city services.
The time has come for the province to start showing real leadership when it comes to investing in our cities. All levels of government need to come together to undo the harm done by years of cuts and downloading, and start building a future we can all be proud of.
Andrea Horwath is the leader of Ontario’s New Democratic Party.
Andrea Horwath is the leader of Ontario’s New Democratic Party.
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