Toronto reveals terrible state of city finances after Ontario budget cuts
Many institutions in the province are still recovering from a seemingly-endless series of cuts by the provincial PCs, and the City of Toronto is one of them.
The municipal government seems to be struggling to get its finances in order following the severe budget (and personnel) cuts to city council by Doug Ford last year.
With services like Public Health, Tourism Toronto, safe injection sites, and much, much more being cut, the city is not in a good way.
The city manager, in a memo to council members this morning, has spelled out how the provincial budget cuts create a $177.65 million gap in Toronto’s budget *this year* pic.twitter.com/5H1yjh7aZG
— Jennifer Pagliaro (@jpags) May 9, 2019
According to the city manager, the 2019 Ontario Budget is putting severe pressure on Toronto's ability to work within its own budgeted parameters. Cuts to child care and public health, the city says, are threatening Toronto's prosperity.
Our City Manager, a professional public servant, has outlined the significant impact of the province's retroactive cuts on this year's budget. The report clearly states that the 2019 Ontario budget creates a pressure on the City of Toronto's budget of $177.65 million.
— John Tory (@JohnTory) May 9, 2019
This news comes from a statement from the mayor, that also says he is willing to sit down with the province in a productive manner to try to fix some of the funding shortfalls.
We also learned that the province has eliminated a cost of living allowance increase for our paramedics – a vital part of the first responders we rely on to keep our city safe and help people when they need it most. This amounts to a $3.85 million cut to @TorontoMedics budget.
— John Tory (@JohnTory) May 9, 2019
The statement also includes an announcement that the province has cut living allowances for paramedics—a cut of about $3.85 million.
According to information from the city and province, the cuts could amount to anywhere between $89 and at least $146 million.
This morning, Toronto City Manager, Chris Murray, issued this memo to the Mayor and members of City Council on the 2019 Ontario
— Brad Ross (@bradrossTO) May 9, 2019
Budget announcements and impacts to the City. https://t.co/xb2SvParxE
As a result, the city may consider a property tax increase to pay for vital services. NDP leader Andrea Horwath suggests adding a line that says "here's your Ford tax increase" to the bottom of the tax bills in Toronto next year.
However, Mayor Tory believes he can help discuss the issue with the province and make it reconsider some of the cuts.
Only time will tell how that plays out.
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