Five of Mayor David Miller's most vocal opponents on council urged Toronto real-estate agents yesterday to keep up their campaign against a proposed land-transfer tax, outlining some last-ditch tactics as next week's crucial council vote draws near.
Speaking before about 250 agents at the annual general meeting of the Toronto Real Estate Board - which has lobbied hard against the land-transfer tax, and remains opposed to any compromise on the measure - Councillor Case Ootes listed a handful of councillors he said were wavering or undecided: Suzan Hall, Mark Grimes, Maria Augimeri, Anthony Perruzza, John Filion and Bill Saundercook.
"Those are the swing councillors that are going to make the difference," said Mr. Ootes (Ward 29 Toronto-Danforth). "... Call them whenever you can. Have your clients call them. And also if you can make it to city hall on Monday, pack that council chamber.
"It makes a difference."
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Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, the mayor's most prominent critic on council, gave the keynote address to the meeting, arguing that the taxes must be defeated because the mayor is mismanaging the city and the projected $413-million shortfall on its 2008 budget.
He also highlighted examples of what he called bad decision making, such as the recent move to purchase a theatre building for $1.2-million.
"David Miller is a nice guy," Mr. Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East) told the audience of real-estate agents. "The kind of guy you want as a neighbour. But he's not the kind of neighbour you want as a mayor."
He then participated in a panel discussion with fellow Miller critics Mike Del Grande (Ward 39 Scarborough-Agincourt), Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Mike Feldman (Ward 10 York Centre) and Mr. Ootes, taking previously videotaped questions from agents.
Mr. Feldman, a long-time North York politician and businessman who served as a deputy mayor under Mr. Miller in his first term, warned that the up-to-2-per-cent land-transfer tax could kill Toronto's booming real-estate market.
"There is a bubble," Mr. Feldman said. "And that bubble is very fragile. ... It could be burst by a transfer tax."
Mr. Feldman also suggested Toronto's financial problems are so severe the city should declare bankruptcy, as New York almost did in the 1970s.
"Maybe that's the route to go. We should go bankrupt like New York City, and then the feds and the province would have to bail us out," Mr. Feldman said.
After the meeting, Mr. Ootes responded to unusually strongly worded comments from the mayor, made at a community meeting on Wednesday night, when Mr. Miller accused his political opponents of telling a "fundamental lie" when insisting there was ample fat to be cut from city spending.
"If the mayor starts into name calling and starts calling people liars, I think he needs to look in the mirror," Mr. Ootes told reporters.
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