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TTC proposes fare hike, subway shut-down

JEFF GRAY

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 5:02 PM EDT 19/07/07

The defeat of Toronto Mayor's tax plan means drastic funding cuts are pending for the TTC, with the Sheppard line in jeopardy and a 25-cent fare hike on the cards ...Read the full article

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  1. Tor Sandberg from Toronto, Canada writes: This is what happens when media cowtows the line of the Real Estate Board and the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation (funded by whom, I might ask).

    Many people support an extra fee on car registration. Ontario has one of the lowest registration costs in the western world. Cars equal pollution -- it's a no brainer to add an extra fee that would inevitably end up helping to fund public transit.

    The extra tax on real estate would not have affected most Torontonians, except for those with already the money to buy a home, so I can't see why councillors would have voted against it.

    Now, we're going to see social services cut, which inevitably ends up hurting the poor in this city more than anyone else.

    Shame on all the councillors who voted against these new taxes, but even more shame on the province and the federal government for not funding Toronto adequately.
  2. Two Cents from Toronto, Canada writes: I swear, this city is just so badly managed!!
  3. M Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: I have never before heard so much fear mongering from a politician. It is as if the city is going to cease to exist. I would understand if EVERYTHING the city paid for was a necessity but its a joke. What about the increase in councilor salaries from 87,000 to 95,000? I understand it is not going to solve a 500 million dollar defecit but if you are able to stop spending smaller amounts they can add up.

    The city should be held responsible for their budget like any company. Unfortunately you cannot always get what you want - something our Mayor Mr. Miller has never had to deal with. What they need to do is cut programs that will least effect the poor such as administration expenses. Unfortunately, our Mayor isn't capable of running a town let alone a city.

    I had quite a laugh when I saw the Globe and Mail front page with the picture of David Miller wearing his cuff links and looking like he was going to cry and have a temper tantrum for not getting his own way.
  4. Don Bryant from Calgary, Canada writes: So, if Calgary or Halifax or Winnipeg decides to raise its transit fares, will the G & M feel that that's important enough news to blare as a headline across the rest of the country? Or is it only because this is Toronto - aka. the Centre of the Universe - that the fare increase is considered to be earth-shattering news?
  5. Larfing Outloud from Canada writes: Yes, that's right. Don't stop the distribution of crack pipes and needles around the city...shut down transit services.

    Toronto deserves what it gets.
  6. Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: Ok has everyone forgot the big promise of transit investment made a few months ago by the Provincial Liberals? So all the expansion plans are out the window now?
  7. Asterix M from Canada writes: It cost 1 Billion$ to build the Shappard line.

    Only 40,000 people use it per day

    And they want to shut it down to save 10 Million$ a year.

    Who decided to built this stupid line anyways?

    Is this city run by a bunch of monkeys..............................
  8. Guillaume Afleck from Happy Town, Canada writes: Oh gosh a whole quarter more per trip how drastic!

    Toronto - Pay your own bills.
    Charge people what services cost to deliver and 80% of your municipal problems will be solved.
  9. M Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: Tor Sandberg.. Its people like you that do not understand that MAYBE just MAYBE the city is NOT being managed properly and that is why we are having a defecit. There are alot of other cities (although not as big as Toronto) that are able to post surpluses. Why can NOBODY ever take responsability for their actions?

    David Miller is the one who campaigned to receive 1% of the GST... Ontario has one of the highest PST's in the province, why not campaign for a stake in that? Maybe Miller isn't the mayor he once seemed to be..
    Maybe he is human after all and hasn't been running the city effectively?
  10. free thinker (you get what you pay for) from Canada writes: Toronto is not a Third World city. Are we as Canadians so lame that we are willing to accept a REDUCTION in public transit in the country's most important city with all that this implies in terms of lost productivity and air pollution? Really quite pathetic. Our cities' infrastructure is vital to economic sustainability and productivity, it doesn't take a PhD in economics to realise this.
  11. al woodward from Canada writes: They can sart by cutting the proposed hiring of 10 bylaw enforcement officers to police the parks for dogwalkers I heard about today and then move on to investigate why the city needs so many frigging municipal politicians in the first place and all the expenses that go along with them!!! Go ahead and cut and let's see how essential all of these services really are.
  12. Broken Record from Victoria, B.C., Canada writes: Canada's slide into stagnation and irrelevance is nowhere more evident than in the once-great city of Toronto. But lest ye in the ROC start feeling smug just wait, the entropy will spread. Our constitutionally-enforced and endless funding impasse is only now hitting larger centres whose needs in a modern world were ignored by those who created the constitution. Because Toronto is our largest city it hit there first.
    Meanwhile, the rest of the world moves on and we are left in a bureaucratic pothole choking on the dust. If any of you are interested in seeing what other countries, even the U.S. are doing for rail transit, which really is the way to go even if our governments are still wedded to the rubber tyre, check out www.railpictures.net for a good look at how others are doing it. Then look at the pictures from Canada and ask yourself what is really the Third World?
  13. Confucious Smith from Toronto, Canada writes: Tor Sandberg from Toronto, Canada writes: '...Many people support an extra fee on car registration.'

    What are you smoking, Tor?
    Even 74% of the loony readers at the Toronto Star are against these taxes.
  14. Stephen Bond from Toronto, Canada writes: This is potentially one of the more backward ideas that have come to my attention recently. In order to see how subway and public transit promotes development of high density relatively high cost housing which strongly contributes to the tax base of Toronto one only needs to look at the “downtown west” phenomena that has taken hold around the Kipling subway station which I am certain pays for the cost of the subway station and then some in property taxes. The reality is that by mothballing portions of the subway station development will be impeded and therefore tax growth will also be impeded. There has to be a better solution for solving the cities financial woes then a counterproductive transit cut. One such way would be to move towards more equitable property taxation, currently the property tax rates on single family homes are less than half those on condominiums or town homes. Considering that not only are higher density dwellings more economical from the cities point of view but also that they tend to be held by the less affluent of society, it seems both a step toward greater social equity and more prudent city fiscal policy to at least begin to address harmonizing discrepancy rather then attempting to make tax grabs in less politically sensitive areas such as land transfer.
  15. Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: What never ceases to amaze me is how Toronto has twice a week garbage pick up. Out here in 905 land, it's done once a week and by a contracted out waste management company. I don't think the current City Council and fair haired mayor has the political will to take on CUPE with contracting out.

    I would also look at public-private partnerships with the running of the TTC

    Oh yeah, property taxes are higher out here for residential than in Toronto.
  16. D I from Toronto, Canada writes: Maybe someone can explain to me how City Hall can give themselves a raise, of about 10%, knowing all the while there was a serious budget crisis? How do you run an operation like that? Oh wait, they're socialists, when you don't have enough money just tax more..problem fixed! Oh and don't forget how council decided to turn down a proposal to cut their free golf passes, dinners, coffees and free zoo tickets...because apparently those things are necessities! Yeah right!

    And why should such a small proportion of people (houses buyers) for forced to ante up for the good of the whole City? How does that makes sense? And I take transit everyday and have dramaticlly scaled back my car use...what's the point because I'm going to get dinged for another $60 a year anyways....midaswell gas up and drive!

    Mr. Miller needs to explain how he's added about 20% to the City's spending in 4 years....20%!!!! The commies are one sick breed!
  17. david pollack from Toronto, writes: Tor Sandberg, it is people such as yourself who vote in incompetent idiots such as Miller and McGuinty. How dare you support a land transfer tax increase!!!! Do you realize that this city has too many overpaid employees, the councillors gave themselves A 25% WAGE INCREASE and are crying that they have no money. Business 101 states if you are short of funds (which the city claims) you DO NOT GIVE YOURSELF A 25% WAGE INCREASE and then cry. Miller should be put in jail for fraud!!!
    He did not campaign on any of these platforms, nothing was even mentioned. Now his crony friend who heads the TTC is threatening us. This is another section of the city whose salaries are wayyyyy higher than required, mispends money and has no concept of budgets. Take the St. Clair situation as an example. If the city is poor, why the hell did they spend millions on redoing St. Clair?? Complete stupidity.
    I cannot wait until the next city election and Miller knocking on my door. Will he hear an earful...
    Tor Sandberg, do us all a favour, in any future elections (any election), please stay home. People such as yourself have ruined my city and my province!
  18. free thinker (you get what you pay for) from Canada writes: Another thing, the next 'fiscal imbalance' will be between provincial and federal governments vs cities. Does it make any sense that the federal govt is swimming in surpluses while cities such as Montreal and Toronto are in need of massive investment in infrastructure and community services? People's quality of life and economic prosperity are more directly linked to urban/municipal issues than anything else. It's about time cities get a larger share of their residents' tax payments. Without efficient and well managed cities, this country is going nowhere.
  19. carol c from Tronna, ON, Canada writes: If this fare increase goes through I believe TTC fares have doubled within the past 10 years. Doubled, and they still don't have enough money to run the system? I would very much like someone to explain to me why service has deteriorated and they still don't have enough money to run the system?

    I realize there have been cuts from various levels of government, but this still makes little sense.
  20. Jane P from Toronto, Canada writes: The city can't balance its budget because of provincial downloading. It constantly sickens me to always hear people blame the municipal government for not being able to balance the budget. Maybe Miller should just cut things to the bone and give Torontonians what they asked for. I'm willing to bet the same people who whine about municipal misspending will be the first ones to whine when their garbage doesn't get picked up, or their car hits a pothole.
  21. Confucious Smith from Toronto, Canada writes: Yea, that's rich.
    Shut down the Sheppard line to save $10m.
    Actually I would love it if he did. Might be the only way to get voters to finally boot this goofball out of office.

    Toronto does not have revenue problem.
    It has a spending problem and a serious lack of priorities.

    Oh, and it also has a lack of leadership.
  22. The One and Only True PRAGMATIC PUNDIT Not those Phony Lefty Hacks who pretend to be me. from Canada writes:

    Miller is our very own Kim Jong. This is his game of socialist brinkmanship. You keep voting for these socialist weenies Toronto - you get what you deserve. Suffer.
  23. J G from Whitby, Canada writes: Close Sheppard and build a new one through industrial land to a university for a Billion $. Oh that is right, much of the new one is funded by the rest of Canada and creates local jobs to build then it too can be shut down. Toronto has more employees as a % of population thatn any major city in North America with one of the highest average wages. And npw put more cars on the road. So much for Miller's envrionmental crap. Why did you zombies vote for him?
  24. Dave Jansen from Canada writes: Guillaume Afleck from Happy Town, Canada writes: Toronto - Pay your own bills.

    Nice take on the situation Gayllaume. Toronto residents and businesses make a net contribution of about $11 billion to the provincial and federal coffers. For those of you who have difficulty understanding this, it means that it pays out $11 billion more in taxes than it receives in services.

    If toronto just got back just 3.3% of this money, there wouldn't be a need to raise taxes. Torontonians deserve the same level of service as any other urban dweller in the rest of Canada. Coincidentally this is just like the residents of Calgary who realize they are subsidizing the ROC while cutting their services and limiting their potential as a city.

    Facts before rhetoric. Not too hard a concept is it?
  25. Richard Daystrom from Toronto, Canada writes: al woodward from Canada writes: They can sart by cutting the proposed hiring of 10 bylaw enforcement officers to police the parks for dogwalkers I heard about today and then move on to investigate why the city needs so many frigging municipal politicians in the first place and all the expenses that go along with them!!! Go ahead and cut and let's see how essential all of these services really

    Agreed! The bylaw officers they have now are skulking around Withrow Park waiting to catch anyone with their dogs offleash at 7 am when there's NO ONE ELSE BUT dog owners in the park. Yeah off leash labs are a greater threat than flying bullets and dope dealers in a certain part of town that shall remain nameless. On top of hiring these guys, they want to give them special constable status. Just what we need, more failed cops on a power trip.

    And kudos to the councilors who voted against cutting their own salaries! Idiots.
  26. ALASTAIR JAMES BERRY from Nanaimo BC CANADA, Canada writes:
    This suggestion may sound far out, but I would scrap all fares on transit services. The world is changing fast and to keep it's status Toronto should change tactics. Fund transit out of taxes. Sure and some people will b!tch and moan but the city will become far wealthier over all and people will flock in to enjoy living in the city centre which will 'densify' to a very considerable degree actually putting less pressure on the present suburbanization which is threatening all farm land within 100 mile radius ot the TD Centre.
  27. E Campbell from Chicago, United States writes: As a Toronto resident for most of my life, and someone who lives in Chicago now, I have to say...it could be worse. Here, the transit system is decrepit - busses rarely show up on time, and some days, the 'El', our mostly elevated subway, hardly moves. From where I live to downtown, it is supposed to take about 20 minutes, but rarely takes less than 35 - 40. Stops in the middle of nowhere are almost as frequent as those at stations.

    The proposal here: raise fares from the current $1.75 to as much as $3.50 at rush hour. At the same time, they want to cancel service on two subway lines, as well as over 60 bus routes.

    Cutting the Sheppard Subway line, with low ridership anyway, and $0.25 fare raises doesn't sound so bad anymore, does it.
  28. Big Silver from Canada writes: If Miller had any good options he would have taken them long ago. But hopefully this will keep him focused on something productive instead of dithering away on 'issues' like the high-flow flushing menace.
  29. David N from Toronto, Canada writes: M Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: There are alot of other cities (although not as big as Toronto) that are able to post surpluses. Why can NOBODY ever take responsability for their actions? It is an unfortunate fact of history that the Harris Tory government downloaded responsibility for income support programs (which they presumably did to all Ontario municipalities) onto municipalities and it is also true that they removed provincial funding for the TTC (leaving it at that time as the only major North American city not receiving state or provincial funding for public transit). It is also an historical fact that the Harris/Eves Torys left the Ontario budget in a big mess when they left office ($5 billion/p.a. deficit when they claimed the budget was balanced). Add to this a slowing manufacturing sector due to a rapidly rising Canadian dollar (which means lower tax revenues) and we can perhaps see why Mr McGuinty (or whoever may replace hm this fall) does not have much in the way of provincial funds to help out. Now, you correctly point out that other municipalities are managing to avoid deficits. Why? One reason is that the provincial downloading has hit Toronto much harder because the drug addicts and immigrants needing ESL and other support programs tend to flock to big cities rather than the prettier (and much whiter I might add) suburbs and small towns. Having said all this, there is probaby scope for some service rationalization, but who will want the jobs if they don't pay enough to even have a hope at buying a house?
  30. al isinwonderland from Canada writes: So its user pay! Whats the problem. I am tired of the people who already pay their municipal taxes having to pay for everything!
  31. Michele K from Ottawa, Canada writes: Yow, and I thought Ottawa had a bad mayor in Bob Chiarelli - he, too, was all in favour of grabbing taxing power, screaming that we didn't have enough to run basic services, but there was still plenty of money for $5 million footbridges, a city theatre (right down the road from an underused federal facility), free crackpipes, a light rail system going from nowhere to nowhere and subsidies for every conceivable special interest in the city.

    Thank goodness the Ontario government said 'no' to Ottawa's bid for greater municipal taxing power. It's not that I don't agree with free thinker's point about underfunded lower levels of government, while the feds swim in cash, but there's only one taxpayer, so best they work it out between themselves rather than coming back for more.
  32. Dave Jansen from Canada writes: Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: What never ceases to amaze me is how Toronto has twice a week garbage pick up.

    Twice a week garbage pick up? That's news to me and probably every other Toronto resident. Which part of town are you in?

    http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/single/calendars/index.htm

    No wonder people get the idea that Toronto wastes money left and right - they think these rumors are actually true.
  33. Canuck NBer from Toronto, Canada writes: I live in Toronto and I own a car. I would be perfectly willing to pay an additional fee on my registration and $60 doesn't seem too out of line to me. It is of little consequence that my car stays parked 6 days out of 7, on average, as I take the TTC to work (and not downtown but to the York region) because I have made choices to not add to the problem of overcrowding on our roadways.

    My concern, however, is that it appears to me that a large portion (maybe a majority) of the vehicle movement in Toronto is done by people that do not live in Toronto. I think the city should be considering ways to increase revenue from the population who chooses to live in the surrounding region but then either takes advantage of the resources offered by the city or works in the city. I don't believe the burden should lie disproportionately with those of us who choose to live in the city. I personally like what New York has done in collecting a fee for entering the city. I think this would distribute the tax burden more fairly.
  34. Cynthia C from Toronto, Canada writes: Who's with me with a 'Loonies for Toronto' fund?
  35. Mister Tobacco from Toronto, Canada writes: Outrageous. Global warming is harming this planet and what do the city managers do? Cut transit. What sort of leadership is this? The TTC and its proponents have so few visionaries to inspire leading by example -- and the very first cuts made are to a crucial service that reduces pollution. Where is the political will to challenge the flawed idea that drivers of personal vehicles take priority over those using transit or on fixed incomes? Where is the DVP toll tax? Where are increased taxes for the downtown office towers that waste hydro at night? If this is meant as a message for David Miller then the councillors who voted for it should be ashamed of once again kicking those on lower incomes or those trying to make good for Mother Earth in the interest of political games.
  36. val tonik from toronto, Canada writes: TTC seems to be an ever-crying baby. Give them a billion, next week you'll hear-'not enough, we are close to a bankruptcy'. I am tired of hearing that. Will it EVER end? Now the city is threatening us. No new taxes? Ok. We will not be fixing any roads, we'll shut down TTC, we will stop cleaning up the trash, the only thing we will not stop doing is hiring more people for useless positions and successfully mismanage the funds. Where all the money go? All the condo development licenses for instances? Do we see ANY benefits? We pay almost 50% taxes. Where are the benefits? At the very least give us a decent transit system so we can go to work, get paid and pay taxes. Ridiculous. Miller and his gang needs to be kicked out the office.
  37. J M from Calgaristan, Canada writes: That's what you get for not voting for the winning party in federal elections. Don't worry Toronto you'll do much better under Dion. At least you're better off than Calgary which has no subway system at all.
  38. Tyler Phillips from Vancouver, writes: Don Bryant from Calgary, Canada writes: So, if Calgary or Halifax or Winnipeg decides to raise its transit fares, will the G & M feel that that's important enough news to blare as a headline across the rest of the country? Or is it only because this is Toronto - aka. the Centre of the Universe - that the fare increase is considered to be earth-shattering news?

    The news was featured on the main page, it wasn't the main headline. Big deal, get over it. I don't complain about seeing endless news about Conrad Black.

    At least the Toronto news directly affects the lives of over 3 million Canadians. Can you say the same for most other articles featured on the main page?
  39. bruce reid from Toronto, Canada writes: Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: What never ceases to amaze me is how Toronto has twice a week garbage pick up....

    Bi-weekly garbage pick-up means every two weeks, Bill. Not twice a week. Just thought you'd like to know.
  40. admore inches from Toronto, Canada writes: Tor Sandbags, you and comrade Miller are what is wrong with this once great city.

    I wouldn't trust Miller to run a hot dog cart outside the ACC, let alone the city of Toronto.

    Miller finally realizes, finally, that he should be getting his own house in order before begging for hand - outs.

    Toronto is getting jobbed, as Dave Jansen correctly points out, but Miller needs to be fiscally responsible and cut back.
  41. Confucious Smith from Toronto, Canada writes: David N from Toronto, Canada writes: '...the Harris/Eves Torys left the Ontario budget in a big mess when they left office ($5 billion/p.a. deficit when they claimed the budget was balanced)...downloading...'

    Get off the Harris rant. Harris was gone nearly 2 years before McGuinty; the deficit was Eves' mess.

    And as Mississauga proves (and continues to prove), downloading was not the problem. Poor leadership and poor decisions were. Just stop making excuses for Miller.
  42. Two Cents from Toronto, Canada writes: Toronto should layoff a bunch of politicians. That should take care of the budget deficit. The city would save a lot of money from the politicians' salaries and lower the graft and corruption in the city (thus saving even more money).
  43. Mtl Quebec from Canada writes: Why this news is in the ``National`` section. Canada ex. Ontario do not care about the struggling GTA and waste-money mayor Miller.
    Vancouver's new subway line will be ready soon.
    Montreal's new subway line just started a few months ago.
    In Toronto, they are talking about not constructing the new Sheppard Line. wow ! Guess which city is the worst?
  44. Kyle Hall from Toronto, Canada writes: Perhaps if we didn't have a government system designed to have cities fail we would not be in this position. The federal and provincial governments accumulate their income through a variety of sources: personal income tax, import taxes (federal), GST, PST(if applicable). Whereas as cities (not just Toronto, this applies to all cities), rely solely on property taxes to provide their services.

    This isn't a Toronto only problem, this is a problem for all Canadian cities. Cities are the life-line that feed the economy and need to be invested in. Cities in other countries apply their own tax to goods sold in their cities (not to say I agree with this), but it at least provides a way for the cities to raise money on their own instead of essentially waiting for hand-outs from the other levels of government.

    Instead of flaming the city of Toronto for this issue, everyone should be asking why we've had this systemic lack of funding for cities for decades now. It is coming to front here in Toronto first because of the size of the city, but it's only a matter of time before other cities start to feel the burden.
  45. John Arthur from Ontario, Canada writes: So, the other shoe has dropped. If Miller couldn't get it voted in, he's trying to scare it in. He's more transparent than a Jellyfish. Well Toronto, you get what you vote for, and the loony left is going to stick it to you, just like your Liberals stick it to the rest of Ontario. Thanks for voting for them. Not. Try wallowing in your own misery for a while. In the end, you'll probably get an undeserved bail out as usual, but you won't have learned anything. God help us if you succeed in an Olympic bid.
  46. R W from St C, Canada writes: I heartily agree with an earlier poster. I moved to St. Catharines from Toronto about 20 years ago and even back then St. Catharines had garbage collection only once a week. About six or seven years ago they implemented restrictions on the amount of garbage as well...well in advance of Toronto's implementation of same.....Toronto should be a leader in this department but it is not.
  47. Jack F from Toronto, Canada writes: A couple of points:
    1) They won't shut down the Sheppard line. A Hong Kong kajillionaire is putting up a bunch of condo towers at Bayview and Sheppard right on that subway line. If they shut down that line it would be extremely shortsighted. By doing that they would also shut down future high-density development (read more property taxes) along that line in favour of single family dwellings.
    2) Here's the thing about the proposed land transfer tax that I don't understand: why charge up to $4000 in additional land transfer tax on house purchases, which is a relatively small tax base, when you can increase property taxes by significantly less, say $100/property, across every property owner in the city, a exponentially larger tax base. I think this would have a much better chance of passing. I think the additional land transfer tax will have a significant impact on property values as people won't want to incur the costs of purchasing, thereby drying up demand, especially among first time home buyers who can barely scrape together enough downpayment as it is.
  48. Vincent Muambi from Mississauga, Canada writes: This is what happens when you elect people who don't know the difference between taking a short cut or cutting short. Look at Montreal, she doesn't have a lousy deficit nor does she have to worry about shutting down a part of her own subways. They have more lines, more subway stops, more access to busing within the Greater Montreal Area than the whole of Toronto does and yet we can't even afford to pay for our services despite the fact that Montreal financially doesn't pan up to what Toront can make on a yearly basis. What a shame Toronto.

    What a shame.
  49. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    Meanwhile the City is sending people door to door to enforce dog and cat licenses.
  50. Stephen Bond from Toronto, Canada writes: David N. A quality Post however you forgot perhaps the most important difference between Toronto and most other municipalities in Ontario, Every day well in excess of a hundred thousand people who pay property tax to the government of Mississauga descend on Toronto and use our cities services, primarily roads but many other services as well. There is no simple solution to this problem as it is a symptom of the obscenely strong economy which exists in the core of Toronto powered primarily by the financial services industry. However this reality serves only to combine the many difficulties associated with the administration and funding of services in a large urban center.
  51. Jane P from Toronto, Canada writes: Wow. Judging by a lot of these comments, it's quite true that most Canadians are united in their hatred for Toronto.
  52. Tyler Phillips from Vancouver, writes: Confucious Smith:
    I agree that the Harris rant is tired. However, comparing Mississauga's situation to that of Toronto isn't completely accurate. Mississauga has been capable of much more growth simply because of available land. Additionally, they've been able to benefit from the North American trend of urban sprawl.

    I'm not saying Miller is right, and I don't think Toronto is run as well as it could be. However Toronto attracts a different set of problems and costs simply because of its size and age.
  53. Canadian Pothead from Kensington Market, Canada writes: Embarrassing to live in the city today- What a major annoyance these people who fail to understand transit are. The time is now- Mayor Miller, legalize and tax the sale of cannabis here in the city of Toronto to fund an expanded cross-GTA transit system. The decision to cut the TTC is shameful. Other than surface advertising, why aren't the TTC movers and shakers doing more to redevelop subway stations with housing and other 'network grid' sensibilities? Why can't I refill an MP3 player up at a TTC vending station? Why are the vendors limited to plastic-wrapped junk foods? Where are the services for WiFI gamers? Fire every member of the TTC who has anything to do with communicating with city council because they have failed at the most basic of urban planning tasks. Mayor, use the MJ profits to build this place.
  54. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: From a rural resident: Get rid of the unions and therefore reduce the wages of the OVERPAID government and quassi government workers -police, firemen, teachers, hospital workers in many cases making more than the young labourers, even the road cleaners, whatever. The people in the rural areas have to support a provincial government who spends most of its money in the big urban centres and most of what we get is garbage. There is a great divide right now between the urban and the rural and the rural is getting fed up to the teeth of all the benefits for the 'poor children of Toronto who must have their swimming pools, beautiful parks, free this, free that'. Well, the people in rural areas don't even have bicycles in most cases, no proper transit, no swimming pools, no proper medical facilities without travelling miles if you have a car and, if you don't, you are out of luck. Wake up, Toronto, the Provincial Government is using money from the rural residents to support your high living! We even had $7 million taken out our of MUNICIPAL TAXES UNILATERALLY to donate to the local hospital. Figure that!
  55. Jane P from Toronto, Canada writes: BTW, Davies, dog and cat licences are a source of revenue for the city. That's why they send people door to door to collect.
  56. Guillaume Afleck from Happy Town, Canada writes: jansen - you might possibly be making progress - now to be consistent residents of Toronto must advocate for and elect Federal and Provincial governments - elecyted because they will charge lower tax rates. You will still need to charge your reisdents what municipal services cost to deliver because thats both sane and makes sure that the service levels are actually what people want and not distorted by subsidy. But peopel will ahve more money in hand to pay for their services.

    I can't wait to see you advocate smaller Federal and Provincial governments jansen!!
  57. Adrian C from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada writes: How about cuting the salaries for all the employees the city has ?
    Anytime I get to chat with someone working for the city I get so angry hearing how much money they make and for what amount of work.
    I would not be able to keep my job for more than a week with the skills and the attitude I hear from some of the city employees, in special those in the IT department.
    Here where I work, in a private company, if we don't make the plan there's job losses and the work gets assigned to whoever is still left.

    Why not do the same in your court mayor Miller ?
    I want to see some serious reduction in money spent by the city, salaries, perks, other, we all know there's plenty to save.
  58. Gideon Goldshlager from Canada writes: I didn't even know we had a Shepperd line.

    Of course provincial dowloading is partially to blame but so is this inept, corrupt city council. Pay increases for themselves? How about Moronic Miller proposing to give wine and cigarettes to people in shelters? How about the fact that they paid 3-times the market rate for that new shelter downtown in the middle of the entertainment district? This city has become baffling and I can't wait to leave.

    I agree with the poster who suggested tolling the QEW and the 400 to make the 705ers and 905ers pay for what they actually use.

    To the lunatic who said Toronto has twice a week garbage pickup- you got that backwards- it's once every two weeks. And your property taxes are higher in suburbia because your infrastructure isn't 80 years old, you get more services and have better transit.
  59. Brett Tremblay from Canada writes: Dave Jansen, you hit the nail on the head. And since T.O. has more people than some provinces, maybe we should go after a slice of the equalization pie for ourselves. After all, isn't equalization intended to ensure that everyone gets the same level of service and so shouldn't Toronto be able to afford the same transit as Calgary or Montreal? We can't unrealistically hike our property taxes, especially since we're already taxed out, but (and I cringe when I have to take his side) Miller's proposed taxes were good. The land-transfer tax simply added back the 1% that Harper's GST cut took off the sale of those properties. And, Confuscious Smith, the Toronto Star readers opposed the automotive tax because they're mainly 905-based suburbanites who fear that any car-based taxes will eventually spread out their way and affect their ability to use Toronto's roads without paying a cent for the privilege. (The 416-suburbanites opposed the tax because they won't support any proposal that helps the city as a whole instead of just their fiefdom -- such as paying a tax to maintain a subway with more stations downtown than out their way.) All in all, though, it boils down to the fact that we have cowardly, selfish, useless, bickering local pols who are so afraid to do anything that might affect anyone (esp the unions) and so we'll never fix this mess on our own. Another possibility that we might want to consider, therefore, is claiming bankruptcy and putting the administration directly in the hands of the feds (just like the territories do). The feds aren't great administrators from a beaurocratic sense, but they've got to be better than the clowns we have now.
  60. Andrew James from Toronto, Canada writes: Somebody said 'it could be worse', comparing TTC to Chicago 'decrepit' public transit. Thank God there's always an American city to make fun, so Torontonians can feel proud of their marvellous transportation, medicare, etc. But, why not looking to Europe? Enjoy this link
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid_Metro
  61. joe 6 pk from vanc uk, Canada writes: miller.................

    get your hands out of my pockets...................

    miller get your hands off the sheppard subway...............

    whatever happen to the green way using public transit that exists........

    miller the joke...................

    lay off - miller................
  62. Michael Enright from Toronto, Canada writes: There’s an easier way – stop paying for the provincial programs. It’s easy. Take one program, such as the Ontario Disability and Drug Benefit program, which costs the city roughly $125-million, and refer them to the province for help (it’s a provincially delivered program). Although I share a lot of the negative sentiments towards the Miller administration, there is no way that the city of Toronto should be paying 36% of its operating budget on provincial mandated expenditures. In every other province in Canada, social assistance and housing costs are paid at the provincial level, but Ontario has this perverse notion that somehow property taxes can support these programs.
  63. Michael Sharp from The Salish Sea, Canada writes:

    I liked the Kim Il Jong analogy.

    Perhaps if Miller had a nuke he could threaten to use it, say on Mississaugua, if he didn't get more money.

    I love Toronto, really I do.

    2500 miles away and a laugh riot.

    It's a socialist madhouse.
  64. Tyler Phillips from Vancouver, writes: Yvonne Wackernagel:
    Why shouldn't the province spend most of its money in urban centres? Are you forgetting that almost 75% of Ontarians live in cities?

    Is it practical to provide a swimming pool, hospital, etc within easy access to every rural resident? Big cities exist for a reason: services and jobs are closer to home.
  65. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from Vancouver, Canada writes: ALASTAIR JAMES BERRY from Nanaimo BC CANADA, Canada writes:
    This suggestion may sound far out, but I would scrap all fares on transit services. The world is changing fast and to keep it's status Toronto should change tactics. Fund transit out of taxes. Sure and some people will b!tch and moan but the city will become far wealthier over all and people will flock in to enjoy living in the city centre which will 'densify' to a very considerable degree actually putting less pressure on the present suburbanization which is threatening all farm land within 100 mile radius ot the TD Centre.

    If you believe in density, why are you living in the sprawl that is becoming of Nanaimo.
  66. Cynthia C from Toronto, Canada writes: Another question: Why did we Torontonians vote in this lefty government anyway? Do we have NO COMMON SENSE??
  67. Luke R from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm really getting sick of all the whining from my fellow Torontonians about all the evil 905ers coming into our city and using our services. Look at the census. There are just as many people now leaving the 416 for the 905 to work. No surprise since the Communist Republic of Toronto has been scaring business away (to the 905) for decades now. We are a city of excess and our property taxes are so artificially low compared to the 905 that we can't afford to pay for our excessive services. Our commercial property taxes, however, are more than double the 905 rates which is why businesses are relocating there and we are losing lucrative commercial tax revenue.
  68. Ob Server from Toronto, Canada writes: Mayor Miller is not competent enough to run a city like Toronto, that much is now crystal clear. This morning on CBC Radio 1 his former budget chief David Soknacki all but said the city is inefficient, ineffective and inept for a variety of reasons including the ill-advised tax increase proposals which Council voted down on Monday. Torontonians do not want large tax increases without a proper accounting. We are unhappy with this administration's interpretation of the City of Toronto Act because all it amounts to is a huge tax grab. Faced with Monday's defeat in Council and clear lack of confidence by the public, this 'team's' creative juices are really flowing...let's teach Torontonians a lesson and start shutting the city down beginning with the new subway line.
    How very creative! Canadians across the country can now get a glimpse of what we have to deal with here, at least for the next 3 years. Toronto has never had such a paucity of leadership in its' history and it comes at the worst possible time.
  69. david pollack from Toronto, writes: Brett Tremblay - you stated 'The land-transfer tax simply added back the 1% that Harper's GST cut took off the sale of those properties'. WRONG. There is only GST on new homes, not resaled home.
    There is too much crap information people are using (i.e. toronto gets their garbage pickup twice a week... that was the Mel Lastman years... boy, do we miss MEL...Mel, please come out of retirement and replace mr. idiot Miller!).
    Anyone who agrees with Miller concerning tax increases and increasing the TTC is wrong. As many posters have stated, spending is the problem. Labour costs are the major problem.
    On a positive note, at least we do not have to hear idiot Miller crying about the island airport.
  70. Mister Tobacco from Kensington Market, Canada writes: Good point. The year is 2007, the TTC obviously needs a major administrative overhaul. If anyone here works for the TTC, I dare you to explain to Globe and Mail readers how it is you've done your job properly and in service to the people of the city and this ridiculous news still happens. Why is it that Yonge & Dundas Square is efficiently managed and able to co-brand effectively? Fire all management. Toronto is according to some the 'Transit City' but I guess that moniker is as just as pointless as anyone in the current city hall lecturing citizens about green living.
  71. Paul C from Toronto, Canada writes: Maybe we should just keep half of the billions more we send (over what we get) to/from Ottawa. That will go a long way to fund our services.
  72. Michael Enright from Toronto, Canada writes: Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada - Have a read of the following report, then again tell me how the rural populations are support us . Here’s a synopsis - A minority of 9 Ontario counties (GTA and SW Ontario) are subsidizing the other 40 (rural Ontario)

    http://www.fraserinstitute.ca/admin/books/files/sharethewealth0512.pdf
  73. Michael Sharp from The Salish Sea, Canada writes:

    Toronto is SO green they can shut down transit lines willy-nilly.

    Oh Toronto is just going to love Kyoto!
  74. Bière Freud from Vienna, ON, Canada writes: Close the Sheppard subway! Won’t that just exacerbate the critical shortage of monuments to Mel Lastman’s ego? I never figured out why they built that thing anyway and not something out to the airport….
  75. Paul Vaters from writes: I maybe going out on a liimb here....but it maybe time to look at all those union contracts, I suspect we are paying way too much for what we get..Council are the custodians of our dollars and have caved on every union contract out there. If they insist on paying janitors and basic labour over 20 dollars an hour, then this is the result of those actions
  76. Guillaume Afleck from Happy Town, Canada writes: Kyle Hall 'cities (not just Toronto, this applies to all cities), rely solely on property taxes to provide their services.'

    Don't forget fees - water bills, building permits, transit fares, fees for things like swimming lessons and hall rentals, and parking, and charging movie producers for street closures and police, etc, etc.

    Charging appropriate fees that cover costs is essential and leaves a fairly small bundle of services which are supported solely by taxes.

    http://www.urban-renaissance.org/urbanren/index.cfm?DSP=subcontent&AreaID=26
  77. Gideon Goldshlager from Canada writes: Mister Tobacco- I agree. Let's resuscitate Ron Reagan to fire all the unionized employees that run the TTC! It's become an embarassment to the city.

    TTC = Take The Car
  78. Luke R from Toronto, Canada writes: This 'crisis' is manufactured by Miller. Remember that Giambrone is part of Miller's inner circle so I am sure they concocted this together. Miller could easily cut a lot of other areas like our bloated municipal payroll (which would offer huge savings since HR is the city's #1 expense). But Miller will deliberately cut the TTC and other important services that will get noticed so he can invent a crisis to show council and the people that he should have gotten his way with hil ill-advised tax proposals. Saddly it will work as the few people in Toronto that turn out to vote for city elections actually buy into these kinds of stunts.
  79. Les Caine from brampton, Canada writes: Too bad the subway extension did not go into Mississauga instead. The money better spent and the return indisputable.
  80. John Arthur from Ontario, Canada writes: Cynthia C from Toronto, Canada writes: Another question: Why did we Torontonians vote in this lefty government anyway? Do we have NO COMMON SENSE??

    Obviously not. You folk keep voting the Liberals in both federally and provincially. You can't be agents of change if you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, by doing the same thing over and over again.

    Lefty's are still Lefty's, whether they wear red ties or orange ties. And they know nothing about fiscal responsibility. That's why you have the present situation. You will want endless handouts from the rest of us to meet your over-inflated budgetary nightmares, but the game is coming to an abrupt end, because we don't want to play by your rules anymore. Got it?
  81. Fat Cat from Canada writes: Simple - mug Pickering.
  82. Sarah Bee from Canada writes: M Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: It is as if the city is going to cease to exist.

    A modern city without a viable transit system to move the workforce around does cease to exist.

    It's ridiculous that people are so baffled by the increasing cost of running the TTC. The GTA absorbes more new immigrants than anywhere else in the country. More people = more riders in a broader radius. The subway system is 50 years old. I take the subway every day and the decay is everywhere. The fact that it is kept running safely at all is a credit to TTC workers.

    Face it. You need people like me who don't earn a lot to be able to get to the city core, serve you coffee, clean up your messes and let you get back to the your cookie cutter townhouse. For that, you need a transit system that is not prohibitvely expensive for someone on a minimum wage. That means you, too, must pay part of the fare. It keeps the city running.

    And I didn't even touch the environmental reasons...

    Shame on Case Ootes and the rest of his gang for their narrowness of vision for this city.
  83. Yvonne Wackernagel from Woodville, Canada writes: Tyler Phillips from Vancouver, writes: 'Yvonne Wackernagel:
    Why shouldn't the province spend most of its money in urban centres? Are you forgetting that almost 75% of Ontarians live in cities?'

    Yes, so let the 75% of Ontarians pay their own way; if they cannot afford swimming pools for their kids, don't expect me to subsidize them; the farmers already subsidize them with cheap food!
  84. Ranald Walton from Canada writes: The budgets are just getting soaked up by wage costs. The City should be contracting out more and finding new ways of doing things rather than simply resorting to the old NDP/Liberal philosophy of increasing taxes. I love visiting Toronto, but the old adage you reap what you sow, is so true with ultra-conservative Toronto. Socialism didn't work in China or Russia and it isn't going to work in Toronto.
  85. Moose Pie from Toronto, Canada writes: Like it or lump it there should have been some cost savings from amalgamation. There were none. Lastman moved the new subway line from Eglington to Sheppard (a high use route to a low use one). Who benefitted? Developers who could add more to the price of a condo on Sheppard due to the proximity of a subway.

    Have city employees stopped filling up their cars at the city gas pumps? Have we stopped spending tens of millions on environmental impact studies on homelessness and put someone in a home? Are we going to consider a new casino out in the middle of nowhere and keep ignoring the waterfront?

    I had to move to the 905 to afford a house. I think my next move will be as far away from Toronto as possible. All the quality of life elements are absent (great waterfront, street festival, affordable neighbourhood joints, clean streets). The TTC is now the hostage to a bunch of folks that can't make decisions, can't create interesting alternatives and aren't able to steal good ideas from cities around the globe (Chicago/waterfront, Paris/bicycles, anywhere with pedestrians, Montreal/festivals, New York/culture support).
  86. It's That Man Again from Toronto, Canada writes: Didn't take long for the wack-jobs at City Hall to start up!
    This is pure politicking. How do you piss people off? Deny them the ability to get to their destinations in a reasonable amount of time and keep reminding them that 'if only we had been allowed to adopt those new taxes this would never have happened'. Then it's all a matter of blaming this councillor or that councillor (anyone who voted against the mayor) and hoping that their constituents will turn on them.
    There's a hundred other areas for cuts in this city and Miller and his pit-poodle TTC chairman Adam 'Gee I'm a Bonehead' know it.
    Time for Torontonians to call out these blowhards for what they really are. A bunch of money-wasting socialist pin-heads who couldn't run a bordello in a mining town.
  87. Dave Jansen from Canada writes: Guillaume Afleck from Happy Town, Canada writes: I can't wait to see you advocate smaller Federal and Provincial governments jansen!!

    Even better than that would be if Toronto became it's own province. Makes sense to me. This way we wouldn't have to subsidize all those roads and doctors up in Northern Ontario.

    I love all those northerners who complain about Toronto getting 'all the attention' yet fail to realize that Toronto taxpayers are the ones paying for everything up there and not vice-versa. Do the northerners not realize it's not exactly them and their 60 neighbours that are paying for the $400,000 family doctor salaries and the hundreds of KMs of paved roads???

    Give me a break!

    Guillaume - you are onto something! It's indeed time taxpayers in Ontario get what they pay for. Excellent point!
  88. Ontario Man from Canada writes: Miller has to go. The most creative solution he could come up with is more tax incre