Did we ever get the details about Smitherman's election funds?I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the budget.
Ford asks court to set aside decision to audit his election expenses
Ford Budget built on secret funds and failed promises
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
Rob Ford’s decision to cancel Transit City now comes with a $65-million price tag
Just as Mayor Rob Ford is trying to squeeze every penny out of Toronto’s budget, news comes that the city is bracing for a $65-million bill for a transit plan he cancelled on his first day in office.
The multimillion-dollar price tag is the latest estimate for cancelling the Sheppard and Finch light-rail lines – part of former mayor David Miller’s Transit City plan. It comes as the city’s transit users are facing fare hikes and reduced service, measures planned for the new year to meet the mayor’s demands for a 10-per-cent budget cut. The new expense surfaced Tuesday during budget discussions, where city councillors also weighed the merits of closing pools and community centres in order to save dollars.
The cost of the cancelled lines is not even included in those discussions. The outstanding expense to the struggling transit system is not part of next year’s budget because the city is still waiting for a bill from the province.
The provincial agency said it is working on the final figure. “Currently, we are still reviewing the costs with the TTC and our light-rail vehiclesupplier. It is important for us to be as accurate as possible,” said a Metrolinx spokeswoman in a statement.
It has been just over a year since Mr. Ford took office and pulled the plug on the web of light-rail lines known as Transit City, taking his victory as a sign that Toronto voters wanted subways instead. Under a new deal, the province agreed to plow most of the money meant for Mr. Miller’s plan into burying the new crosstown line for its entire length beneath Eglinton Avenue. That left Mr. Ford looking for $4.2-billion for a promised subway line along Sheppard Avenue.
Critics of the mayor lamented that this latest discovery is more evidence of the sorry state of long-term transit planning. “At the end of the day we are blowing the public transit agenda of this city,” said councillor Joe Mihevc, a past TTC commissioner.
“Imagine if we had spent $65-million actually delivering rapid transit,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan. “Instead, what we have is a budget that is about shrinking resources and in some cases tragically misspending resources.”
Rob Ford's decision now comes with $65M price tag - The Globe and Mail
Just as Mayor Rob Ford is trying to squeeze every penny out of Toronto’s budget, news comes that the city is bracing for a $65-million bill for a transit plan he cancelled on his first day in office.
The multimillion-dollar price tag is the latest estimate for cancelling the Sheppard and Finch light-rail lines – part of former mayor David Miller’s Transit City plan. It comes as the city’s transit users are facing fare hikes and reduced service, measures planned for the new year to meet the mayor’s demands for a 10-per-cent budget cut. The new expense surfaced Tuesday during budget discussions, where city councillors also weighed the merits of closing pools and community centres in order to save dollars.
The cost of the cancelled lines is not even included in those discussions. The outstanding expense to the struggling transit system is not part of next year’s budget because the city is still waiting for a bill from the province.
The provincial agency said it is working on the final figure. “Currently, we are still reviewing the costs with the TTC and our light-rail vehiclesupplier. It is important for us to be as accurate as possible,” said a Metrolinx spokeswoman in a statement.
It has been just over a year since Mr. Ford took office and pulled the plug on the web of light-rail lines known as Transit City, taking his victory as a sign that Toronto voters wanted subways instead. Under a new deal, the province agreed to plow most of the money meant for Mr. Miller’s plan into burying the new crosstown line for its entire length beneath Eglinton Avenue. That left Mr. Ford looking for $4.2-billion for a promised subway line along Sheppard Avenue.
Critics of the mayor lamented that this latest discovery is more evidence of the sorry state of long-term transit planning. “At the end of the day we are blowing the public transit agenda of this city,” said councillor Joe Mihevc, a past TTC commissioner.
“Imagine if we had spent $65-million actually delivering rapid transit,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan. “Instead, what we have is a budget that is about shrinking resources and in some cases tragically misspending resources.”
Rob Ford's decision now comes with $65M price tag - The Globe and Mail
Toronto’s surplus expected to beat expectations
While city councillors grapple over $88-million in cuts proposed in Mayor Rob Ford’s budget for 2012, the city’s financial picture became a little less desperate.
Figures released Thursday morning show the city will run a $154-million surplus for 2011, well above the $139-million city staff forecasted earlier in the year.
The windfall buoyed centre and left-leaning councillors who have been arguing that Toronto’s financial situation is rosier than the mayor has been letting on and that surplus cash could be used to stave off the more drastic cuts contained in the mayor’s budget. “I think what this does is show once and for all that the radical conservative attack on city programs is unnecessary,” said Councillor Gord Perks, “that we can actually afford to provide quality services, that the fiscal crisis the mayor and the budget chief have been talking about has been grossly exaggerated and has been an excuse for radical conservative cuts to city programs.”
The mayor’s proposed reductions include eliminating some student nutrition programs, closing pools, shuttering homeless shelters and cancelling programs for the arts, HIV prevention and recreation.
Several members of Mayor Ford’s inner circle have expressed a level of discomfort with the full array of cutbacks, but have been hesitant to suggest the city prevent them by dipping into the surplus.
The update actually suggests the surplus will be closer to $174-million, but recommends dedicating $20-million of it to the city’s recent buyout program.
Staff also advise that $115.5-million of the $154-million be put toward a capital reserve for long-term projects. Chief Financial Officer Cam Weldon wants up to $36-million of the remainder to be ploughed into the Tax-Rate Stabilization Reserve, with the leftovers split among the Employee Liability Reserve, the Extreme Weather Reserve and other reserve accounts.
Mr. Perks argued that the any injection into the Tax-Rate Stabilization Reserve can then be poured into the operating budget and used to prevent the mayor’s cuts. But both Mr. Weldon and Budget Chief Councillor Mike Del Grande rejected that scheme.
“The surplus does not balance your budget,” Mr. Del Grande said. “It’s used for capital and it’s used to replenish reserve accounts. We start playing that game again and we’ll be right back to square one where we’ll be doing this song and dance again next year.”
Mr. Del Grande also hinted that the city will need cash for another as-yet unannounced round of buyouts. “That program is not over yet,” he said of the $20-million going toward the city’s voluntary separation program. “There’s more to the picture than that.”
The Budget Committee will meet on Monday for one last budget debate before passing it on to the Executive Committee on Jan. 12.
Toronto's surplus expected to beat expectations - The Globe and Mail
While city councillors grapple over $88-million in cuts proposed in Mayor Rob Ford’s budget for 2012, the city’s financial picture became a little less desperate.
Figures released Thursday morning show the city will run a $154-million surplus for 2011, well above the $139-million city staff forecasted earlier in the year.
The windfall buoyed centre and left-leaning councillors who have been arguing that Toronto’s financial situation is rosier than the mayor has been letting on and that surplus cash could be used to stave off the more drastic cuts contained in the mayor’s budget. “I think what this does is show once and for all that the radical conservative attack on city programs is unnecessary,” said Councillor Gord Perks, “that we can actually afford to provide quality services, that the fiscal crisis the mayor and the budget chief have been talking about has been grossly exaggerated and has been an excuse for radical conservative cuts to city programs.”
The mayor’s proposed reductions include eliminating some student nutrition programs, closing pools, shuttering homeless shelters and cancelling programs for the arts, HIV prevention and recreation.
Several members of Mayor Ford’s inner circle have expressed a level of discomfort with the full array of cutbacks, but have been hesitant to suggest the city prevent them by dipping into the surplus.
The update actually suggests the surplus will be closer to $174-million, but recommends dedicating $20-million of it to the city’s recent buyout program.
Staff also advise that $115.5-million of the $154-million be put toward a capital reserve for long-term projects. Chief Financial Officer Cam Weldon wants up to $36-million of the remainder to be ploughed into the Tax-Rate Stabilization Reserve, with the leftovers split among the Employee Liability Reserve, the Extreme Weather Reserve and other reserve accounts.
Mr. Perks argued that the any injection into the Tax-Rate Stabilization Reserve can then be poured into the operating budget and used to prevent the mayor’s cuts. But both Mr. Weldon and Budget Chief Councillor Mike Del Grande rejected that scheme.
“The surplus does not balance your budget,” Mr. Del Grande said. “It’s used for capital and it’s used to replenish reserve accounts. We start playing that game again and we’ll be right back to square one where we’ll be doing this song and dance again next year.”
Mr. Del Grande also hinted that the city will need cash for another as-yet unannounced round of buyouts. “That program is not over yet,” he said of the $20-million going toward the city’s voluntary separation program. “There’s more to the picture than that.”
The Budget Committee will meet on Monday for one last budget debate before passing it on to the Executive Committee on Jan. 12.
Toronto's surplus expected to beat expectations - The Globe and Mail