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17 Sep 08

"David Miller says "Vote Toronto" (read: "Greens")" BLOG THIS | blog.thismagazine.ca

David Miller makes the funding structure of Canadian cities an election issue, and endorses the Greens because they at least have a plan for cities.

The first comment on this blog post is a hoot; commenter suggests that if citizens agree, we should just raise taxes some more (property/ business taxes, presumably), and he completely ignores the main point, that all consumption taxes (PST, GST), as well as all income taxes, go straight to the senior levels of government, with municipalities only getting pieces of this (if any) through complicated transfer schedules. Let cities get a direct cut of PST or GST, instead.

blog.thismagazine.ca/...david_miller_sa.html - Preview

thismagazine toronto canada cities infrastructure_funding downloading

  • "The prime minister always says cities are not of national importance," said Miller. "They are. And all of the parties should be speaking to that."
  • Although David Miller seems to be alone among mayors who opine on the federal election, perhaps the rest should take his example. It would be nice to have more democratically elected officials give their constituents an honest opinion.
28 Apr 08

Victoria set to ship criminals home

- interesting idea, but once again this program is another example of overreliance on off- or downloading costs to citizens (the last in the great food chain that runs from Federal through Provincial to Municipal and then Citizen level) that should be borne by other levels of government. See annotation / note.

www.canada.com/...story.html - Preview

downloading criminals victora canada socialtheory

  • Victoria is seeking the same provincial funding as Vancouver, which received $40,000 from the solicitor general's ministry last month. But a ministry spokesman said the government has not yet made a commitment to give Victoria any grant money.

    The provincial money will enable Vancouver to send about 30 people to other parts of Canada. It costs around $2,500 per trip to send a warrant subject and the required police escorts to Toronto by commercial airline, Vancouver police estimate.

    So far, Vancouver has shipped 10 people back. It estimates as many as 2,500 criminals in the city are wanted in other provinces.

    Some other police departments, such as Edmonton, Lethbridge and London, Ont., have agreed to pay to have their suspects returned. Vancouver police have also started a petition asking Ottawa to fund the program for other forces.

    Vancouver's program leans largely on the support of the community to pay the bills. The Vancouver Board of Trade and local citizens have offered to help pay airfares by donating frequent-flyer points.

    • Note the last 2 sentences: Joe & Jane Citizen, aka "the community," as last in the food chain of downloading. - on 2008-04-28
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  • a crack-cocaine addict typically steals $2,000 worth of goods a day to support the habit.
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02 Jan 08

Amalgamation: 10 years later (Toronto Star)

Report by Royson James on 10th anniversary of Toronto's amalgation -- more negative (generally) than Christopher Hume's article (also in today's TorStar), but also full of useful info re. downloading by Province.

www.thestar.com/...290172 - Preview

amalgamation downloading local_government municipal_funding toronto

  • Against great odds and in the face of trenchant hostility, the amalgamation of seven governments into one unified Toronto has survived its first decade. Barely.

    Happy anniversary, megacity.

    Never has a forced union been so universally detested and excoriated – every outflow, offspring or offshoot smeared with the "bastard" tag: unwanted, unloved, unappreciated. And yet, alive, if not well.

  • Some wounds are only now healing, 10 years later. And considering what it's been through, it's a miracle Toronto is still standing.

    "It's been a real body blow to the city," says Sewell, still defiant. "I fear for the city's future."

    "A disaster," adds MPP Michael Prue, East York's last mayor.

    Kathleen Wynne, now education minister, was Sewell's right-hand person back then. Her analysis? "I've knocked on tens of thousands of doors since I got into provincial politics, both in 2002-2003 and 2006-2007, and I have yet to meet anyone who says they think the amalgamation of the city of Toronto was a good idea ... Maybe that's a lie. Maybe I've met two people."

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