Ontario’s premier and the mayor of Toronto have agreed to a joint working group to achieve long-term stability and growth for the city’s finances.
Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Olivia Chow met Monday afternoon for their first official meeting since Chow took office in July.
Chow tweeted that their meeting was “productive” and that their top agenda item was “Toronto’s deep financial challenges.”
Read More
The pair agreed on a new-deal working group for the “smart and effective growth” of Toronto. According to a press release from the premier’s office, any agreement established by the new-deal working group must:
- Support the delivery of local governance and city programs
- Protect frontline services and municipal workers
- Avoid new taxes and fees on residents
- Support the delivery of shared priorities, including building affordable and attainable homes, public transit and city-enabling infrastructure
“Toronto is facing deep financial challenges that are no longer sustainable. We need wholesale intervention. We need governments to work together to deliver solutions that protect services, avoid new taxes and put the city on a path toward long-term financial stability,” Ford said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
The city has a deficit of $1.5 billion, according to Chow. She said all orders of government will have to come together to resolve the city’s financial crisis.
“We’re very grateful this working group will conclude and have results by the end of November in time for the city budget, because we have to have the budget out and begin to put together next year’s financial preparations,” Chow said.
Both Ford and Chow are urging the federal government to join the new-deal working group and provide additional financial support.
“We’re putting $3.3 billion towards the City of Toronto and we need the infrastructure money from the federal government. We need to see some housing money from the federal government and that’s how things work if all three levels of government work together, work collaboratively together then we get things done a lot quicker,” Ford said.
The working group will be made up of public service officials from relevant provincial and city ministries and departments. It is expected that the group will deliver an agreement before the end of November.
FORD GIFTS CHOW PICTURE
Ahead of their joint press conference, Ford presented Chow with a picture of his late brother and former mayor of Toronto Rob Ford attending the unveiling of a statue of Chow’s late husband and former NDP leader Jack Layton at the ferry docks on Toronto Island.
“You always try to make me cry, don’t you,” Chow laughed when receiving the gift. “Thank you so much,” she added.
Chow pointed out that her mother-in-law, step son and former city councillor Mike Layton, and former city councillor Pam McConnell were also in the photo.
Ford went on to speak about the tumultuous relationship between Layton and his brother Rob and that they didn’t always “see eye-to-eye,” but still were able to work together. He added that himself and Chow will also strive to work together as well.
“Mayor Chow and I are committed to working together. And while we won’t always see eye-to-eye, we won’t let our differences get in the way of moving forward on things that we agree on, like building homes, and building public transit and critical infrastructure projects,” he said.
