June 12th, 2020

NDP MPPs urge Ford to help City of Toronto, stop devastating municipal cuts

TORONTO — With the City of Toronto counting down the days until it will be forced to drastically cut municipal services, the NDP’s Toronto MPPs have written Premier Doug Ford urging him to provide financial support before it’s too late.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left the City of Toronto staring down a $1.5 billion shortfall this year. Since the law forbids municipalities from running deficits, the City of Toronto is faced with the impossible choice of either cutting services or raising taxes.

According to the City of Toronto, taxes would need to be raised by a shocking 47 per cent in order to make up the shortfall. The fast-tracked federal transfer of existing gas tax funds falls well short of the help needed, and if the province doesn’t step up soon the City of Toronto may have to make devastating cuts to core services like child care, fire, shelters and transit as well as sweeping layoffs of city staff.