Mayor Tory commits to protecting anti-poverty plan investments

After criticism over proposed budget cuts, Tory says poverty reduction strategy will be protected

TheStar.com
July 25, 2016
By Jennifer Pagliaro

Mayor John Tory said he is committed to protecting investments meant to reduce burdens on the city’s most vulnerable residents.

After criticism that his request for across-the-board budget reductions will mean service cuts and a step back from anti-poverty measures, Tory said Monday morning that won’t happen on his watch.

“I will be looking to protect the investments we’ve made in public transit in the first year and a half of my mandate and also looking to protect the progress we’ve made on poverty reduction initiatives,” he told reporters Monday at a private funding announcement for the Albion Neighbourhood Services summer camp in Jamestown.

“I can tell you right now that as the budget process proceeds forward I will be looking to make sure that those 2017 initiatives and the ones that preceded them will be protected.”

As council set the direction for a cash-strapped budget earlier this month, Tory was criticized for voting against motions that looked to ensure TTC riders, Toronto Community Housing and low-income residents would not be impacted by budget cuts next year.

Tory has called for 2.6 per cent budget reductions to be found by all departments and agencies, a search for efficiencies he said Monday is “necessary” before council debates new fees and taxes to raise needed revenues. But those new measures won’t be in place for the 2017 budget process. Tory has promised to back certain revenue tools this fall.

With Tory’s campaign commitment to below-inflation property tax increases, critics say service cuts are on the horizon.

Entering the budget process, the TTC alone needs to find a way to cover $178 million. Toronto Community Housing has $96 million in increased expenses. With only $66 million in new revenues expected next year, the city is currently facing a $516 million shortfall, staff estimate.

Last week, an op-ed in the Star from city’s poverty reduction strategy advisory group questioned whether Tory was going back on his campaign pledge turned council-approved plan by not voting to protect those key anti-poverty initiatives.

City manager Peter Wallace has been warning of a pending budget challenge since he assumed the post last year. In May, he responded to concerns that the Tory-backed poverty reduction strategy was lacking actual funding with a terse statement:

“I cannot account for what you intend to do, I can only account for what you actually do,” Wallace told Tory’s executive committee. “City council has put a substantive rhetorical emphasis on poverty reduction, that has been less apparent in the detailed numbers.”

On Monday, advisory group member and Children’s Aid Society of Toronto community worker Michael Polanyi said he’s glad to hear the mayor’s commitment to the poverty reduction plan.

“We weren’t really happy with the level of investment in 2016 and so we’re hoping for steps forward in 2017,” he said.

The promises for 2017 include a fare-geared-to-income as part of the TTC’s switch to Presto cards, what Polanyi said will require investment from the city.

“Given the huge spending pressures and given the indication the mayor is willing to support cuts across the board ... it’s going to be a difficult challenge to make the investments that are needed while reducing budgets.” Polanyi said.

City divisions and agencies are expected to submit preliminary budgets next week, with the official public budget launch scheduled for Nov. 4.