Premier Doug Ford cancels retroactive cuts that have hit public health, child care and other municipal services

Thestar.com
May 27, 2019
Robert Benzie and Rob Ferguson

Bowing to pressure from Mayor John Tory, Premier Doug Ford is cancelling retroactive cuts that have hit public health, child care, and other municipal services.

Ford announced Monday that he was rethinking the change that the city maintains has cost civic coffers $177 million.

The moves comes as his popularity has plunged in five recent public-opinion polls.

While the province disputes city hall’s math on the scope of the cuts, Ford is mindful his in-year changes unveiled in the April budget were unfair to municipalities across the province that had already locked down their spending plans.

Monday’s capitulation came after Tory spent Saturday canvassing the riding of Progressive Conservative MPP Robin Martin (Eglinton-Lawrence).

The mayor, who has been campaigning against the cuts for weeks, was warning residents that Martin’s government had hurt the city.

Despite his retreat, Ford still wants municipalities to conduct audits and find ways to trim spending, providing $7.3 million in provincial cash to hire auditors and consultants.