GTA Mayors request relief funding from government

Vaughan Weekly
January 22, 2014   
By Bill Rea

The Provincial and federal governments are being called upon to pick up one-third each of the costs associated with last month’s ice storm.

A group of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) mayors and chairs who attended a meeting Friday in Mississauga unanimously passed a motion calling on the other two levels of government to shoulder their share of the costs.

The motion also called on the feds and Province to treat all municipalities “equally and equitably” when it comes to distributing the funds.

As well, the motion cited the urgency of the matter, and called on the two higher levels of government to respond by March 1.

The discussion took place after a session with Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Linda Jeffrey. She was not present for the discussion or the passage of the motion.

Jeffrey told reporters it was a productive meeting, adding there will be recommendations going to Cabinet and Treasury Board.

She said her ministry had already received 27 resolutions from municipalities requesting financial aid in light of the storm.

“My ministry is already on the ground in most municipalities,” she remarked, adding she told the mayors she has already written to the feds, asking them to be part of the effort.

Jeffrey said part of her goal in attending the meeting was to listen to the concerns, as well as helping the mayors understand the programs that are available. She pointed out they likely weren’t very familiar with the details.

She was unable to offer a timeline for the assistance, or make any commitments on how much would be coming, without knowing what the actual numbers will be. She did say the mayors are anxious to move forward on this, and she hopes to have hard numbers in the next couple of weeks, with decisions in the next couple of months.

“I think we’re all trying to figure out what those costs were collectively,” she remarked.

Jeffrey stressed she was aware of the damage caused by the storm, and of the mayors’ desire to get things started.

“I heard that loud and clear,” she said. “My goal is to fast track it.”

The motion also stated several municipalities have applied for assistance through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP), but concerns were expressed that ODRAP doesnt adequately recognize the full costs of extreme weather events.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion was the spokesperson for her colleagues that followed Friday’s meeting. She pointed out there was considerable flood damage in the area in July, but little in the way of help from the Province. Concern was expressed by the mayors that could happen again.

“We all agree that property tax cannot bear that burden,” she remarked.

She also agreed it was a very productive meeting with Jeffrey. “I’m really excited about it,” she declared.

McCallion seemed confident that there will be help from the Province.

“She (Jeffrey) will carry that message back to the Premier,” she commented, adding she understood Premier Kathleen Wynne was anxiously waiting for the result of the meeting.

McCallion also said Jeffrey would not have been aware of the March 1 deadline for a response, but she stressed the need to set some date.

“You can rest assured we’ll be following up on March 1 if there’s no answer,” she added.

The mayors were asked to indicate, by show of hands, whether they would have preferred Wynne to have been at the meeting, and only Toronto’s Rob Ford and Brampton’s Susan Fennell raised their hands.

“I think this is more important than a byelection right now,” Ford commented.

McCallion said that wouldn’t have complied with protocol, saying it’s important to work up and that she was confident Jeffrey would report everything to Wynne.

“You’ve got to do your homework if you’re going after something,” she said, adding that’s what the mayors have done. “We’re going forward with a unified, coordinated approach.”

She was also asked if this incident had prompted her to change her mind about leaving politics at the end of the year.

“I came in with a derailment and I’m going out with an ice storm,” she declared.

Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said the issue is important and needs to be addressed. The cost of the damage caused by the ice storm in the City of Vaughan is estimated at $21 million.

“I do think that this issue requires a lot of attention,” said Bevilacqua. “Climate change is a reality and we’re going to be faced with these incidents a lot more than we like. We’re not asking for a lot.”