AlvinofDiaspar
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From the Globe:
Ontario offloading deal expected soon
But economic woes dampen expectations
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
October 2, 2008 at 5:06 AM EDT
A deal that could relieve local taxpayers from the costs of provincial welfare and other programs offloaded a decade ago will be complete by Oct. 31 at the latest, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Jim Watson pledged yesterday, even as he tried to lower expectations.
"We are within weeks of being able to sign a deal with our municipal partners," Mr. Watson told a breakfast briefing on the federal election sponsored by Global Public Affairs, a lobbying firm.
An exact date has not been nailed down but an announcement is expected after the Oct. 22 economic statement by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who is also dampening expectations.
Earlier this week, he hinted the government will have to trim spending as it copes with lower revenue. "Whatever restraint is necessary ... it will be fairly modest in the beginning," he told reporters.
Mr. Watson praised the "historic discussions" with the City of Toronto and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario to reverse some of the costs offloaded to municipalities by the former Mike Harris government in the mid-1990s.
But like the Finance Minister, Mr. Watson was quick to caution against a speedy timetable.
"All the partners around the table understand we have to live within our means and the economy is changing, literally by the day," he said.
Later he told reporters "we are not going to get everything we want out of the deal and the cities are not going to get everything they want.
"But at the end of the day, it is going to be a very good deal for the taxpayers," he added.
Toronto Mayor David Miller, like Mr. Watson, was tight-lipped about the elements of the deal, saying: "We are working toward a consensus and I am confident we will reach that consensus."
In 2006, the province and municipal leaders agreed to review who does what and look for ways to streamline the delivery of services. The "consensus" report, set for release last spring, has been delayed several times.
*****
Big-ticket items
-Issues are on the table in a long-awaited review of fiscal relations between the province and municipalities include:
-Uploading of welfare benefits (now split 80-20 between the province and municipalities, respectively) and social service administration costs (split 50-50). The province has capped its contributions, effectively funding only 30 per cent of administrative costs in Toronto, leaving the city to cover the difference. Municipalities want the province, as elsewhere in Canada, to pay 100 per cent of the tab.
-Uploading provincial court security. When the province opens a new court, the municipality pays for providing police and other security.
-Identifying the full cost of municipal infrastructure needs, the first such detailed assessment in years. Jennifer Lewington
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081002.wupload02/BNStory/National/Ontario/
AoD
Ontario offloading deal expected soon
But economic woes dampen expectations
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
October 2, 2008 at 5:06 AM EDT
A deal that could relieve local taxpayers from the costs of provincial welfare and other programs offloaded a decade ago will be complete by Oct. 31 at the latest, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Jim Watson pledged yesterday, even as he tried to lower expectations.
"We are within weeks of being able to sign a deal with our municipal partners," Mr. Watson told a breakfast briefing on the federal election sponsored by Global Public Affairs, a lobbying firm.
An exact date has not been nailed down but an announcement is expected after the Oct. 22 economic statement by Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who is also dampening expectations.
Earlier this week, he hinted the government will have to trim spending as it copes with lower revenue. "Whatever restraint is necessary ... it will be fairly modest in the beginning," he told reporters.
Mr. Watson praised the "historic discussions" with the City of Toronto and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario to reverse some of the costs offloaded to municipalities by the former Mike Harris government in the mid-1990s.
But like the Finance Minister, Mr. Watson was quick to caution against a speedy timetable.
"All the partners around the table understand we have to live within our means and the economy is changing, literally by the day," he said.
Later he told reporters "we are not going to get everything we want out of the deal and the cities are not going to get everything they want.
"But at the end of the day, it is going to be a very good deal for the taxpayers," he added.
Toronto Mayor David Miller, like Mr. Watson, was tight-lipped about the elements of the deal, saying: "We are working toward a consensus and I am confident we will reach that consensus."
In 2006, the province and municipal leaders agreed to review who does what and look for ways to streamline the delivery of services. The "consensus" report, set for release last spring, has been delayed several times.
*****
Big-ticket items
-Issues are on the table in a long-awaited review of fiscal relations between the province and municipalities include:
-Uploading of welfare benefits (now split 80-20 between the province and municipalities, respectively) and social service administration costs (split 50-50). The province has capped its contributions, effectively funding only 30 per cent of administrative costs in Toronto, leaving the city to cover the difference. Municipalities want the province, as elsewhere in Canada, to pay 100 per cent of the tab.
-Uploading provincial court security. When the province opens a new court, the municipality pays for providing police and other security.
-Identifying the full cost of municipal infrastructure needs, the first such detailed assessment in years. Jennifer Lewington
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081002.wupload02/BNStory/National/Ontario/
AoD
