Rob Ford's Toronto

[Armbruster]

Any idea where this staff report might be? I'm interested in reading it. My request to the City for aggregated property tax revenue data by Census Tract or Forward Sorting Area has hit a dead end.

Wikipedia cites a Globe article by Jennifer Lewington: "Fresh faces abound in wild, wild east: Four wards have no incumbent running" -- dated November 10, 2006, pg A14. The article may not necessarily refer to a specific staff report, but quotes City staff who said "In 2005, Scarborough accounted for 24% of the road repair budget which was commensurate with its population." Candidate Berardinetti had claimed "a lot of our property tax dollars are being spent downtown and not here. A road downtown will get paved two or three times before one is paved out here."

Here's the full paragraph from Wikipedia:

In 2006, she ran for City Councillor in the riding of Scarborough Southwest. She ran on a campaign of making sure that Scarborough got its "fair share" of tax dollars. She said, "A lot of our property tax dollars are being spent downtown and not here." She declared, "a road downtown will get paved two or three times before one is paved out here." City officials pointed out that this was not true, that road maintenance was based on need not location. In 2005, Scarborough accounted for 24% of the road repair budget which was commensurate with its population.[3] She narrowly lost by 89 votes.

The rate and intensity of infrastructure usage could explain how downtown infrastructure might cost more to maintain than similar infrastructure in the suburbs. However, if the staffer quoted in 2006 is correct, even in this area the downtown evidently does not receive a greater share of the funds (at least for roadwork), and in any case, I suspect downtown roads are not being used exclusively by downtowners.

 

[allabootmatt]

It was a pretty foolish way for Mammolitti to take the discussion even further into that us-vs-them territory - but in terms of raw numbers of voters - it won't hurt him in any way and only make him even stronger within his ward. Like it or not, amalgamation gave equal voting power to everyone in the 416 and after Miller's term in office, this part of the constituency was simply feeling ignored.

I think everyone knows that downtown has different needs and rightfully requires a slightly higher ratio of dollars compared to the burbs, but the way Miller ran things certainly did appear dismissive to the burbs and biased towards the core, so this is happening in part because of him. Whether that is true or not in terms of dollars is unfortunately not going to make a difference at this point.

On the raw-numbers-of-voters point, I am reminded of something I think will be the eventual downfall of Ford & Co.: that they are on the wrong side of demographics. I strongly suspect the 2011 census will confirm that the outer 416 is seeing its population stagnate if not even shrink as families get smaller and more immigrants head right to the 905, while the population in the downtown wards is rising sharply. In our popular-vote-only mayoral contests this is an important consideration, and will doubtless be important in Council races too once the ward boundaries are redistributed. I can only hope that will help put a stop to this culture war crap.

 

[typezed]

When watching the Executive Committee all-nighter, I had the sense that Georgio really wished he was calling the shots. He didn't make suggestions to the chairman so much as frequent demands for how the deputants should be controlled. I wonder if his increasing craziness and search for the spotlight is a sign of the Ford faction breaking apart. Moderates like Stintz and Thompson may be slipping away. Doug Ford may be getting bored, wishing he was back in Chicago as football season starts. So opportunist Georgio is now looking to be the hero by being the hardliner who gets everyone on the path of the righteous. Or it could be that he's just an ass, and has always been an ass.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The city’s current ward boundaries date back to 2000, when the provincial Fewer Municipal Politicians Act forced council to downsize to 44 wards from 57. The city divided each of the existing federal and provincial boundaries in two, to form the current wards.

Should the federal ridings (and subsequently, the provincial ridings) get readjusted, the city wards will get readjusted. Unless the wards get downsized again from 44 to 22, at least.

It will have to depend on the census results, if the ridings in Toronto get to be adjusted enough to create more ridings in the city, and subsequently more wards. Did you fill out your census?

 

[SimonP]

It used to be that government workers would be paid at market level or a touch below, with job security or benefits making up for the wage difference. Public sector unions have done a great job of winning ever increasing benefits for their employees, to the point that what they've won for their membership needs to be pared back a little, to bring them more in line with the private sector workers whose taxes pay their salaries and benefits.

One slight clarification. If you look at the numbers, it's not that public sector wages have been increasing over the last few decades. Rather private sector wages for the bottom 50% of earners have declined. Indexed for inflation a public sector admin assistant or warehouse worker is making about the same as they did 30 years ago, while their private sector equal is now making a lot less.

 

[CDL.TO]

The city’s current ward boundaries date back to 2000, when the provincial Fewer Municipal Politicians Act forced council to downsize to 44 wards from 57. The city divided each of the existing federal and provincial boundaries in two, to form the current wards.

Should the federal ridings (and subsequently, the provincial ridings) get readjusted, the city wards will get readjusted. Unless the wards get downsized again from 44 to 22, at least.

It will have to depend on the census results, if the ridings in Toronto get to be adjusted enough to create more ridings in the city, and subsequently more wards. Did you fill out your census?

The last federal/provincial readjustment occurred during the period 2002-2004. Toronto ignored this and kept its 2000 boundaries.

Toronto now shares a federal/provincial riding with Pickering. This would likely prevent the city from using the federal/provincial boundaries to determine their own.

 

[allabootmatt]

The city’s current ward boundaries date back to 2000, when the provincial Fewer Municipal Politicians Act forced council to downsize to 44 wards from 57. The city divided each of the existing federal and provincial boundaries in two, to form the current wards.

Should the federal ridings (and subsequently, the provincial ridings) get readjusted, the city wards will get readjusted. Unless the wards get downsized again from 44 to 22, at least.

It will have to depend on the census results, if the ridings in Toronto get to be adjusted enough to create more ridings in the city, and subsequently more wards. Did you fill out your census?

I seem to recall an article in the Globe a little while back indicating the City was already looking at readjustments, not by adding more wards but by, I guess, moving the boundaries around. Apparently there is no statute that compels the City to use the federal/provincial riding boundaries. Now, any such realignment would certainly favor the burgeoning community of downtown pinkos, so whether it will see the light of day is another issue--unless someone sues.

 

[Marko]

In terms of who gets what - naturally some of the suburban areas have bus routes and such that are no doubt subsidized. Thing is, transit like subways and streetcars are also subsidized and maintaining tracks, overhead wires and tunnels is something no bus route needs, but I do think only someone with knowledge of the financial workings of the TTC could clarify.

In regards to the core getting more money spent per capita, it doesn't stretch the mind to think that with higher usage, that roads downtown get more maintenance. Things like homeless shelters and outreach programs are primarily in the core (because they need to be). With higher vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic comes more waste cleanup, as there's no questions there are a whole lot more garbage bins downtown than East York. Tourism spending isn't really sending people to the West Mall, and things like the Harbourfront renovations are higher profile, billion dollar projects that get more attention whether the total dollars are higher or not. Things like windmills and rainwater diversion systems on the CNE grounds, city owned theatres and low income or co-op housing - all primarily in the core.

I said it was mostly the perception that the core gets more money that is at play here and people would even understand if there was a slight bias where the largest flow of people is - it's to be expected - but the perception is that it's even more out of whack then that.

 

[Urban Shocker]

I have been laid off 2x in the private sector with either operations closing down or shifting to the U.S. In both vases I received 4 weeks for every year of service. In the first case I was there for 8 years so received 32 weeks pay and benefits for the 32 weeks. In the second case I was there for 4 years and again received 4 weeks for every year of service, And since I chose to take it not as a lump sum I got paid an additional 4 weeks for a total of 20 weeks including benefits for the 20 weeks. Plus I got an additional 12 weeks of service for staying till the end instead of quitting. So a 6-month limit on severance pay for city employees sucks. Who would be crazy to accept it innless you only have 6 months to retire. Which is why Ford is threatening if employees don't take it there will be layoffs. And for him to say this offer is not given on the private sector he is right – it is better in the private sector.

Indeed, a point I made earlier: your private sector situation is similar to mine - where I got a buy-out of 85 weeks pay and benefits ( including, eventually, an enhanced company pension as a result of taking my severance as salary continuance with pension deductions ). If the City wants senior employees to take this buyout they'd better improve it substantially because three weeks pay for every year worked up to a maximum of six months pay is only attractive to someone with a maximum of about nine years of employment; beyond that it doesn't make sense unless, as you say, they're six months away from full retirement.

 

[allabootmatt]

In terms of who gets what - naturally some of the suburban areas have bus routes and such that are no doubt subsidized. Thing is, transit like subways and streetcars are also subsidized and maintaining tracks, overhead wires and tunnels is something no bus route needs, but I do think only someone with knowledge of the financial workings of the TTC could clarify.

In regards to the core getting more money spent per capita, it doesn't stretch the mind to think that with higher usage, that roads downtown get more maintenance. Things like homeless shelters and outreach programs are primarily in the core (because they need to be). With higher vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic comes more waste cleanup, as there's no questions there are a whole lot more garbage bins downtown than East York. Tourism spending isn't really sending people to the West Mall, and things like the Harbourfront renovations are higher profile, billion dollar projects that get more attention whether the total dollars are higher or not. Things like windmills and rainwater diversion systems on the CNE grounds, city owned theatres and low income or co-op housing - all primarily in the core.

I said it was mostly the perception that the core gets more money that is at play here and people would even understand if there was a slight bias where the largest flow of people is - it's to be expected - but the perception is that it's even more out of whack then that.

Yet the odd thing here is that Miller, the archetypal downtown mega-mayor, seemed emotionally very focused on the suburbs. Transit City. Priority Neighbourhoods. Tower Renewal. Heck, even the most visible parts of the Waterfront rebuild have so far been on the outer shores, some of them spectacular. I would really love someone to explain to me what, exactly, Miller was supposed to have done for the downtown that was so disproportionate. It's true that the downtown prospered hugely under his administration, but that seemed to have much more to do with larger economic factors than anything originated at City Hall.

 

[tkip]

One slight clarification. If you look at the numbers, it's not that public sector wages have been increasing over the last few decades. Rather private sector wages for the bottom 50% of earners have declined. Indexed for inflation a public sector admin assistant or warehouse worker is making about the same as they did 30 years ago, while their private sector equal is now making a lot less.

This is my understanding of the situation. Might also explain why debt was allowed to explode as it did over the years. It gave the illusion that people/governments had more wealth.

 

[Marko]

This is my understanding of the situation. Might also explain why debt was allowed to explode as it did over the years. It gave the illusion that people/governments had more wealth.

Rather than any sort of 'fair wage' policy that is anything but fair (it uses a higher number woudl otherwise be used), it should be more of a 'prevailing wage' where what city employees or contractors are paid is comparable to similar wages in the private sector. Job security will always be better, but benefits and pensions have increased disproportionately to the private sector also. There's no way a private ticket collector would make $28 per hour, for example.

The unions can still protect their members from unfair practices, ensure their safety and security and such - but we have to move away from the legalized extortion that now takes place in terms of automatically escalating wages, excessive banking of sick days and having the employer pay an insustainable share of their pension contributions.

 

[adma]

Toronto now shares a federal/provincial riding with Pickering. This would likely prevent the city from using the federal/provincial boundaries to determine their own.

Or else, it would lead to 45 rather than 44 wards, given that the Toronto half of the shared riding is pretty precisely "half". But it's all moot anyway, given that we're on the cusp of yet another redistribution come next federal election...

 

[Bruvyman]

Slow week for Rob Ford gaffes, it would seem.

 

[jje1000]

He hasn't spouted off some unmoderated thought or proposed to cut anything yet this week. That's good enough for me, I guess.