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Service Review - City-Wide programs

The report to the Executive Committee was debated at City Hall on July 28th. 

See the agenda, report and other documents on the City website here (Suggested cuts are in Appendix A, Part 2).

TEA helped make history at the meeting by joining the over 300 people who wanted to speak up against the proposed cuts to important city services at the City's Executive Committee meeting.

TEA's turn came just before 6pm on Thursday when Franz Hartman, our Executive Director, spoke about the new problems that would emerge if the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and TTC services were eliminated. (See below for a link to his deputation)

After his deputation, Councillor Mammoliti, one of the Mayor's strongest allies, asked Franz how he would solve the city financial problems. Franz responded "You are looking at the problem the wrong way. This exercise in deciding which services to cut is the same as asking a parent to decide which kid should go without winter boots this winter. Every city service is someone's winter boots. What we should be doing is figuring out how to raise enough money to have boots for everyone."

In the end, the Mayor and his Executive Committee, just like the rest of the City Committees, ignored the advice from the hundreds of speakers. They refused to take any service cuts off the table, and directed the City Manager to bring the proposed service cuts to their meeting in mid-September.

Read the deputation by TEA's Executive Director to the Committee about the environmental risks of these suggested cuts.  (pdf)


Suggested Cuts

The consultants suggest a number of potential service cuts throughout
their report in a number of far-reaching areas. The suggested cuts to
environmental services include cuts to TTC service despite the fact that
ridership is at a record high, and growing steadily, and eliminating
the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF), which receives no funding from taxpayers.

Reduce TTC Blue Night Network and Wheel-Trans Services: Services relied on by late-night shift workers, vulnerable transit riders that need safe drop-off locations and Torontonians that require accessible transit service. Reducing night time bus service will only push people into cars, and marginalize those who have no other way to get around.

Eliminate the Toronto Atmospheric Fund - this arms-length body of the City has used a $23 million endowment for over 20 years to invest in projects that help reduce energy use and clean Toronto's air. TAF estimates that it's projects have helped save over $55 million in energy use alone, in addition to investments in great projects, research and programs across the City.

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Deputation to Exec - 28 July 2011 - Franz Hartmann.pdf18.29 KB
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