The Audit

An appraisal of the month in money

A penny-bypenny reckoning of the month in money

$3

Temporary pandemic pay bump given to personal support workers. Premier Doug Ford introduced the wage increase, which ends in March 2021, to deter employees at long-term care homes from quitting to pursue safer jobs. “I’ve always said they were overworked and underpaid,” remarked Ford.

$50

New annual fee imposed by the city for a short-term rental registration ID, which homeowners must display when listing their properties on sites like Airbnb.

$5,000

Fine for hunting double-crested cormorants (or any animals, for that matter) within city limits. Toronto reminded residents about the penalty when the province declared Ontario’s first-ever cormorant season.

$20,200

Amount raised for Bryan Bowler, a 70-year-old kitchen worker who lost his job because of Covid and couldn’t pay rent. When he went looking for a home for his cats, Misty and Garfield, roughly 500 people forked out donations.

$44,000

Sale price of Drake’s “Splatter” Air Jordan IVs, recently purchased at a Sotheby’s auction. The kicks were modelled after a pair of Jordans from 1989.

$761,842

Cost to install the new graffiti-resistant Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square. That figure includes removing the old sign and a three-year maintenance contract.

$14,000,000

Cost of operating the Covid hotel—a federally funded facility for people who can’t isolate at home—for one year. Accommodations include laundry and cleaning services, TV, Wi-Fi and meal delivery.

$250,000,000

Donation made to U of T’s faculty of medicine by James and Louise Temerty, who built an empire in computer retail and green energy. The gift will primarily fund a new centre for artificial intelligence.