Mayor dropping the ball on poverty
Re Is John Tory breaking his poverty pledge? Opinion July 20 Last year city council unanimously approved Toronto’s first poverty reduction plan (they called it “TO Prosperity”). Unfortunately, poverty reduction was the last thing on the minds of the mayor and council at last week’s meeting.
First, the mayor and the councillors approved a plan to cut spending on programs and services by 2.6 per cent. Next, they voted down motions to protect vulnerable people from those cuts.
Then, they agreed to give homeowners a property tax break, while staying open to increasing user fees paid by people who may never come close to purchasing a home.
Early on, Mayor John Tory seemed to be about building “One City” with prosperity for all. Now, he seems to be about protecting the interests of homeowners and drivers at the cost of many trapped in precarious employment and unable to afford housing, transit or other basic services.
Never mind his statement, in 2014, that, “We can’t put our heads down on the pillow at night and go to sleep, knowing that 150,000 Toronto kids are growing up in poverty.”
Leaving another generation to suffer is fast becoming Mayor Tory’s real legacy. Ronny Yaron, Alliance for a Poverty-free Toronto As a downtown homeowner and worker, I care about everyone who lives in my city and see the ravages of poverty on the faces of those I pass on a daily basis. As a social justice advocate I have been working on this issue for decades and really hoped we had reached a place where this city council was going to implement real achievable systemic changes that would improve the lives of all city residents.
I am willing to pay more property taxes if it allows us to improve the quality of life for all our residents. When those struggling the most are supported, they in turn contribute to the well-being of the rest of us.
Not acting now means we are abandoning those who need us and putting our city at risk of becoming even more divided between the rich and poor. We have the power to change this now, let’s use it! Beth Baskin, The Social Justice Project, United Church of Canada