Toronto the rich? You’d never know it
City of millionaires struggles to maintain infrastructure like roads, parks and transit
I knew a couple who ran a pizza joint in Washington. Previously they had, between them, lived in Scarborough, Central America, South Asia and the Middle East. Once, we were sharing our impressions of the U.S. capital city.
“It’s a beautiful city,” I said, then thinking of the sky-high cost of living there, added, “if you have the money to afford it.”
She responded, “Every city is a great place to live if you’re rich.”
I thought of that conversation this week when Toronto was named to the “World’s Wealthiest Cities” list from Henley & Partners, as determined by a simple count of the sheer number of rich people. It came to mind when I read the title above the list where Toronto sits 13th in the world (fifth in North America, first in Canada): “Top 50 Cities for Millionaires.”
That’s fine, I guess. I suppose it’s reassuring to hear that at least 106,300 people in Toronto can maybe afford to shop for groceries. But the thing is, Toronto’s goal here isn’t (or shouldn’t be) to be a “top city for millionaires.” What we want to be is a great city to live in for everyone: the thousandaires and hundredaires and one-thin-dimeairs who make up the bulk of the population.
What does a city offer those who can’t afford Leafs tickets or splashy musical theatre subscriptions, who don’t have the budget to dine out at globally celebrated Michelin-star restaurants, or attend Taylor Swift concerts or shop for fashion on the Mink Mile?
The answer to that could include lots of things, like an affordable place to live in a neighbourhood you love, great travel options including reliable public transit, affordable groceries and cheap smaller restaurants. In many of those areas we seem to be moving further, rather than closer, to the goal.
But a really big part of the answer, I think, should be the amenities and services provided by the city to all of its residents. Beautiful parks, useful and comfortable libraries, community centres where you can work out or send your kids for swimming lessons, streets you can drive on, transit you can rely on.
Which brings us to another list in the news this week, the city report detailing the government infrastructure that is falling apart. Fully 40 per cent of the city’s “non-essential” assets are in what’s considered “poor” or “very poor” condition. In some departments, such a libraries, that number is as high as 70 per cent. The TTC, public housing, parks, public sports facilities, the Island ferries — all told, the report says, the city needs $26 billion over the next 10 years just to keep things in their current (dilapidated) condition.
As it happens, this week also brought a vivid example of what can happen as a result: a retired Toronto Island ferry captain told the Star this week that before the Sam McBride ferry crashed in 2022 (the official cause of which is still yet to be determined as an investigation drags on), he had been warning the city for six years of the danger posed by a lack of proper maintenance.
But the problem is not always — or even mostly — a potential catastrophic accident. I’ve noted recently the slowdowns on TTC streetcars and subways that seem to be related to a long-standing neglect of maintenance. A recent city report listed crappy road conditions as one of the reasons they wouldn’t recommend allowing electric kick scooters be legalized. People notice washrooms out of order. Mayor Olivia Chow noted to the Star, “The longer we wait to fix our old infrastructure, the more expensive it’s going to be, the worse it’s going to look. Which means the service level will go down.”
In sum, it becomes a worse place to live. For everyone.
One question that leaps out, glancing over the series of city headlines this week, is how the heck one of the wealthiest cities in the world got into this position.
It’s as if a billionaire was living in a crumbling mansion and kept putting out buckets to catch the rain rather than spending money to fix the roof, until finally the whole structure started to rot from the moisture.
It would be sad but understandable if it was a matter of not being able to afford things, but it looks like foolish negligence when it’s instead a refusal to spend on necessities.
And that’s what the bulk of the past two decades at city hall has been: a refusal, in one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing cities in the world, to raise and spend the needed money to keep stuff from falling apart.
Maybe we are still a top city for millionaires. Great. We could use those rich folks pitching in to help us get on with doing what we need to be a top city, period.