Forwarded Message:
From: Jack Layton <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 1996 23:11:31 -0500
Subject: Metro budget: Hearings - Forward Your Views


Dear Friends Concerned about Cuts to Essential Services in
Metro.  Here is
the information about our Budget process this year.  Please
consider adding
your voice to those protesting further cuts to childcare,
services to the
homeless, the TTC and the arts.  After cuts of $390 million
from Metro's
budget over the past four years, too many of our key
services are falling
below sustainable levels.  Our TTC is in freefall, just to
name one.

>Metro Budget Hearings to Consider $60 million in cuts,
including social
>services, police, grants and transit

>Hearing Dates:      November 7, 8;  9:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
>
It's critical that you send your thoughts protesting budget
cuts e-mail or
>register to speak at the hearing by e-mail:

>  [log in to unmask]
>
To send your thoughts to all Metro Councillors, e-mail:
>  [log in to unmask]
>
>Here's a Summary of Metro's Budget and the Cuts being
considered because of
Mike
>Harris's cuts to municipal support.
>
>
>
>The past four years have seen massive cuts at Metro:
>
>
>
>*   In 1997, Metro has $394,000,000 fewer dollars than it
had in 1992, to offer
>the same services.   Since 1992 there are 2,638 fewer Metro
staff, including
>police officers, daycare workers, welfare workers, TTC
drivers, library
workers,
>parks maintenance staff, and other important service staff.

>
>
>
>*   This year, the Province has cut $30 million more from
Metro's funding,
so in
>1997, Metro Council will have to find $60 million to remove
from the budget or
>through raised taxes to the tune of 5%.
>
>
>
>Here is the list of  cuts if Harris does not back off and
Metro Council insists
>on a zero tax increase:
>
>
>
>*   Because police costs are now 48.5% of the Metro net
budget, $29,000,000
>would have to be saved from police:  500 officers would
have to be laid off.
>
>
>
>*   Because the TTC uses 10% of the Metro net budget, a 5
cent fare increase
>would happen in March '97  (the third in 18 months) .
There would be further
>service cuts.
>
>
>
>*   Because Social Services comprise 14.3% of our budget,
cuts of 6% ($4.3
>million) would mean:  (I) cancellation of dental, dentures,
cribs, glasses,
>summer camp for people on welfare;  (ii) welfare staff
layoffs (already
>overloaded staff);  (iii) 5,000 Childcare spaces eliminated
(450 jobs,
dozens of
>centres would have to close);
>
>
>
>The Alternatives?
>
>
>
>*   Insist that the Provincial Government restore adequate
funding to key urban
>services.
>
>
>
>*   At a minimum, no further cuts to TTC or to municipal
programmes.
>
>
>
>*   Rather than further cut services, insist that Metro
raise taxes modestly to
>recover some of the lost Provincial dollars (which have
been turned over to
>affluent community members through the Harris tax cut)
>


Here are some further notes on the TTC Budget:



Many of the public, especially car drivers and other people
using the TTC do not
seem to realize how devastating the Harris policies have
been to transit in
Toronto.  The Harris government is literally killing transit
here.  The TTC is
in a death spiral of service cuts, fare hikes and  ridership
losses (over
70,000,000 rises / year have been lost, almost 1/4 of all
rides taken on the
TTC).



Key Facts for TTC users to know:



*   Funding Cuts for the TTC Operations, since Mike Harris,
 $45.5 million



*   Capital Funding of TTC facilities in the future: cuts of
hundreds of
millions of dollars over the next few years - making it
difficult and more
expensive for Metro TTC riders to pay for repairs of the
system.



*   Fares have increased twice in the past year.



*   Metro is considering an option of a further $0.05
increase in March of 1997,
due to further Provincial cuts.

*   Seniors and students have had 75% fare hikes.



*   Servsice across the TTC system has been cut 10%.


    Many routes have been cancelled.



*   587 TTC workers have been laid off since 1993 due to
funding cuts



*   Metro is facing a $30 million cut in funding from the
Province in 1997.
Further funding cuts by Mike Harris to the TTC are expected
soon.



*   TTC riders pay a much higher share of the costs of
public transit than any
other city in Canada  (Toronto:  riders pay 75% of costs;
Montreal:  riders pay
48%; Calgary: riders pay 46%; Vancouver: riders pay 52%.).



*    In other provinces, government understands the
importance of a public
transit system.  In Ontario Harris is walking away from it,
even after a massive
accident, killing 3 people and blamed, in part, by the
Coroners' Jury on
underfunding.



*   Fares in Toronto are much higher than most other cities:
 Toronto:  $1.60;
Montreal:  $1.30;  Calgary: $1.25; Vancouver: $1.38, single
zone, $2.05 double
zone).s


Keep well and take care,


Jack Layton
Metro Councillor
Don River Ward, Metropolitan Toronto
Professor, Ryerson Polytechnical University, School of
Public Administration
and Politics
Principal, The Green Catalyst Group, Achieving Advanced
Environmental Design
& Policy
416-397-5200 fax
416-392-4060 voice
http://web.idirect.com/~jlayton