Transparency from all levels of Canadian government has rarely, if ever, been murkier. A group of nonprofits including the Centre for Law and Democracy and Centre for Free Expression recently went so far as to submit a complaint to the United Nations about the federal government’s infringements upon Canadians’ right to information.
Our political class needs dismantling.
Toronto is a world leader when it comes to gridlock.
That’s one of the findings of a study conducted by U.K. car rental company Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, which ranks Toronto as the world’s 13th worst city to drive in.
The pushback against renaming Toronto’s Dundas Street gained momentum recently after three former mayors spoke out in opposition to it, and a distant relative of Henry Dundas has renewed hope the proposal will be scrapped.
Jennifer Dundas, a retired crown prosecutor and former CBC reporter, has spent years reading through scholarly articles, books, official records, and journal entries related to the prominent British politician Henry Dundas (1742–1811).
LILLEY: Calls for huge tax hikes as Toronto begins budget planning
Toronto’s executive committee was urged to hike property taxes by 30%, tax church and school parking lots and defund the police all to deal with the city’s budget woes. After being led through a plan by city manager Paul Johnson on how to find a solution to the $1.5-billion budget gap, Mayor Olivia Chow and councillors heard from residents.
Toronto, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow to cancel Toronto’s bid to host a handful of 2026 World Cup games after the Toronto Star revealed that former mayor John Tory signed agreements with FIFA that won’t be disclosed to the public.
It is hard enough to traverse the downtown core of the city by foot, on two wheels or four.
But try walking through some of its more famous, or now infamous, parks.
We posted during the election that homeless camps would be back bigger and better under Chowreign.
This is what you voted for Chowtowners.
Gone in 60 seconds?
This time, a coveted Range Rover in Rosedale was gone in about 50 seconds. Seems Toronto car thieves are getting even faster. And more prolific.
LILLEY: Yonge St., Wellesley, Churchill and more on city renaming list
Are we ready to give up Yonge St. in Toronto? The most famous street in the city is on the list of streets and places that should be considered for renaming.
The same city report that pushed forward the idea of renaming Dundas St. said that there were 60 street names, including 12 named for slave owners, which “are no longer considered to be reflective of the city’s contemporary values.”
Benefit top-up will help around 1,350 people find housing, City of Toronto says
A top-up to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) will help around 1,350 people find housing and relieve pressure on Toronto’s shelter system, officials say.
The City of Toronto said in a news release Monday that new applications are being accepted following a one-time $13.4 million top-up to the COHB, funded by the City and the provincial government.
“These additional housing benefits will prioritize asylum seekers in addition to other people experiencing homelessness,” the City said.
Canada’s CTV: All the news that fits… the liberal agenda
In a letter addressed to Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and city councillors, three former Toronto mayors are asking that the decision to rename Dundas Street over Henry Dundas’ alleged support for the transatlantic slave trade be reconsidered.
The decision to rename Dundas Street is historically illiterate.
-Henry Dundas led the legal team that freed an escaped slave.
-He convinced Scotland’s highest court to declare that slavery was illegal.
-He proposed an achievable plan to end slavery and the slave trade in… pic.twitter.com/0G4si89ETR— JL Dundas (@jldundas) August 15, 2023
A looming disaster …
Olivia Chow does not speak for ppl who have lived here & worked their ass off for decades & drive a car. If you can barely afford life but are managing & drive… fuck you… get a bike.
She makes me sick. Pedal your shit elsewhere, Olivia! pic.twitter.com/FUG1DfHmgZ— Canada's Darci🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦 (@DarciCanada) August 17, 2023
Will Ford sign off on Toronto’s sales tax? Council will need to make the case for revenue tool
A major piece of Toronto’s new plan to address its long-term fiscal woes hinges on the cooperation of Doug Ford, as the city faces the daunting task of persuading the premier to support a municipal sales tax.
That tax is part of a slew of new “revenue tools” proposed by city staff as a way to address over $46.5 billion in financial pressure faced by Toronto over the next decade. The city’s financial problems have been mounting for years but were made worse by the pandemic as the shelter system strained under the pressure of increased demand and transit ridership — and revenues — hit rock bottom.
Ontario’s health ministry says it has launched a “critical incident review” of consumption and treatment services sites in the province following a daytime shooting that killed mother of two near a Toronto site in July.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said the review is starting with the South Riverdale Community Health Centre on Queen St. E., east of Carlaw Avenue.
BC pioneered safe injection sites in Canada…
Drug overdoses now the leading cause of death among B.C. youth ages 10 to 18, data show
Toronto says it’s facing $46.5 billion in budget pressures over the next decade and wants the province to grant it permission to charge a sales tax within its borders as part of slew of measures to tackle the “unprecedented financial crisis.”
The recommendation to pursue a municipal sales tax was included in a sharply worded 192-page staff report released Thursday that paints a dire picture for the city’s fiscal future without significant new revenue tools and additional assistance from the province and Ottawa.
The report also details measures the city could quickly pursue under its own authority, such as progressively higher rates of land-transfer tax on homes that sell for more than $3 million and increasing the existing vacant homes tax from one to three per cent, both campaign pledges of Mayor Olivia Chow.
Chairman Chow The Racist: Opposition mounting to Dundas Street name change. Three former Toronto Mayors call for reconsideration
For some people, renaming Toronto’s Dundas Street is a necessary step to confront the history of a city built in part by individuals connected to the British Empire’s transatlantic slave trade.
Others say the estimated $8.6-million cost of renaming the 23-kilometre thoroughfare is a wasteful expense for a city facing a financial crisis, including a looming budget shortfall estimated at $1.5 billion.
