In the Toronto of the near future, you'll see a lot more litter on the streets, a lot less garbage being picked up, dirtier streets, a lot more potholes, bigger snow pile-ups before your street is cleaned off and longer waits to pay for your parking tickets or your tax bill.
Those are just some of the dozens of cuts announced by City Hall on Friday, as the potentially bankrupt metropolis eyes ways to get out of a very large financial hole. Toronto is facing a mega-million dollar budget crunch after
Mayor David Miller's suggested tax hikes - which politicians like to refer to as "revenue generating" tools - were deferred earlier this summer. At high noon,
city manager Shirley Hoy stepped to the podium and swung the sharpened edge.
The cuts mean potholes won't be fixed as often or as fast; vacuums that sweep the streets of litter will be reduced, perhaps ending forever Toronto's famous worldwide reputation as a "clean" city; your snow won't be cleared off your street until it sits 15 centimetres high (the former level was 8); and hiring freezes and staff reductions mean longer waits at counters for city services like paying your tax bill - which ironically, could still go up.
You'll also have fewer leaf and yard waste collections, you won't be able to skate at public rinks as early, you won't be able to golf at public courses as long, libraries will be closed on Sundays, community centres on Monday and our parks may start to look a tad overgrown, with a reduction in overall maintenance.
See the full list
As expected, police, paramedics and fire services were all relatively untouched, although all have made internal cuts of their own. And threats to shut down the Sheppard subway line appear to have been thwarted - that wasn't included in the final plan
.
The mayor's financial gurus insist there was no choice. "The city faces a $575 million operating budget shortfall for 2008," outlines Hoy. "The total reduction from the 2007 operating budget to be taken now to the end of the year is $34 million. I'm also recommending that these budget dollar reductions continue into 2008. Therefore, the impact of the reductions taken today will be $83 million in 2008."
Miller continues to contend he had no real choice. "I'm not thinking about political consequences," he vows. "I'm thinking about the city ... This is going the wrong way, but because of the financial position the city is in, we have no choice."
The cuts could mean some job losses, an idea that doesn't sit well with the unions - usually one of Miller's biggest boosters. "You'll see parks less maintained, grass cut infrequently, longer grass in parks, boulevards, more garbage on the streets," worries Brian Cochrane of CUPE, which represents many of the civic employees.
The city had hoped to chop at least $100 million, but concerns over maintaining safety in areas like policing and firefighting made that impossible. Miller insists the province must come to the rescue and contribute its fair share of funding if residents are to avoid all the coming cuts - with more promised for next year. But even with an election looming, the Liberals say they have no intention of doing anything to help out.
Angry war of words breaks out at City Hall after cuts announcement
Your response to City Hall
City Hall budget page
City Budget Cuts
The list is out - and it's long. After weeks of adding - and mostly subtracting - the figures, here's what the city of Toronto has decided you'll have to live without.
Garbage and recycling
-Seasonal litter staff will be let go two weeks earlier than normal and fewer vacuums in use will mean more litter on the streets.
-December yard waste pick-up will be cancelled and the scheduled introduction of curb-side pick-up at townhouses will go with it.
-The night shift at the Disco Transfer Station will be cancelled, requiring contractors and residents to drop waste at that location during daytime hours.
Snow Plowing
-Sidewalk snow plowing and clearing of snow left in driveways (windrows) by City plows will only occur when there's a minimum of 15 cm. of snow. (The current standard is 8 cm.)
-Automated leaf pick-up will be reduced from two pick-ups to one.
Transportation
-Street cleaning will be reduced.
-Pothole repairs will be lessened.
Administrative Divisions
-Service provided in administrative areas of the City which directly support day-to-day operations will be reduced. Reduced service will be in effect at parking tag counters, tax and water counters, and vendors will experience delays in the payment of invoices.
-Services that support front line staff, such as Information Technology, will be reduced resulting in longer system down times and impact public service.
Parks, Forestry and Recreation
-Beginning mid-September to the end of December, 2007, all of the City's Community Centres will be closed on Mondays. All programming held on Mondays will be cancelled.
-Outdoor artificial ice rinks scheduled to open in December won't open until January and the City's golf courses will close a week early.
-Residents will see reduced park maintenance and a reduction in the residential tree planting program.
-Grass cutting will be cut back on expressways and streets.
Toronto Public Library
-Access to 16 library branches will be restricted due to Sunday closures.
-The Storyteller in Residence and the Teen Fine Forgiveness programs have been cancelled.
Toronto Public Health
-Reduction in health promotion programs and community outreach services such as tobacco use prevention, parenting programs and workplace health.
-Toronto Public Health will reduce environmental reporting, production of printed materials to support tobacco use prevention, the new Food Guide, Trans-fat education, and translation of various materials into languages other than English.
Municipal Licensing and Standards
-As a result of the hiring freeze, there will be significant delays in issuing licenses and responding to requests for inspections and bylaw enforcement, particularly for graffiti eradication.
Emergency Medical Services
-The bicycle paramedic program in the Entertainment District will be reduced from four days a week to two days a week.
Fire Services
-There will be a decrease in proactive inspections and public education programs.
Toronto Building
-Due to the hiring freeze, there will be reduced bylaw enforcement, particularly the Sign bylaw. The public submitting development applications will also experience delays at building application counters.
-The Green Roof Initiative will be delayed. The adoption of a bylaw regulating construction related vibration will also be delayed.
Court Services
-By redeploying 50 percent of the staff who work in the customer phone service office, there will be as long as 20-minute wait-times for telephone inquiries. Clients may be referred to the Internet or be required to visit court offices in person.
Children's Services
-Funding for new services at community run family resource centres in under serviced areas has been cancelled until the end of the year.
-Funding to make City-operated daycares accessible to clients with disabilities has been deferred.
Mayor's Office
-Renovations to the Mayor's office and the second floor of City Hall have been cancelled.
-Additional staff needed to meet requirements of the City of Toronto Act will not be hired.
-The Mayor's initiative on Economic Development Opportunities for Toronto to promote investment has been deferred, resulting in cancellation of the economic mission to China and Los Angeles.
Hiring Freeze
-Budget reductions will be attained through a hiring freeze in all City divisions, with the exception of those positions that are deemed essential under legislated requirements, needed for health and safety reasons or are 100 percent funded by other orders of government or external agencies. Some 376 current vacant positions won't be filled.
-Staff training, development, education and attendance at conferences has been cancelled.
-Some advertising and promotional materials have been cancelled.
-Required purchases of new vehicles and other equipment have been cancelled.
-All discretionary travel has also been cancelled, which may have an impact on public education activities and key programs and services, as well as the City's ability to attract economic investment and tourists from abroad.