David Miller Considers Tax On Downtown Parking

According to a published report, Miller is looking at a parking lot surcharge in both downtown Toronto and North York’s City Centre – areas which he contends have strong public transit options.

The newly-re-elected Toronto mayor says he won’t contemplate a similar levy in other parts of the GTA where people rely on their cars to get to work.

He hopes that such a surcharge – if approved in council – would convince people to take transit instead of their car and help raise money for programs aimed at reducing smog.

The transit-friendly mayor has considered driver fees before – briefly toying with the idea of charging motorists a toll to use the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway during the 2003 municipal election campaign. That proposal was quickly scrapped after his numbers plummeted in the polls.

This time he waited unitl after the election to posit the idea.

A recent survey of countries’ efforts to curb global warming put Canada near the bottom of the list, something Miller says is unacceptable.

But many drivers find the idea of paying more to park in city lots equally unacceptable.

“They tax motorists more than anybody, right?” complained Liam Argyris. “Really, we’re paying for everything.”

Miller plans to outline plans in his green agenda at the inaugural meeting of his new city council on December 5. City councillor-elect Gord Perks, formerly of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, supports the idea.

“If we do go forward with a parking lot levy we can show people real, tangible benefits,” he said. “Right now 1,700 people a year die in the city of Toronto from bad air quality. Taking action to save lives is something I think Torontonians are prepared to do.”

Aside from the idea of taxed parking, the mayor is looking at ways to encourage businesses to generate solar power.

Glen Stone of the Toronto Board of Trade was cautiously optimistic about the plans, as long as the politicians are serious about putting the revenues into something meaningful.

“If the money is taken off of drivers and simply put into general revenues and you’re not doing anything to improve transit or reduce traffic congestion, you’re not really solving the problem you’re just making life more difficult for drivers,” he said.

Miller was featured in Vanity Fair magazine earlier this year as one of several mayors making an effort to focus on the environment.

The City of Toronto Act, approved by the province, gives city council more taxing powers and allows it to take care of urban issues without constantly having to go to the Ontario government for permission.

But there’s no guarantee the idea will fly – or park. And there’s no word on how much more you might have to pay. Public hearings would have to be held before the plan could be approved.

And you can be sure the newly elected council would get an earful from the public about the idea.