Mayor Unveils “One Cent” Campaign To Force Ottawa Into Funding T.O.

Politicians and big thinkers are often accused of being all talk and no action.

But they point out until you talk, you can’t figure out which action to take.

Which brings us to the Metro Convention Centre and some big heads thinking about some big problems facing this city.

The Toronto Summit 2007 brings a wide variety of experts in differing fields for a major round of discussions on everything from the waterfront to figuring out how Toronto can keep pace with its own growth.

David Miller was on hand to put his two cents in. Or rather his single cent.

That’s how much the Mayor wants of the GST to ensure stable funding for cities. And he’s willing to put his mouth where the fed’s money is, spending $150,000 on a campaign you’ll soon be seeing everywhere in the form of posters, bus shelters and even bumper stickers. 

The city has also launched a website designed to pressure Ottawa into handing over the cash that’s needed to keep the economic engines of the country running without a major breakdown.

In return, cities will concentrate on fixing their own problems, including transit, housing and decaying infrastructure.

“I am proposing a bargain between governments for the sake of the public good,” Miller notes in a statement.

“Give back to Torontonians a small part of the wealth they generate in their city and we will match that gesture with a greater, greener investment in Toronto’s environmental, social and economic well-being.”

He’s challenging the feds to come up with the cash in the next federal budget, to be brought down on March 19th.

“It’s time for action,” he declares. “It’s our money.”

One cent of the tax would equal out to half a billion, still not enough to solve all our troubles but a good start.

And he has what he hopes will be an ace up his sleeve, particularly for local MPs trying to get back to Ottawa – if they don’t come onside, he’ll paint them as anti-environment, an issue that’s currently among the most important issues for voters.

“We’d be quick to call out those parties and those candidates who oppose our proposal,” he assures.

Some opponents aren’t so sure this battle over cents makes sense.

“I think that the environmental initiatives should not be held hostage to this 1 percent  campaign,” feels Councillor Denzil-Minnan Wong.

But a similar campaign won T.O. a share of the gas tax. Now the Mayor is hoping the tanks aren’t empty.

Do voters agree?

“For one penny?” wonders Claudine LaPointe. “I don’t see the purpose.”

But Candace Schlein is all for it and pledges to ask her local candidates about it when the time comes. “I think the city needs a lot of help, definitely,” she nods.

Among the other pressing issues on the agenda at the conference:

“What we can do about transportation and transit funding, how we can make Toronto the greenest city in North America, how we can close the fiscal gap,” explains chairman David Pecaut.

Then there’s affordable housing, keeping kids in school and making sure the arts that distinguish Toronto remain vibrant.

The assembly brings together more than 400 experts and they’re a pretty diverse group.

Some of them  – like Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, PC leader John Tory and new Liberal leader Stephane Dion  – are familiar names.

Others – like street nurse Cathy Crowe and Jim Spyropoulos, the principal of Newtonbrook Collegiate – are less well known.

But it’s hoped all will have something to contribute, turning word power into will power and solutions that will have a concrete effect on what Toronto is now – and what it could be one day.

For a closer look at what’s on the agenda, click here.

To sign a petition supporting the Mayor’s one cent plan, click here.

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Who’s At The Conference?

Roger Anderson, Regional Chair, Region of Durham

Derek Ballantyne Toronto Community Housing Corporation

Joe Berridge, Urban Strategies

Matt Blackett, Spacing Magazine

Alejandra Bravo, Maytree Foundation

Helen Burstyn, Chair, Trillium Foundation

John Campbell, Toronto Waterfront Corporation

Shelley Carroll, City of Toronto Budget Committee Chair

 John Cartwright, Toronto & York Region Labour Council

Prof. Sujit Choudhry, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Louise Comeau, Sage Project

David Crombie, Former Mayor, City of Toronto

Cathy Crowe, Street Nurse

Dominic D’Alessandro, Manulife Financial

Julia Deans, Toronto City Summit Alliance

Stephane Dion, Liberal Party leader

Paul de Silva, International Council for Diversity in Film and Television

Sara Diamond, Ontario College of Art and Design

Michelle DiEmanuele,  Deputy Minister of Government Services and Chair of Civil Service Commission, Province of Ontario

Don Drummond, Chief Economist, TD Bank Financial Group

Dr. John Evans, MaRS Discovery District & Co-Chair, TRRA

Bruce Ferguson, Hospital for Sick Children

John Gerretsen, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Meric Gertler, Co-Director, PROGRIS, Munk Centre, University of Toronto

Adam Giambrone, Chair, Toronto Transit Commission

Anne Golden, President, Conference Board

Ken Greenberg, Greenberg Consultants Inc.

Paul Grogran, CEO, Boston Foundation

Catherine Hernandez, Writer and Theatre Practitioner

Zabeen Hirji, RBC Financial Group

David Hulchanski,Centre for Urban and Community Studies, U of T

Tom Jenkins, Open Text Corporation

Annie Kidder, People for Education

Bruce Kuwabara, KPMB Architects

Tim Jones, Toronto Artscape

Deena Ladd, Workers’ Action Centre

Francis Lankin, United Way of Greater Toronto

Peter Love, Ontario’s Chief Conservation Officer

Amory Lovins, Author, Winning the Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs and Security

Rob MacIsaac, Greater Toronto Transportation Authority

Bill MacKinnon, Chairman, KPMG

Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community Services

Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mississauga

Ross McGregor,  President & CEO, Toronto Region Research Alliance

Premier Dalton McGuinty

Mayor David Miller, Toronto

Melanie Parrack, Toronto District School Board

David Pecaut, Chair, TCSA

Susan Pigott, St. Christopher House

Courtney Pratt, Chairman, Stelco

Janice Price, the Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity

Bob Rae

Anne Sado, George Brown College

Senator Hugh Segal

Dr. Myer Siemiatycki, Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University

Enid Slack, Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto

Jim Spyropoulos, Principal, Newtonbrook Collegiate

John Tory, Ontario PC leader

Ric Young, President, E-Y-E