OPINION: If I Were a Mayor of Toronto

Courtesy TheMarkNews.com

Those running to become mayor of Toronto have been debating the services they will provide Torontonians, but hardly any mention has been made about increasing revenue. The reason for this is quite simple: by debating revenue, they would have to inform all Toronto taxpayers what their tax increase would be to provide those promised services. This would be disastrous for any candidate. The way to win an election is to show how much one can do for the residents of Toronto, not how much their taxes would have to increase to pay for it.

If I were mayor, this is what I would do:

Revenues

I would raise revenue in the following ways:

1. Every street in Toronto would be available for night parking at an annual fee similar to the one charged for driveway parking. This would eliminate the frustration of vehicle owners being ticketed for illegal parking and would increase revenue. If we charged $100 per annum, every 100,000 new parking spots we create would translate into $10,000,000 in revenue.

2. Every vehicle registered in Toronto would be provided with a windshield sticker, thereby allowing that vehicle to be anywhere within the Toronto boundary without any problem. Vehicles that do not have this sticker would be charged for a special permit to enter the Toronto area. The cost of this permit would depend on how long it would last: one day, one week, one month, or one year. Revenue for this is unknown and could be pretty hefty. London, England has this system in place already.

3. I would order and place frames on hydro poles along main roads; these would be available for advertising by companies at a cost.

4. I would ask for a line-by-line audit of all expenses that happen at the city and reduce duplicate and unnecessary expenses.

The city, unions, and strikes

Strikes can be very costly for the city. I would negotiate with all unions that have a connection to Toronto to prevent strikes by transit workers, garbage collectors, teachers, day-care workers, etc.

To replace strikes and to be fair to unions and the city, this is what I would suggest:

1. That all city services be declared essential services.

2. That, as in the past, normal negotiations between the city and any union be conducted as and when necessary.

3. In the case of a deadlock, three mediators would be appointed, one by the union, one by the city, and a third by the province. Should the mediators fail to reach an agreement, an arbitrator should be appointed with a deadline to reach a decision.

4. That neither the mediators nor the arbitrator be allowed to reopen any items that have already been agreed upon without the consent of both parties.

Within the present system, when a strike takes place it creates multiple problems for rate payers and strikers. Strikes can be extremely disrupting to all concerned. If my suggestions were adopted, all negotiations would take place as usual, but strikes by city workers would be avoided.

You may question why I would charge vehicles from out of Toronto to enter our city. The answer is simple. Over the years, Mississauga, Oshawa, and other cities have tempted our industries to move out of Toronto by offering lower taxes. Most of the companies that have deserted Toronto still have their head offices there, and employees travel to those offices, some in large, luxury vehicles. As well, many people leave Toronto to purchase homes in other jurisdictions with lower taxes, then travel to their jobs in Toronto. With this loss in revenue, the burden has fallen onto residential properties in Toronto. I feel it’s time the people who are partly responsible for our tax burden play a role in reducing it.

The increase in revenue from all the above – which could be in the tens of millions – could be used to prevent increases or even reduce transit fees and property taxes. If I were to run for mayor, my promise would be that for the first term in office – and possibly the second term – there would be no such increases.

The Mark News is Canada’s online forum for opinion and analysis.