Out-Sourcing Will Be Priority In 2012: Coun. Ford
Posted January 26, 2011 11:14 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Councillor Doug Ford said there’s still a lot of gravy to drain at City Hall and said out-sourcing will be a big priority in 2012.
The budget committee, of which Doug Ford is vice-chair, gave this year’s $9.4 billion operating budget the green light. It still has to be approved by city council late next month.
Staff still has to fix a $7 million shortfall. A controversial recommendation to drastically reduce some 48 TTC bus routes is being floated as a way to come up with that cash.
Out-sourcing “everything we can” will be the focus in 2012 as the city tries to find savings, Doug Ford said Tuesday.
Mayor Rob Ford and his brother claim their budget comes with no service cuts. Critics point out the fiscal plan includes hiking user fees for recreational programs, including some that were previously free and offered in priority neighbourhoods and the aforementioned TTC bus route cuts.
Toronto EMS also says it needs to hire more paramedics over the next three years to meet time targets, but there’s no room in the budget for that. Councillor Gord Perks says the Ford budget will hurt tenants due to higher taxes that will likely be reflected in their rents.
The city ombudsman’s request for $103,000 to hire two additional staff was denied.
As soon as the budget process is finished, Doug Ford said a full financial review will be done at City Hall to find any extra fat that needs to be trimmed, or gravy that needs sopping up.
Mayor Ford campaigned on a promise to reduce staff at City Hall, but his budget would mean the creation of 48 new positions within the municipal bureaucracy, mostly within the TTC.
