Deputy mayor calls on Ford government to rethink cuts to child care funding
Posted May 3, 2019 6:20 am.
Last Updated May 3, 2019 2:00 pm.
Changes for child care on the way for parents in Toronto but the provincial cuts aren’t going over well at city hall.
Speaking to the media on Friday, deputy mayor Michael Thompson said provincial funding cuts will mean a shortfall of over $80-million in the city’s budget just this year.
He said it will cost Torontonians over 6,000 childcare spots.
This is the latest in a string of funding cuts that seem to have come as a surprise to city officials.
Thompson said he wants the Ford government to rethink their approach to reducing the provincial deficit.
“We would certainly like to be sitting at the table with the provincial representative, our city manager, our mayor and the premier, and so on, can sit and discuss the impact,” he said.
Other councillors like Mike Layton feel battle lines have been drawn in Toronto.
“The premier and the provincial government have consistently, consistently, turned their back on the city when we’ve asked to stay at the table with us,” he said.
“When we’ve said we have concerns with your direction they have consistently turned their back of the people of Toronto.”
The province says the blame for costs being passed on to parents lies with the city, saying a five-per-cent administration cut shouldn’t have this big of an impact.
A memo from Ontario’s Minister of Education also claims the city’s numbers are inaccurate and they’re only causing fear and anxiety for parents.
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