Opponents Vow To Watch Milller’s Taxing Power As Councillors Return To City Hall

Councillors old and new gathered at City Hall for the first time since the November 13th election Tuesday. And those who made it back but didn’t support Miller’s original agenda vow to keep a close eye on him.

The mayor returns with more ward reps who back his left leaning plans and something even more important: the power to tax you under the new City of Toronto Act..

The change came from Queen’s Park after the city complained it was constantly under funded.

That worries those who don’t like the direction Miller may take T.O., especially after he floated the idea of raising parking fees in some areas as a means to fight pollution.

“I’m going to be watching very closely to see if he is using the City of Toronto Act to tax people more, tax people from the suburbs like this parking tax will do,” promises Ward 34’s Denzil Minnan-Wong. “Taxing the middle class families who would have to pay these extra fees. So using the City of Toronto Act to tax residents is, I don’t think, not a practical arrangement.”

Ward 16’s Karen Stintz believes Miller’s had his grace period and now he must put his words into action. 
 
“He’s had three years on the job. We need to see the improvements the people of the city are asking for. I think people are looking to see tangible service improvements.”

But in his opening address laying out his agenda, Miller maintains his new taxing power will not only be used responsibly but for the betterment of the city.

“The City of Toronto Act …   and the longer term of council, allow to us dream about a better Toronto,” he vows. “A new deal and the funding that will come with that will allow us to make those dreams our reality.”

Also in Miller’s sightlines:

• Diverting 30 percent of waste from landfills by 2010,
• Encouraging public transit use,
• A renewed commitment to the arts,
• Creating 1,000 new affordable housing units every year for the next four years, and
• Continuing to lobby the province and the federal government for adequate funding.

That last pledge is central to his platform.

“We all recognize that the city cannot continue to pay for the responsibilities of other governments that were downloaded over the past decade,” he maintains, noting the city is facing a half a billion dollar shortfall.

“The city of Toronto cannot succeed without Ottawa and Queen’s Park recognizing their responsibilities. It is that simple. There is no alternative.”

His critics are already wondering how he’ll be able to afford to make his vision come true.

Their suspicions? That taxing power again.

Miller won’t admit he’s even leaning in that direction. “I don’t want to talk about extra taxes or levees at this point in time,” he avers. “It’s not appropriate to do that.”

The mayor also confirmed which politicians would be serving on which committees. The winners are:

Joe Mihevc: Community Development and Recreation

Kyle Rae: Economic Development

Gloria Lindsay Luby: General Government

Howard Moscoe: Licensing and Standards

Paula Fletcher: Parks and Environment

Brian Ashton: Planning and Growth Management

Glenn De Baermaeker: Public Works and Infrastructure

But while the old guard appears ensconced in City Hall, some things are definitely changing. The most dramatic – it’s the end of the transit line for Howard Moscoe, who is no longer the chair of the T.T.C.

He’ll take over running the Licensing and Standards division instead, putting him in full charge of everything from taxi drivers and strip malls to landlords.

As expected, his transit replacement is Adam Giambrone.

It was also the dawn of a new day and career for former CityNews Political Specialist Adam Vaughan, who’s now sitting as a councillor. He took his seat for the first time on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of his famous father, Colin.

“A lot of my family’s history in this room and my father’s history in particular,” he agrees. “But my mom, too, and it was touching on a personal level.”

Voters are waiting to see if Miller touches them on a personal level when his new taxing powers kick in next year.