Shelley Carroll

Apocalyptic crisis budgeting

August 12, 2011

Edmund Pries

The headlines have been apocalyptic and relentless. Unless the U.S. cuts trillions in social spending, it will go bankrupt. Unless Canada cuts billions in federal spending, our economy will go bust. Unless Toronto cuts more than $700 million in program spending, the city will collapse. We live in an age of apocalyptic crisis budgeting. Unless the most drastic social spending cuts are implemented, the world as we know it will sink into the quicksand of debt, never to reappear again. How could this happen?

During the Reagan era, a friend and former colleague, a professor of American history, was invited to the deliberations of a Washington think-tank that provided policy direction for the Republican Party. As they discussed growing the debt and increasing the deficit, he was flabbergasted: “Are you not the party of balanced budgets and debt elimination?” The reply was unequivocal, “Our goal is to grow the deficit as much as possible in order to create political space to eliminate government-funded programming. Until then, we want high deficits while lobbying for a balanced budget — and promoting social program cuts as the only solution.”

To create this useful deficit, tax cuts to wealthy individuals and corporate sectors would be dramatically increased, especially to the banking, energy and military segments. In short, one would implement a transfer of the state’s revenue supply obligations from the wealthiest to the poor and middle classes in order to permit an even greater transfer of wealth from the middle classes to the rich thereafter.

The only trick was to convince the poor and middle classes to “buy in” via a mixture of patriotism and structural necessity so that they would vote in favour of cutting the very programs that benefitted them.

Canadians have had front row seats to observe this structural engineering over the past two decades. After years of sky-high deficits, Bill Clinton’s Democrats balanced the budget and produced a surplus. Then George W. Bush granted tax relief for the wealthiest and went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq to create the largest deficit in American history. As Bush exited from office and Obama entered, trillions of dollars were transferred by the government (funded mostly by middle-class Americans) to the banks. As a thank you, the banks foreclosed on the homes of more people than at any other time in history. The recent debt ceiling settlement follows the pattern as additional social spending cuts are implemented without cancelling Bush’s tax cuts to the very rich.

Like Clinton in the U.S., the federal Liberals left office with a budgetary surplus. The Conservatives created the largest deficit in Canadian history and, unbelievably, ran an election campaign on financial management savvy! Of course, they created the deficit in part by implementing tax cuts and engaging in discretionary spending designed to produce the deficit which, we are told, now needs to be eliminated by cutting programs.

The same approach has now come to Toronto and is being mimicked by Rob Ford. He, too, was left a surplus by his predecessor. Nevertheless, the agenda marches on. First, create the crisis by reducing the revenue base through tax cuts and then take the budget knife to Toronto’s city-wide programs. Instead of articulating a vision for building a great city, it is simply a slash and burn approach to a manufactured crisis.

Some have pretended that the budgetary crisis is real and not manufactured. Let us be clear: our relative wealth is greater than at any time in our history. Our collective ability to build a strong, caring and inclusive society in which everyone can participate has never been greater. This also holds true for the community of nations: we have the capacity to build a just global society.

Our preparedness to do so, however, seems utterly lacking, for an extreme individualism has taken over the mindset of many. We believe, falsely, that we are best served by hoarding as many resources as possible and letting others fend for themselves. The opposite is true. We are best served when we build a society together where all, including each reader of this article, can benefit through the building of community-wide programs.

In many 16th century European cities, each citizen was required to swear an annual citizenship oath to the city (or community) in which they resided. In it citizens affirmed, among other things, their commitment to “support the well-being of their neighbour” and “promote the common good.” Toronto’s early history as a community, like Canada’s as a country, speaks of similar goals and aspirations.

Have we really lost our sense of the common good? Or is each person now on his or her own? There is no apocalyptic budgetary crisis other than of our own making. The crisis is in our orientation.

Edmund Pries teaches in the department of global studies at Wilfrid Laurier University

Over the next two weeks there are a couple of free events planned in Ward 33 that I hope you will want to attend.  There is no need to register, just show up!  Also please read below for information on a change of pick-up day for garbage/recycling and green bin in Ward 33.

Fun by the Pool with Councillor Carroll!

You are invited to spend a fun-filled afternoon with me and the Ward 33 Team this Saturday August 20^th from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30.p.m. at the Pleasantview Pool, located at the Pleasantview Community Centre at 545 Van Horne Ave. This is a great opportunity for you to enjoy the last few weeks of the summer weather, with a swim and great conversation.   I want to hear about any concerns you may have about your neighbourhood and find out your thoughts about all that is currently going on in our City.

Ward 33 Environment Day

Come join me and the Ward 33 Team on Saturday August 27^th from 10 am to 2pm at Enbridge Gas, 500 Consumers Rd for our annual community Environment Day.  Whether you are coming to purchase a rain barrel, drop off old electronics and cooking oil or picking up free compost, this is a great opportunity for residents to do their part in creating a cleaner and greener neighbourhood and City overall. To learn more about what can and cannot be purchased or dropped off that day, please visit the following link which is dedicated to Environment Day on the City’s website: http://www.toronto.ca/environment_days/index.htm  Please feel free to call my office if you have any questions.  Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Your Garbage/Recycling Pick-up Day is Changing to Tuesdays

By now you should have received a new garbage calendar as well as a notice advising you that there is a permanent change in the collection schedule.  As of September 6^th, 2011 household garbage/recycling and green bin pick-up in Ward 33 will be on Tuesdays.  In order to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible, please make sure to share this information with neighbours, family and friends in the ward. If you have not received a new calendar, please contact my office or call 311.

Sincerely,
Shelley Carroll and the Ward 33 Team.

By now you have likely heard about the unprecedented deputations that took place last week at the Executive Committee, which went for nearly 24 hours, concerning the KPMG proposed budget cuts for the Core Service Review that has been undertaken at the City.  Below is one deputation by a Toronto resident named Miro Wagner that really stood out for me, and captures the importance of what is currently being debated at City Hall.  If you would like more information, or to get involved, with regards to the Core Service Review, the Efficiency Review or the User Fee Review that are currently underway at the City, please call my office at 416-392-4038. 

Once, there was a house called Toronto. It was a big house with a lot of

diverse families in it. It was well equipped with all sorts of useful

amenities and people enjoyed them. The most controversial thing for the

residents was the basement – there were some unsightly columns and

pillars which were unpopular, but remained because some felt that the

house could not stand without them. There was the vehicle registration

pillar, the land transfer pillar, the property tax pillar, and so on.

One day, a contractor came and told everyone they could get rid of all

these foundations. Some were skeptical, but he promised them that

everything they loved about the house would stay the same.

After he had knocked down the first column, he told people the house was

not stable – it was going to collapse. He assured them this was a

pre-existing issue and not his fault. “Don’t worry,” he said, “the

problem is just that your house is too heavy”.

He went about solving this issue by first selling the fridge and the

stove. The people who cooked were outraged, but those who didn’t said

“Why should we suffer so you can cook? We prefer to eat in

restaurants.”. Then he sold the tables and chairs. More residents became

outraged, but still there were some who said “We can just stand.”.

After all, the contractor had not yet eliminated the land transfer

pillar. The residents had now forgotten that they were promised no major

changes and he convinced them that furniture was a small price to pay

for all of this improvement.

He announced that he wanted to get rid of the television, the shower,

the laundry machine, the toilets, and the beds – they were all too

heavy. Now more people were starting to get upset. They told him they

wanted to keep these things, but the contractor answered “This is what

you told me to do. We have a four-year contract!”.

The families were now scared of what might be left after four years.

“What is even the point of living in a house without these things?” they

asked. They decided to stand up to the contractor. They hoped

desperately that it wasn’t too late to save the home they had spent so

long building. They also worried that waiting and hiring a new

contractor wouldn’t be enough – after all, it is much easier to destroy

something than it is to rebuild it.

Nevertheless, they were going to try. They didn’t know if they could

avert catastrophe, but their house meant so much to them, they couldn’t

just sit around and wait.

The hottest week on record in Toronto and it was even hotter inside City Hall as the Mayor’s Core Service Review was unveiled in four different Standing Committees of Council. I call it ‘the Mayor’s review’ because the work done by internationally renowned auditors, KPMG, was carried out under the spectre of the financial predicament the Mayor finds himself in. Having spent a whopping $350 million surplus, including a property tax stabilization reserve, all in one fell swoop in 2011, the Mayor must now replace it in the operating budget and double it. Simple cumulative math. KPMG auditors are now forced to recommend cutting or eliminating a corresponding amount of dollars worth of services to residents.

Controversial recommendations abound in KPMG reports on cuts or eliminations in Solid Waste services, Toronto Water services, Transportation services, Childcare services, Long Term Care services, Employment services, Social services, Business Improvement Area services, Planning services, Inspection services, Parks and Tree services, Recreation programming and more.

Next week, at the July 28th Executive Committee,  we will hear suggestions of cuts to all municipal funding to community not-for-profit service agencies, cultural agencies, local arts organizations, community health centres, community food groups and on and on. At this meeting the controversy will be heightened by proposals to sell such strong revenue generators as the Toronto Parking Authority.                                                              

When I met with over 100 residents from Ward 33 to gather input on the Core Service Review, I was sincere when I said that this process was worth doing. Any City should, at least every decade, take a long look at who delivers what and how well. But the process should also weigh the impacts on the City to generate revenues and economic investment in the city. Most importantly, it should weigh the advice from and the impacts on our residents.

The resulting documents have taken none of your advice into account. Neither have they measured the effect of the recommendations on your quality of life. I heard many say that if something makes good money for the City, as our Parking Authority does, we should keep it. For most of the services that Ward 33 residents put in the ‘Very Important’ column, they also commented that these needed to be improved, that these were not what they had been back in the Lastman days. I agreed. Improvement is needed, not elimination. 

With no comments from the Mayor on the cuts to service that he is seriously looking at, everything remains on the chopping block.  I urge you to read through the core service review reports, which you can find on the City’s website as part of the agendas for each of the special committee meetings that were held this week and will continue next week.  In each agenda, suggested cuts are contained in Appendix A. If any of what you read in the reports or hear in the news concerns you, please let me know.  You can also choose to come to City Hall and make a deputation at the Executive Committee meeting on July 28th.  If you need help figuring out how to sign up to give a deputation, please call my office at 416-392-4038 and my staff will be happy to help.

Ward 33 Residents,

I hope you are enjoying our great summer weather! The following provides you with some important information, as well as some fun summer activities!

Emerald Ash Borer Update (EAB)

Sadly, over the next few weeks, many of you will notice an increase in tree removal in our ward as a result of the Emerald Ash Borer infestation. For those of you who are not familiar with EAB, it is an introduced insect native to Asia that spreads quickly, attacking and killing all species of ash trees by feeding beneath the bark and disrupting the flow of water and nutrients in the tree. EAB will have a devastating impact on Toronto’s tree canopy, as it is estimated that nearly 9% of all of the City’s trees are ash trees, and most of them will be killed by 2017. 

In Ward 33, there are over 100 trees that will be removed in stages over the next few weeks. In the first stage of removal, a crew removes all of the branches leaving only the large main trunk still standing, the second crew removes the remainder of the tree to ground level with a crane, and then the final crew removes the stump below ground level and adds soil to fill the holes. Replacement trees for residential addresses are being scheduled to coincide with Urban Forestry’s fall 2011 planting season.

I moved a motion at City Council asking for the City’s Urban Forestry Department to help make it easier for homeowners to access qualified arborists, who can assist should you have an ash tree that needs to be removed as a result of EAB on your private property. This motion has been referred to the Parks and Environment Committee for further discussion. For additional information about EAB you may want to visit the City’s website at:  http://www.toronto.ca/trees/eab.htm  or if you have any questions about EAB regarding either public or private property, please contact my office at 416-392-4038 or councillor_carroll@toronto.ca or call 311.

Garbage/Recycling Pick-up Changing to Tuesdays

Over the next few weeks, households in Ward 33 will be receiving a new solid waste calendar as well as a notice advising that there is a change in the collection schedule. As of September 6^th, 2011 household pick-up in Ward 33 will be on Tuesdays. In order to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible, please make sure to share this information with your neighbours, family and friends in the Ward.

Youth Volunteer Opportunity at the Oriole Garden

The Oriole Garden, located at the Advent Lutheran Church at 2800 Don Mills Rd, is looking for youth who have 5 to 10 hours a week, are interested in gardening, arts and crafts or working with other youth. Some of the responsibilities will include planting, weeding, watering, organizing summer garden activities and taking part in garden and leadership workshops. In return, this program offers volunteer hours, leadership experience and the opportunity to meet new people and lots of fun. If you know anyone who would be interested in this apprenticeship, have them send an email to oriolegardenyouth@gmail.com.

Toronto Hydro Resident Concerns

My staff are meeting with Toronto Hydro representatives this coming Tuesday July 19^th to be briefed on their activity in our Ward, and to also provide my office with the opportunity to raise any hydro-related concerns. Some examples of common concerns that are raised by residents are:  hydro wires that need to be repaired, lights that have to be replaced, or posts that have been vandalised.  If you have hydro-related concerns, please share them with my office and we will raise them at the meeting.

 Cultura – Friday Nights at Mel Lastman Square

Cultura, the food, film, art and music festival, at Mel Lastman Square is back with a bigger and better line-up! This event runs every Friday evening from now until August 12^. This is a great way to spend a hot summer night with family and friends, and it’s free! For more information about the event or to access the event schedule, visit www.cultura2011.com.

St. Isaac Jogues Summer Fun Camp

Located at St. Isaac Jogues School, 1330 York Mills Rd, this camp offers a variety of exciting fun-filled activities for children, from the ages of 6 to 12, until August 19. This is easily accessible to residents of Ward 33 and there are a lot of spaces left, so if you are still looking for camp options for your kids this a great opportunity! Each week is different, ranging from a variety of arts and crafts, swimming, drama, and sports .For more information contact Denise Harkins at 416-395-7966.

June 15^th 2011  blog post from The Grid – Politics

Despite what we’d all like to believe, you cannot build a city for free

With Rob Ford’s tax cuts creating a $800-million hole in the budget, City Hall needs to face the reality that Toronto cannot get more for less money.

BY: Edward Keenan

Last week, TTC chairperson Karen Stintz summed up the seemingly unsolvable City Hall riddle: “There is a sense in the public that we can do our work better. We need to respond to that.” Stintz was answering a question from the Toronto Star about possible fare hikes or service cuts given the TTC’s projected $85-million operating shortfall next year, on top of the $1.5-billion capital shortfall expected over the next decade.

Stintz and those in charge of other city departments are handcuffed by the public’s gut feeling that City Hall should be able to deliver more services with less revenue. It was on this fantastic proposition that last year’s municipal election was fought and won. It formed the basis of this year’s city budget, in which both property taxes and TTC fares were frozen and the vehicle registration tax was cancelled. But the manifest untruth of the idea that citizens can pay less in taxes while getting more and better programs is slowly becoming clear.

Recently, Gordon Chong, the man hand-picked to secure no-money-down-no-interest-and-no-payments-for-ever-and-ever financing for an extension on the Sheppard line, told the press that building the subway would likely require implementing road tolls or congestion charges. No way, said Mayor Rob Ford, in response. Meanwhile, City of Toronto budget chief Mike Del Grande told reporters that the mayor’s longstanding promise to repeal the land-transfer tax will likely need to wait, since the city cannot do without the revenue.

Then Case Ootes, who is stepping down as Supreme Commander of Toronto Community Housing, suggested the agency should sell off $400 million of property to fund repairs to the rest of its housing stock. To which the mayor, incredibly, replied, “I agree, let’s sell these homes, let’s get that revenue. Obviously, we need the money to fund next year’s budget.” (Emphasis mine.)

Ootes’ suggestion was dodgy, but at least it made a certain sense—liquidate capital assets to make capital repairs. The mayor’s immediate twisting of it was lunacy. Selling real estate to balance the operating budget is like selling furniture to pay for food: Tomorrow you’re going to get hungry again, and then you won’t have a bed left  to sell (or to sleep on). It’s the strategy of someone who is both desperate and financially illiterate. Thankfully, Ford later changed his position, saying he’d funnel any sales revenue into TCHC repairs.

But the whole episode represents a huge turnaround from Ford’s mantra that Toronto does not have a revenue problem and that cutting wasteful spending would free up all the money we’d need. Taxes could be cut, he promised, and services would not be cut. People across this city believed him. But it was never true.

The truth then was that the city was getting by: No one was swimming in cash, but we posted a small surplus in 2010. Modest tax and user-fee hikes would have gotten us most of the way to balancing both the 2011 and 2012 budgets. One season of Ford tax freezes and cuts later, we’re facing—even after the much-vaunted slashing of city council perks—an $800-million hole in the budget and we’re discussing selling off capital assets and gutting programs. This is not just ugly. It is unnecessary.

The city of Toronto is growing quickly in population and as a global cultural and business powerhouse, partly due to past investments. When you’re growing—whether you’re a family, a business or a city—you need to invest to ensure the expansion doesn’t lead to collapse. How to fund that continued investment in our city is and was a good question for debate, but coming up with the money was a manageable task. Just about the only unhelpful approach to the problem so far has been denial—pretending we could get more for less money. Which is the approach City Hall has taken over the last six months.

Throughout history, “something for nothing” has always been a suckers’ pitch. Those foolish enough to buy that line have always found they risked losing a great deal. That’s where Toronto stands today. We ought to change strategy immediately, rather than doubling down on a delusion.

http://www.thegridto.com/city/politics/despite-what-we%e2%80%99d-all-like-to-believe-you-cannot-build-a-city-for-free/

Our Great City Needs Great People

We need you to serve on a City of Toronto Board

Mayor Rob Ford and Toronto City Council invite and encourage you to contribute to the City.

We need people with time and talents who want to make a difference to serve on interesting, challenging City tribunals and boards of directors that deliver key services. Toronto is best served by boards that reflect the diversity of the community.  We are looking for Toronto residents with varied skills to serve on the following boards for the 2010-2014 term of Council:

How Do I Get Information and Applications?

• download information and applications from the City Web site: 

              http://www.toronto.ca/public-appointments/opportunities.htm;

• pick up an application kit from the City Clerk’s Secretariat Offices at

              Toronto City Hall or the Etobicoke, North York or Scarborough Civic

              Centres;

• e-mail appoint@toronto.ca ;
• call 311 (TTY 416-338-0889) for information or to ask for a kit by mail; or
• pick up kits and talk to staff at an information session:

How Do I apply?

Complete and e-mail, mail, fax or deliver your application by Monday, July 11, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.

Who Can Apply?

Toronto residents who are at least 18 years old and are not employees of the City or its Agencies, nor the spouse, child or parent of a City Councillor, can apply.  Other requirements can be found on the application form for each board and board information on the City website.

Appointments will be on the basis of equal opportunity to reflect the diverse nature of the city’s population. Women, young adults 18-30, people with disabilities, Aboriginal/First Nations people, members of racial minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

Diversity Our Strength

You may be reading and hearing about the City of Toronto Core Service Review that is currently underway.  The purpose of the Core Service Review is for you to have an opportunity to discuss and share which City services are important to you.  What services do you depend on?  Libraries?  Recreation?  Parks?  The TTC?  Your input will directly influence the 2012 budget process.

The Fairview Interagency Network and I have organized a roundtable discussion in Ward 33, so that our community can directly participate in this process.  This is an extremely important conversation for us to have.  I need to hear what services are important to you before I am faced with difficult decisions heading into the 2012 budget.

The meeting details are as follows: 

                             Ward 33 Core Service Review Public Meeting

Monday, June 13, 2011

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Fairview Public Library

35 Fairview Mall Drive, 4th floor

We will try to accommodate people who require translation and childcare (children 3 and up).  To register for the meeting, please contact Shawna Teper in my office at 416-392-4054 or steper2@toronto.ca.

If you are unable to join us I encourage you to please visit the City of Toronto website and fill out the on-line survey at: http://www.toronto.ca/torontoservicereview/.

I hope to see you there!

As I have received some inquiries from ward 33 residents regarding the May 17^th City Council vote concerning the contracting out of Solid Waste, I wanted to take this opportunity to discuss what was actually before Council.  The issue of the solid waste contract is complex, and there may be other residents who are looking for clarification around my position.

Council was asked to authorize staff to put out a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for garbage collection West of Yonge Street currently being picked up by City of Toronto CUPE 416 members. At the heart of the controversy was the issue of whether or not the results of the RFQ should come back to Council for a final award of the contract. The report before us recommended handing all decision making to a staff committee in which quorum is 2 staff members.

Another issue arose around the lack of information provided in the Works Committee report to allow Council to make a fair evaluation of whether or not the resulting contract would actually save money while still providing the same service. This information is not only easy to provide, but is independently reviewed annually by the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI). Staff simply needs to distill their information and OMBI information to apply to the area being considered.

Without this information, Council would have had to make a decision worth a quarter of a billion dollars of your money without knowing how it might affect your service or your pocket book. Every time I make a decision, I must know the impact on the residents and taxpayers of Toronto. I must know the cost to you today and the cost to you over the long run. That being said, I must also be prepared at all times to give all proposals a fair hearing.

In my view, this means that I must be willing to look at a private quote as well as looking, in a fair and balanced way, at the benefits of staying with our City employees. This is the way the current service was determined back at amalgamation.

Solid waste is largely contracted out at present. Once your garbage reaches the local transfer station it makes the rest of its journey to the Green Lane Land Fill or to recycling and composting markets through contracted out services. If you live in an apartment and your landlord pays the City for garbage collection, it is picked up by our contracted out collectors. The single family homes that were left to public collection at amalgamation when Mayor Lastman was in charge were determined with fair information and comparisons. As a result of the motions carried at Council on May 17^th, just such a fair comparison will be available to Council when it looks at a quote later this summer. I fought for the quote to come to Council, I fought for the current costs and benefits to be honestly reported. On your behalf, I will thoroughly review all of the information.

Lastly, remember that the fee you pay for your grey bin is all that is at issue here. Solid Waste services are separate from our corporate operating budget, not part of your property tax bill and cannot be used to fill the current pressure of $774 million. Whatever decision we take, you will continue to pay a separate Solid Waste fee for your bin. This way, any savings in solid waste reduction, will be immediately apparent to you.  You will continue to pay only your fair share depending on how you recycle and how much garbage you create.

The City of Toronto today launched a public consultation on the City’s Core Service Review to give residents an opportunity to discuss which City services are important to them. Residents of Toronto are encouraged to join the conversation online, download a discussion kit or attend a roundtable session.  A website, http://www.toronto.ca/torontoservicereview, has been created with information on City services, links to the City’s budget and decision-making processes, and an online feedback form to collect public input. The public consultation period runs from Wednesday, May 11 to Friday, June 17.

The public consultation will assist the City in addressing Toronto’s 2012 budget shortfall of $774 million. The Core Service Review and the 2012 budget process are outlined in a report from the City Manager, Service Review Program, 2012 Budget Process and Multi-Year Financial Planning Process (http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2011.EX4.10), which was approved by Council on April 13.

As part of the public consultations, the City will host eight roundtable discussions across Toronto.  At each of the City’s sessions, Toronto residents will have the opportunity to learn about City services and discuss what’s important to them with other participants.  Advertisements with session dates and locations will run in multilingual, commuter and community newspapers as well as online.

Additionally, information kits are available on the website http://www.toronto.ca/torontoservicereview for use by organizations, individuals and City councillors to support small group discussions and provide opportunity for input on the same questions as those asked on the website and at City-led discussions.

The City roundtable discussions will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, May 24

North York Civic Centre

Memorial Hall

5100 Yonge St.

7- 9 p.m.

Thursday, May 26

Danforth Collegiate (cafeteria)

800 Greenwood Ave.

7- 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 28

Etobicoke Collegiate (cafeteria)

86 Montgomery Rd. (Bloor & Islington)

2- 4 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

West Humber Collegiate (cafeteria)

1675 Martin Grove

7- 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 1

Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate (cafeteria)

2300 Pharmacy Ave.

7- 9 p.m.

Thursday, June 2

Reference Library

789 Yonge St.

7- 9 p.m.

Saturday, June 4

City Hall (rotunda)

100 Queen St. W.

2- 4 p.m.

Tuesday, June 7

Scarborough Civic Centre

Council Chambers

150 Borough Dr.

7- 9 p.m.

As space is limited at the City-run sessions, participants must register online at http://www.toronto.ca/torontoservicereview or by calling 311. Pre-registration will help us to respond to additional needs participants may have. The sites are accessible and interpreters can be available if sufficient prior notice is provided.

All Torontonians – whether they attend a community discussion or not – are encouraged to fill out the online feedback form. A report on the public’s comments will be made available online and provided to the City Manager to assist in the preparation of his report on the Core Service Review to Council’s standing committees in July 2011. It is Council’s responsibility to make final decisions about City services and how they are delivered, and to ultimately determine which services are core to Toronto’s needs.