Torontoist » budget

Firefighters Are Not Gravy!

Toronto firefighters' union takes to YouTube to assert their necessity.

In anticipation of next year’s city budget negotiations, Toronto Professional Fire Fighters Local 3888 put up a YouTube video Tuesday to remind the public that their positions are essential. Backed by an urgent orchestral soundtrack reminiscent of a cinematic battle scene, the video presents a photo montage of Toronto Fire Services (TFS) crew members in [...]

Queen’s Park Watch: New Budget Woes, Coming Soon To a Provincial Program Near You

The ongoing world economic crisis means it sucks to be Ontario's finance minister. What can he do to keep the province from stalling out?

Poor Dwight Duncan. Only a couple of weeks into his reassignment as Ontario finance minister, and already the wheels are starting to come off. Remember last month when the Big Three political parties were fighting for the premier’s golden nameplate in an election that they would all eventually lose? When the campaign started, things were [...]

Toronto’s Budget Survey Deeply Flawed

Photo by Georgie_grrl from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. Since long before he was elected mayor, Rob Ford has championed the idea that Toronto was spending its way towards fiscal disaster. Believe that or not (and many don’t), Ford swept into office on a wave of anti-gravy promises, so it’s no surprise that he’s launched a [...]

Glad Hand 64: Suck Hunt

Glad Hand is Torontoist’s political cartoon, created by Brett Lamb and appearing here every Friday.

A Longer Walk to the Bus

Earlier this month, the TTC announced two main strategies to meet Mayor Rob Ford’s budget targets. The first, a ten-cent fare hike, was hastily averted with last-minute creative accounting. The second proposal, to cut back on routes in periods of lower ridership, remains on the table after being deferred to February’s Commission meeting. The public [...]

Glad Hand: Budget Weak

Glad Hand is Torontoist’s political cartoon, created by Brett Lamb and appearing here every Friday.

Glad Hand: Budget, Budget, Whatcha Gonna Do?

Glad Hand is Torontoist’s political cartoon, created by Brett Lamb and appearing here every Friday.

Shelley Carroll Doles Out Hard Truths

Shelley Carroll speaking at the Board of Trade. Photo by Hamutal Dotan/Torontoist. In a breakfast speech delivered at the Board of Trade this morning, budget chief, city councillor, and prospective mayoral candidate Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East) did not pull her punches. Her bottom-line message: there are no easy fixes for Toronto’s financial [...]

Two-Part Harmony

The Hon. Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance, has just wrapped up Ontario’s 2009-2010 budget announcement at Queen’s Park. Surprising nobody, the theme of his speech was the need to address Ontario’s declining economy: Duncan began by saying that “our province is in the middle of a global economic and financial storm… we have seen a [...]

The Tax Man Cometh

Your tax dollars at work. Today is budget day at City Hall, and the mood is grim but determined. In the face of rising unemployment, swelling welfare rolls, and glum economic forecasts, the rock of weakening revenue and the hard place of increasing social service costs are squeezing the City hard. In a press conference [...]

Crime Is Low, Money Grows, UFOs

Toronto’s city councillors have voted to change the rules governing their office budgets, which includes the elimination of alcohol with meals with staff, mileage compensation to and from City Hall, and compensation for raffle tickets or silent auction bids. On the bright side, Torontoist’s corporate booze budget is at an all-time high. Statistics Canada recently [...]

Military Pride, Flaherty Claims Empty Pockets, Spain Won Some Game Or Something

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces marched in the Toronto Pride Parade yesterday, the first time that they have done so. This confirms, once and for all, that the massive international homosexual conspiracy does in fact attempt to recruit youth to their lifestyle. (Also, there is an enlistment bonus if you are willing to be [...]