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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow accused the government of finger pointing on Monday, as Canada’s deputy top minister positioned the accountability to lend a hand town with its pandemic-ravaged price range at the province’s shoulders.
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A two-page letter from Deputy High Minister Chrystia Freeland to Chow in keeping with Toronto’s request for added lend a hand presented no new promise of federal investment on Monday. Freeland indicated town may just dip into its personal financial savings or glance to the province.
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Freeland, who could also be the federal finance minister, mentioned the Ontario authorities has the constitutional accountability and financial capability to strengthen Toronto.
“It’s our company expectation that they are going to accomplish that,” she wrote to Chow.
Chow wrote in a remark Monday that the province had signalled its willingness to spouse with town.
“I stay hopeful that the government will sign up for us as smartly, in spite of these days’s finger-pointing,” she mentioned.
The letter is the most recent construction in an ongoing saga between the other ranges of presidency over the way to take on Toronto’s pandemic-related funds shortfall.
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Chow inherited a just about $1-billion funds shortfall, largely tied to lowered transit revenues and larger safe haven prices.
Personnel reviews point out Toronto may just plug the opening on this yr’s funds through draining maximum of its final COVID-19 backstop fund, drawn partially from an already stretched capital funds.
However how town pays for as much as an estimated $927-million funds shortfall subsequent yr stays an open query.
The mayor is anticipated to convene a unique assembly of the manager committee subsequent month to take on town’s long-term monetary plan.
Freeland’s letter says the government’s skill to supply strengthen had limits. She credited Ontario’s “superb fiscal place” to the government’s emergency pandemic strengthen.
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“Mayor Chow, our authorities has been — and can proceed to be _ a dedicated spouse for the Town of Toronto,” Freeland wrote within the letter.
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“Alternatively, the power of our federal authorities isn’t endless _ and the emergency strengthen we supplied all over the pandemic led at once to the superb fiscal place that the Province of Ontario recently enjoys.”
The Monetary Responsibility Place of work of Ontario has projected a provincial funds surplus of $10.6 billion through the 2025-2026 fiscal yr, greater than the government-forecasted $4.4-billion surplus.
In accordance with the letter, Premier Doug Ford’s place of job deflected again to the government. A remark from a spokesperson in his place of job didn’t point out new strengthen for Toronto’s funds shortfall, announcing town’s request for added investment used to be directed on the federal authorities.
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“We are hoping the government and Toronto can paintings in combination to discover a answer,” the remark learn.
Freeland, in the meantime, wrote Toronto’s $11.2-billion reserve fund had an estimated $1.6 billion in uncommitted “stabilization” price range to be had, cash put aside for emergencies and unanticipated prices.
However contemporary town reviews have put that quantity a ways decrease, indicating all however $290 million of the reserve price range had been totally dedicated to strengthen town’s 10-year operations and capital plans.
Chow formally took place of job previous this month, coming off a byelection marketing campaign the place she pledged to paintings with different primary towns to get a brand new fiscal deal for municipalities.
Officers have lengthy mentioned Canada’s maximum populous town merits distinctive monetary attention given the oversized position it performs in regional services and products from transit to safe haven and housing helps.
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Chow welcomed the government’s dedication ultimate week to supply $97 million to lend a hand safe haven asylum claimants in Toronto, however mentioned it used to be no longer sufficient to fulfill town’s wishes given an build up in claimants and with the safe haven machine running at capability.
She teamed up with Ford and issued a choice for the government so as to add any other $26.7 million to this system providing apartment housing stipends.
The mayor has indicated the brand new federal greenbacks could be used to lend a hand open up round 250 safe haven areas for asylum claimants in Toronto.
“Not too long ago, after we labored in combination sheltering refugees, we noticed some rapid momentary successes. This is the type of endured partnership we want to ship reasonably priced housing, rapid and dependable transit and excellent public services and products for the folk of Toronto for years yet to come,” Chow mentioned.
Freeland’s letter famous ultimate week’s announcement and mentioned the government had dedicated $1.86 billion to town this fiscal yr via more than a few techniques, comparable to investment for public transit, infrastructure and addictions techniques, with that quantity projected to upward thrust subsequent yr to $2.3 billion.
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