Dear Cllr. Bailao,
For ten years I have been a part of Ward 18 Davenport, an area of Toronto I am deeply attached to. I have stayed up all night following the council meeting. I am very saddened by the result. I do not own a car, but I wouldn't sweat a vehicle registration tax. It can be a ‘culture tax’ or a ‘service tax’ - I don't care what it's called, but $65 a year is not enough to justify clear cutting our services. What's happening is deeply upsetting, and it's set to drive a core demographic out of Toronto. My friends and I are young professionals in respected jobs, ages 30-35, contributing members of society and starting families. My friends are all talking of moving away now. How will that make Toronto better? Will Ford benefit from exodus? Because that is what is on the horizon.
It was tweeted that you said Toronto wants ‘moderation’. If you mean that we don’t want clear-cut services, but need to find efficiencies, fine. But from all the reports I’ve read, the kind of negligent spending Mayor Ford campaigned on has not been found, hence the problems we’re facing. There are a lot of low-income people in your ward that would be hit terribly hard by service cuts. Please don’t abandon them to buzz words.
I don't want to trade tax cuts for service cuts. I don't. And neither does anyone I speak to, as a very verbal and active member of Toronto's art and fashion scene.
Sincerely,
Breeyn