TORONTO – Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said they touched on several key issues including transit, traffic congestion, Uber, Syrian refugees and climate change during a regularly scheduled meeting at Queen’s Park on Monday.
“The urgency of dealing with congestion is connected to the urgency of dealing with climate change,” said Wynne following the meeting Monday morning.
“It’s why we’re working with the mayor on his SmartTrack plan. That’s part of our investment infrastructure.”
The topic of Uber and regulating the ride-sharing service has been a hot-button issue recently and it didn’t go unnoticed.
Wynne said the province will have further discussions on the sharing economy but it’s up to the city to make sure regulations are in place at the municipal level.
“This is technology that exists. It’s a reality. Our responsibility is to make sure that we keep up, in terms of keeping people safe, and have the regulation in place that needs to be in place,” said Wynne.
“Choice is always good for people. So what we have to do is have the laws catch up to what’s going on in the marketplace,” Tory said.
On Toronto’s social housing issue, Wynne said it is a collaborative effort that needs assistance from the federal, provincial and municipal government.
“Housing is not just a Toronto problem. Affordable housing, how to deal with social housing stock that is ageing, is a provincial problem and it’s something I look very forward with the new federal government,” said Wynne.
The two leaders also touched on the arrival of Syrian refugees to Canada.
“We will continue to work with the city as services are provided because now as families are arriving they are going to be looking for the language, the settlement services that they require to be able to integrate into their new home,” Wynne said.
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