The City of Toronto has launched a petition demanding the Ontario PC government reverse its course on funding cuts.
Speaking from a podium bearing the phrase “Standing up for Toronto,” Mayor John Tory announced the petition and urged Torontonians to sign it in the hopes it will spur Toronto-area PC MPPs to listen.
The city has said the cuts, which include deep slashes to funding for child care and Toronto Public Health, could leave up to a $180-million hole in Toronto’s budget.
The city and the Ford government have been going at it over the proposed cuts since the provincial budget was announced in April.
“We cannot and will not give up on trying to really achieve the right result here,” Tory said. “The right result is for Progressive Conservative MPPs to lead their government on behalf of the people they represent in the city of Toronto and speaking up and saying ‘sit down with the city of Toronto and other cities from across the province and work together on this.’”
Chris Murray, Toronto city manager, has said that in order to make up for the potential cuts, the city may have to increase taxes or cut essential services.
On Tuesday, the Ontario government offered $7.5 million to help municipalities across the provinces to conduct third-party audits of their budgets.
—With files from Matthew Bingley