Toronto -- Fill the potholes, then worry about the arts

Mayor David Miller is proposing to raise annual grants to Toronto’s arts and community groups by $2 million, according to a report in today’s Globe and Mail. Since David Miller took over city hall in 2003 these grants have risen by $12 million. I consider myself to be a supporter of both arts and community groups and have in the past supported them with dollars from my own wallet. But I find this increase, at a time when we are in a recession, and the streets of Toronto are dotted with enough potholes to resemble a war zone, completely inappropriate.
I do not begrudge the tax increase if it is used wisely. Funding arts and community programs may be considered a noble use of the money by Mr. Miller, but filling the potholes will create more jobs, save Toronto’s motorists from thousands of dollars in repair bills and make a considerable contribution to improving Toronto’s reputation among tourists.

So I say, get practical for the next 12-18 months, fill the potholes and tackle as many of the other underfunded infrastructure projects as possible. Leave the arts and community programs to the passionate, committed people who have kept them alive in good times and bad for decades.

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Comment by Dee Turner on May 1, 2009 at 12:29am: I couldn't agree with you more on this issue Phillip!

Having lived in Toronto for over 20 years, I have witnessed first hand the ongoing crumbling of our roads and bridges and have cursed Miller and his cronies each time my car has hit a pothole ~ as more of my hard earned cash is doled out for all the damages. Much of our infrastructure is the worst in all of Canada, yet continues to be ignored by a myopic, visionless city council.

Lest we forget, just a few OTHER examples of such ineptitude:
~ Cancelling the construction contract for the waterfront bridge to the island (with a multi-million dollar penalty) which most certainly would have boosted city coffers and even arts patronage by bringing more tourist dollars & travelers to and from the island airport, directly to the downtown core.
~ Overtaxing Torontonians, home & business owners via property value increases, driving & plate licenses
~ Poor urban planning, permit and building costs, fines and excessive parking tickets, scaring away local business, visitors and tourists to the downtown district.
~ Unfair public transit fare increases, while subsidizing the TTC with tax dollars, providing less service and an unfinished and therefore underused Sheppard subway system for YEARS.
~ Closing of public skating and swimming pool facilities for lack (mismanagement) of funds to keep them open..
~ Shutting down the already inadequate city traffic thoroughfares (DVP and Queensway) for entire weekends, just adding to drivers' road rage over the incompetence, and inconvenience of it all
~ Excessive and unnecessary renovation of City Hall offices, while overpaying municipal workers and other contracts, nepotism and backroom deals Miller campaigned on, with promises to sweep clean, with his broom.

Apparently,it is the public who has been taken to the cleaners, while the Mayor and most of his council keep voting themselves fat salary increases ~ like so many pigs at the public trough!! While everyone else is losing their jobs, homes, their customers, their savings ~ paying higher costs for hydro, gas, garbage pick up and disposal on top of all the aforementioned tax hikes!

Rather than doing the most important and basic things they're being PAID to do on our behalf, THIS Mayor and Council overspends and wastes SO much valuable time and money on irrelevant and/or non-urgent issues like pitbull bans, pet licensing, garbage fines and countless other money grabs to later deal on other questionable issues.

Whenever the city DOES get its priorities right, and finally gets around to fixing the mess on our streets, let's at least ensure that these unionized crews aren't overpaid and overstaffed ~ with one guy shovelling, while the rest sit or supervise!