Simply put, the judge got this wrong. He substituted his view of "best government practices" for the
minimum legal obligations of the provincial government. This is exactly tis type of judicial activism that caused provinces to demand that a notwithstanding provision form part of the charter.
Here's
some evidence that Toronto is not functioning well: a) its infrastructure (including its roads system) is crumbling, b) its public housing is in a horrific state of disrepair, c) its development of adequate public transit is 40-50 years behind schedule, e) council has extensive debates about many topics that are not even within the purview of municipal authority (international genocides, as but one example), f) Council still can't figure out how to stop Councillors from spending their budgets on expenses unrelated to their duties, g) it has seemingly no strategy to eliminate homelessness and its associated problems, h) there is still no cohesive vision for the development of many important areas of the city (notably the waterfront) and i) it manages to fail in so many respects while accruing significant debt and an increasing budget gap
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...ive-142-billion-budget-gap-in-five-years.html . The fact that an elephant may take a long time to die is hardly proof that it's healthy. Toronto will continue to be the economic engine of Ontario because there is no alternative. However, with some vision and the right leadership, it could be so much more than it is. It's too important to the entire province to allow Toronto to simply continue upon the trends it has been following.
Sez you. I don't agree with your mis-characterization of the basis for the judge's decision. We shall see what the Appeal Court rules. Until then, SOP says he got it right.
Like the Ontario Legislature, the Conservative Party of Ontario or any institution you care to name, the City of Toronto could function better. However the claim here and the issue you're ducking is Ford's of repeated claim that Council is "dysfunctional". Mostly you ignored Council entirely and much of what you've listed has been up stuck on the agenda since the last Tory government bollixed up our City with its Kindergarten thinking:
a) Is the inevitable result of Rob's repeal of taxes already in place and refusal to raise new ones. Although Council approves budgets, taxes and such, they come from the Mayors.
b) Is the White Elephant Harris dumped on us, without any money to run it, while he took a whack of our business assessment to juice the Province's budget.
c) Thanks to Rob, and Harris before him. Pre-Amalgamation we we digging a subway, the Duffer then filled in, and we we funded and were building City-wide transit until Rob pulled the plug.
d) Apparently you found no D for dysfunctional item to list.
e) It's up to Council to decide what they discuss and what they rule out of order; that's functioning democracy. Cite the proportion of productive an unproductive hours if you like. In which slot do you put the time wasted on Rob and David Shiner's Plastic Bag Debate?
f) Nor has any police agency managed to stop any wrongdoing. But they like Toronto Council, have sanctioned the wrongdoers they've detected, that's typically how these things function.
g) has any government anywhere got a strategy to eliminate homelessness? Has Ford?
h) You're dead wrong about there being no strategy for developing the Waterfront. That strategic plan is actually extremely detailed and thoroughgoing. Find another.
i) Same problem in new words as a) above, what a tidy wrap-around:
• From your cited article -
As Tory has continued former mayor Rob Ford’s tradition of demanding at-inflation residential property tax increases, council has continued to draw on a rainy-day reserve to balance the books.. Also noting the article once again states that
"found efficiencies" cannot make up for a 10% shortfall in revenue. Raising revenue is the answer; the foremost dysfunctional fools who made TAX CUTS ONLY, NEVER RAISE TAXES their prime Article of Faith were both named Ford although they were far from alone.
I quite agree that, "It's too important to the entire province to allow Toronto to simply continue upon the trends it has been following." That's why I oppose having yet more of them imposed dictatorially, undemocratically and destructively by a man we at last got rid of, and who supposedly has better things to do for far greater number of people he was elected elected to serve. We neither need nor want his help. More of it will ruin Toronto.
