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John Tory, the mayor of Toronto, bothers me.  I think it's because he almost always, like a socially recalcitrant but well-meaning dad, takes three tries to do the woke thing, or maybe it's because he talks in circles even when answering the simplest of questions, but for whatever reason, I've never been his biggest fan.

Lately, Tory has been bugging me more than usual.  Toronto has both a structural budget hole and a structural backlog on major infrastructure, particularly transit and housing.  But Tory, operating in the post-Rob Ford paradigm of taxation timidity, categorically refuses to raise property taxes above the rate of inflation.  To be fair, he campaigned on such a pledge.
But, ultimately, Toronto's finances are a perennial problem because its politicians refuse to bite the bullet and raise taxes; a tax increase at the rate of inflation isn't a raise so much as a cost-of-living adjustment.

Instead of raising taxes to pay for the investments Tory insists the city needs, he's chased a few boutique taxes (a hotel tax, for instance) and belatedly championed a plan to toll Toronto-owned highways, until his request was turned down by all three parties at Queen's Park.
Tory's plan was essentially to insist that commuters from the 905 — Markham, Mississauga and other GTA cities — pay to use Toronto-owned highways.  In principle, he had a point.  But it did not sit well, to say the least, with commuters in the 905 region, who regularly have their own property taxes go up by 2-5%, plus capital levies, to pay for the growth the region is experiencing.  In essence, then, Tory was looking to outsource his need for a tax rise onto the 905, even at a time when the 905 resident is likely facing greater tax increases than their neighbours in Toronto.

Tory was hugely miffed when Premier Wynne announced she would not support his request to toll highways.  All three parties at Queen's Park are united in rejecting tolls, and polling suggests the Conservatives Tory once led are poised to form government, yet it's Wynne's government who is getting the Mayor's ire — that seems at least a slight case of misplaced anger, but fair enough.

Now, Tory clearly feels like the rug was pulled out from under him when his tolling proposal was disallowed.  However, the Premier did pledge she would double the gas-tax transfer to cities, which will provide Toronto with roughly comparable value as to what tolling could generate, so Tory's fiscal issues are at least dealt with even if his need for autonomy is still bruised.

I don't want to re-litigate to toll or not to toll.  What I do object to his Tory's passive-aggressive responses since.

For the past few weeks, Tory has been demanding the province's upcoming budget fund Toronto's priorities, again, particularly in housing and transit.  In response, exacerbated provincial cabinet minister after exacerbated provincial cabinet minister has been left to respond with various riffs on the refrain: "we are", followed by a list of projects already in the works with provincial funding.  This week, Tory praised the Trudeau government for their investments; the province pointed out in reply that they're glad the feds are back at the table but the province has been investing even when the Harper government was cutting back.  It's the inter-governmental equivalent of talking past each other.

What bothers me here is that Tory is essentially going from wanting to tax the 905 to asking for a provincial bailout (something he decried as acting like a needy school boy earlier this year).  In both cases, he was seeking to pass the buck.

But that's exactly my point: the mayor of Toronto has gone from wanting to tax 905 commuters to somewhat tersely demanding a provincial bailout, even while complaining about a lack of autonomy.  Tory could have the autonomy he craves to let Canada's six-largest government budget for its own future — if he had the political courage to raise property taxes in line with neighbouring municipalities.  Until he does, he'll be caught demanding more money even while complaining that it's a demeaning exercise.

Photo Credit: Toronto Star

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