Miller’s $1 Billion for T.O. Cops

by Michael Red
Basics Issue #12 (Jan/Feb 2009)

On December 19, 2008, David Miller pronounced: “The biggest priority is having police on the street in neighbourhoods…Everything else is second priority.” Toronto’s mayor made this statement to the mainstream media as he signed the new $1 Billion police budget. With more than a hint of irony, Miller also took the opportunity to warn public sector workers that they should not expect to achieve such a rich collective agreement during their own upcoming negotiations.

Could this be the same mayor who countless community groups and labour unions worked so hard to get elected in the first place? What happened to Miller’s supposed agenda of social justice and fairness for all those who live in our city? His record while in office demonstrates that the people’s agenda was in fact thrown out the window from the very beginning.

During his first mandate, Miller made homelessness illegal. Despite the fact that there continues to be a complete lack of affordable public housing and adequate shelter beds in Toronto, the mayor went ahead and gave police the power harass, intimidate and incarcerate our sisters and brothers who are forced to live on the streets. Simultaneously, Miller began his gentrification schemes. As many residents of Don Mount Court, Regent Park and Lawrence Heights know, “revitalization” is a thinly-disguised strategy to push the working class and racialized communities even further to the margins of society. Gentrification also makes private developers rich.

Now in his second mandate, the mayor has allowed armed police to roam our schools and has again inflated the police budget. As unemployment and homelessness increase, it appears that Miller and his supporters on city council are adamant about the need for the further militarization of our city and the continuing marginalization of the people.

It’s about high time that the labour movement in Toronto and other former Miller allies start supporting community-based struggles to fight back against the mayor’s neo-liberal agenda and encourage true grassroots activists and community leaders to replace these elitist politicians.

Rec Centre Programs Under Threat, Again!

$5 million to be saved by pushing people out of free programming in low income areas.

This past fall, City politicians tried closing community centres in order to deal with the City’s financial problem created by previous City and Provincial governments. This January, City Hall is once again considering a move that would put free programming for low-income neighborhoods at risk – and this time, it could be permanent.
City politicians are looking to stop all free programming in 21 ‘Priority Centres” (ie. Centres in low-income communities) and replacing it with a model that will shift the onus on people to ‘prove’ that they are poor. The so-called ‘Everyone gets to play’ policy will increase fees for programs in Centre’s where people have to pay already, and will also force low-income people to submit documentation proving that they are poor in order to get free recreation programs. All registrants will remain on a City database as participants in this program.
Among the 21 ‘Priority Centres’ that would have all their free programs stopped include Lawrence Heights, Rockcliffe, Driftwood, Flemingdon Park, Regent Park (North and South), Oakdale and Scadding Court amongst others.
City staff expect that the implementation of this system will raise some $5 million dollars for the City. While City bureaucrats and politicians are defending the policy by saying that money will be re-invested in programs, they admit that the money made in at least the first year will be used to pay the Parks deficit.
“This is a clear example of working people being stomped on first as a way to save the City money” said Steve D of Basics, who have been organizing in low income neighborhoods to fight for our communities and services. “With ¼ of the City’s budget going to Police, to start cutbacks by taking services from the people who need them the most shows that working people are not a priority for City politicians”.
City staff have also not addressed how this program will effectively include the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy that the City instituted that makes it so that City staff are not allowed to either ask about or report on someone’s status in Canada. If the policy goes through, undocumented workers and their families will not be able to access these programs because they wont be able to provide the City the information required to use them.
Going after free programs in low-income areas and trying to call this is a good thing for people shows how out of touch politicians are with the conditions of working people in Toronto . None of the sham ‘consultations’ they have scheduled with 1 week’s notice are taking place in the community centres most affected.
While Police budgets and salaries keep growing, programs for youth only get attention when there are shootings. Ironically, when the programs start to work is when they get cut - until the next rash of guns that bring the politicians for ‘photo ops’.
It was the widespread anger from communities over the community centre closures in the fall that gave politicians the necessary push to make them reverse their positions. If working people come together to demand that the free programs in communities such as Lawrence Heights, Pelham and Regent Park stay free then we can win!

This Issue’s Enemy of the People: Coun. George Mammoliti

In an ongoing feature, Basics will single out those special people who deserve recognition for having gone out of their way to show their contempt for the working class. Not just your ordinary jackasses - these are Enemies of the People!

Former NDP Provincial politician turned Liberal City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti has really done it this time.

In response to a recent bout of shootings near Jane and Sheppard (not even the area that he represents), Mammoliti made statements to media calling for the Armed Forces to be called in to combat “terrorists”, referencing local gang youth.

Before he was a loud-mouth right-wing politician, Mammoliti was actually a landscaper for social housing in Toronto. As a politician however, Mammoliti has often championed the hard-line ‘law and order’ causes calling for families (with or without children) to be kicked out Community Housing if someone is thought to be selling drugs while he was a Parliamentary Assistant on drugs, and rallying support for extending the contract of the much-hated ex-Police Chief, Julian Fantino. This past year, he called for a ‘red light district’ (ie. prostitution centre) to be set up on the Toronto Islands demonstrating that he has neither a sense for irony or hypocrisy. Mammoliti has also been noted for the amount of donations received from corporations and developers, particularly over $70 000 raised in 2003 for his election campaign - even though no one was even running against him.

Normally, his misspending of working peoples money and jack-ass comments wouldn’t warrant him being given the label of enemy of the people. However, now with his suggestions to bring war to our streets to battle youth he has clearly shown himself to be not only stupid, but dangerous. Congratulations Mr. Mammoliti, you are an enemy of the people.  

Big Cuts To City Services

Community Centres, Libraries, TTC slashed while police budget almost untouched!

Following the deferral of a motion that would have introduced a tax on any sale of land within the City of Toronto, Mayor David Miller announced a wide range of cuts to City programs and services in order to ‘balance the budget’ for 2008.

The Land Transfer Tax would have applied a tax ranging between 0.5% and 1.5% on the sale of any land including homes within the City boundaries. Together with a Vehicle Registration Tax (already applied by the Government of Ontario), this would have brought over $350 Million into the City cofers. The City was arguing that it needed this money to keep services at their current level given that it is still funding some $500 Million worth of Provincial programs that were downloaded during the Conservative government of Mike Harris in the 1990’s.

In the last Provincial Election, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty ran on a platform that included ‘uploading’ (taking back the responsibility of funding these programs). His government however has reversed only a fraction of what Harris did, while at the same time giving his friends tens of millions of dollars in grants, and himself and his colleagues a 25% pay increase.

The TTC for its part stated that it will increase fares by 15% from $2.10 to $2.25, while Metropasses will increase from $99.75 to $109. That amounts to an $111 annual increase for daily public transit users!

Cuts to community services will include the closing of library services on Sundays and the closing of all of the City’s 130 community centres on Mondays. These cuts not only mean loss of income for many part-time workers in community centres but they also mean that communities will lose out on programming and places to congregate with neighbours. The cuts represent roughly 15% of programming at Community Centres and Public Libraries, who had already received cuts in the 2007 Budget.

By contrast, the Toronto Police Services stated that they will reduce their $800 million budget by $3 Million, representing 0.3% of Police operating dollars. The Toronto Police Services take
up roughly 25% of the City’s total operating costs and have had an increase of $150 Million to their operating budget since 2003 despite the election promises of Mayor David Miller to not hire any more police oicers.

Miller is now stating that more funds are needed in order ‘have the standard of living that Torontonians are used to’. With poverty increasing in this City the fruits and beneits alluded to
by Miller have evaded most working class families. And the cuts that were announced will disproportionately afect low-income communities that use these public services. The real estate agents and other wealthier sectors that organized against Miller’s tax will likely be afected little by these cuts.

The City blames the provincial and federal government for not giving Toronto enough money. The province and feds say that the City needs to ‘get its house in order’. Once again, the diferent levels of government and the politicians in charge point the finger at each other when it comes to answering the questions of why the services that working people depend on become more expensive and less accessible everyday. They will promise reviews, consultations and reports but never solutions to the needs of our communities.

We cannot depend on those rightwing Councillors who for pure political opportunism are calling for the cuts to be reversed. Councillors like Case Ootes who targets the homeless and Michael Thompson who argued for racial proiling of black males by Toronto Police, don’t care about working people or our communities. The want to embarrass Miller and that’s it. But this division among the diferent levels of government and among the ruling classes also represents an opportunity for working people to confront them and win. If the wealthy real estate agents can hold of a tax with a few emails, then working people can get our community centres back with our voices!

Gov't Budgets: Cop Salaries and War Put Ahead of Working Class Families

The weather wasn’t the only thing that was cold for Toronto’s working people this spring, as all three levels of government introduced budgets that gave little to working families in the City.
The Federal government passed a Budget which accelerated the implementation of the $5.3 Billion Canada First defence plan so that the Canadian Forces will receive $175 million in 2007–08, in addition to over $100 Million for bonuses and services to veterans of this current war. In addition, they passed over $80 Million more for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (the Canadian CIA), $102 million in additional funds for Correctional Service of Canada and $10 million for the Canadian Police Research Centre. All of these hundreds of millions thrown around for war and policing, and no money for a National child care program to help working families find affordable child care.
Still saddled with the funding provincial social programs that the province refuses to pay the bill for, the City produced a budget that proposed a 3.8% increases in the property taxes (paid by tenants in rent and homeowners through direct taxation) and a decrease in social services.
In fact, the initial Budget recommendations had slated the closure of 7 outdoor pools and 11 indoor pools in Toronto schools where Parks currently runs its programming. These recommendations came just a week before the salary disclosures of public employees was released showing that 2010 City employees made over $100 000 including 708 police. Compared to 2005, only 1193 City employees made over $100 000 of which 279 were police.
The huge increase of almost 300% in police making over $100 000 does not even include officers being directly for time paid directly by individuals and businesses for private events and functions.
Right-wing Councillors and the media point to increased expenses but don’t mention that Police have been given more than $800 million in operating dollars and have also spent $21.1 Million in overtime. So when you see Police at demonstrations or public events, know that constables are making $58/ hour while detectives get paid $66/ hr.
Toronto is one of the safest cities in one of the safest countries, but we are also seeing that people are getting poorer. Safety in working class communities is best addressed through addressing the increasing levels of poverty, particularly amongst our youth whose unemployment rates are consistently double that of older workers. Some of those dollars spent topping up Police officer salaries should be spent in the community employing youth for good jobs, as well providing increased services to people.

City Elections means little to Workers

Working people in Toronto have been offered little this year, despite having seen at least two, and in some areas three elections this year.

This fall, 44 new Councillors and a new Mayor will be elected for City Hall.

The prospect of any change is minimal, as the main opponents to David Miller are disorganized and have little base of support other than small pockets of people who want to see even more cops on the street, homeless people in jail and privatized social housing.

The likes of Jane Pitfield, Cesar Palacio, Peter Lipreti and others have spent most of their time pushing for these things and other policies that keep pressure on working people.

However, it is becoming increasingly evident, even inside Miller’s campaign that 3 years of a Miller lead City Hall has left a lot to be desired in the minds and wallets of Toronto workers.

Miller’s City Hall has made some positive steps in addressing some environmental concerns, but it has also put more money to Police at a time when police brutality and corruption are being exposed more than ever in this City. It has also increased user fees on services such as the TTC, made little or no progress on issues of addressing affordable housing, and moved to ban homeless people from sleeping in City Hall.

City Hall for its part, like every other level of government, blames another level of government. And while other levels of government are also to blame, the sentiments of Toronto workers is undeniable – Miller’s priorities are out of whack.

Faced with no mayoral race and very little discussion of actual issues, it is likely that voter turnout will not increase beyond last elections 35%.

Nonetheless, people can still raise awareness about issues such as affordable housing and social services, and a real answer to the difficulties faced by working people and families.

Whats good for the Politicians is good for the Workers

Salary increases show need for increase in wages of working people

Torontonians have seen two of the three levels of government officials give themselves raises in the last couple of months.

First, the Conservative Federal government, with approval of most Liberals Members of Parliament (MP’s) gave themselves a 20% pay increase, putting them in the richest 1% of Canadians.

More recently at the July session of City Council, Councillor’s approved a 9% increase to their base wage, arguing that Councillors in cities such as Vaughn and Mississauga are paid upwards of $117 000.

Predictably, the same Conservative media that rambles on about how ‘fiscally irresponsible’ socially funded education, health care and housing are, stayed relatively silent on the MP’s increase. With City Council being dominated by the New Democratic Party (NDP) these same media outlets came out blasting City Council.

Ultimately, what do these things mean for working people? In reality, these policies and the media response provide some important lessons regarding the opportunism and hypocrisy of government and media.

Nonetheless, the $8 million (308 MP’s X $25 000 per year) would have impact on people lives if it meant giving money for grants to low and middle income families looking to put a child through University. Likewise, the $400 000 (44 Councillors X $9000) would have benefited communities like Parkdale with hiring of a few more inspectors to shut down slum houses, or in Lawrence Heights where parks are in need to repair and clean up.

These same levels of government, not matter what Party controls it all are opposed to measures to increase the real or social wage for the majority of people. Not only this, but they have also implemented policies that DECREASE people’s wages. The municipal government continues to increase cost of services like the TTC, which the Federal government has gone out of its way to destroy the idea of a national system of affordable child care.

With the wages and services for the majority of people in decline, Politicians think it justified to be rewarded while our lives become harder. These increases will not make government more responsive and in fact show how hypocritical and unconcerned they are already.

Politician’s salaries should be indexed to minimum wages, so that politicians can’t raise their wages without raising the wages of all. We should remind these politicians that we need cheaper services, higher wages and more, better paying jobs.

City Politicians Trying to Hike Own Pay

Toronto city council's Policy and Finance Comittee is pushing forward a proposal to raise the salaries of all councillors and the mayor, to be decided on mext week. David Miller, Howard Moscoe and a host of other municipal politcians are publicly supporting this move. Presently a Toronto councillor salary is 87,000 (around three times the average Canadian income) and the mayor's salary is 147,856 (around five times the average Canadian's income). The self-serving rationale being offered by the mayor and councillors is that such a move is necessary in order to attract talent to the positions. This is an outrageous claim as these positions are supposed to be a public service, not a position for personal advancement at the public expense. In reality this is nothing more than a display of these politicians culture of entitlement.

CITY ELECTIONS 2006: MILLER, ITS TIME TO KEEP YOUR PROMISES!

Almost three years ago, the people of Toronto elected a mayor who projected himself as the saviour for communities who suffered under the Federal Liberal, Provincial Conservatives and Mel Lastman crooks. Not only were we promised an end to corruption, but also social housing, improved transit and more. Three years later, with another Municipal election looming at the end of the year, what exactly did Mayor Miller do for us?

Let’s look at the track record.

POVERTY AND HOUSING
Organizations such as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) have pointed out that while having been elected as the ‘people’s mayor’, the one who would focus attention to improvement of services and programs for communities, Miller has instead cozied-up to the very people he was supposed to be against. While drop-ins such as the one at 60 Richmond have closed, no new social housing units have been built in the City at all. On the contrary, the shelter by-laws that limit the amount of beds in shelter within given communities as well as gentrification projects such as the Regent Park re-development will ensure that Miller’s legacy will leave Toronto with less housing and shelter for poor and working class people.

POLICE
Over the last couple of years, there have not only been significant Police scandals involving corruption and abuse, but also extreme cases of police brutality. In some of these cases, the Police have even murdered. Such was the case for example of Jeffrey Reodica, a Filipino youth who was shot in the back by undercover police. Despite this, Miller’s City Hall has rewarded these unprecendented abuses with the largest ever increase in Police funding for the City of Toronto.

SERIVCES
Miller campaigned hard on affordable Public Transit. Over the last couple of years, TTC fares have increased dramatically and are facing another hike in April. We are told that despite the City’s $8 Billion budget, there is no money and so this is necessary. The reality is that the Mayor and his City Hall have chosen to increase their revenue on the backs of the poor and working class through property tax increases, fares and other user fees. With these revenues, they have chosen to prioritize massive increases in dollars to a repressive and increasingly corrupt Police force, instead of social services and community programs that act as preventatives to crime.

Some say that he can deliver on those social promises with another term.
This is highly doubtful if we look at who will be running his re-election campaign.
Among those who will be organizing to get David Miller re-elected are former Conservative cabinet Minister David Crombie, former Ontario Liberal Premier David Peterson and John Laschinger, Belinda Stronach’s Conservative Leadership race organizer as campaign director.

Miller has made it evident that the interest of working people are not his priority.
With almost 10 months until the election and no alternative candidate who even pretends to care about working people and the poor, people have to build to show that they want substance, not empty promises.