City
Morning Brew: Toronto Sales Tax, TTC Fare Hike, Pro Athlete H1N1 Vaccinations, Gun Registry on Thin Ice, Housing Market Spike
Photo: "Carpet of Fallen Leaves" by Bobcatnorth, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.
What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):
Given our dire financial state, should Toronto introduce a municipal sales tax? Other large cities in North America do it, so perhaps we should consider it. The idea of paying more taxes for goods and services when we're already taxed to the extent we are really hurts, but it could be a solution to some of our biggest problems (like our grossly underfunded transit system).
We expected a TTC fare hike to be proposed, but I don't think anyone thought that the monthly Metropass would go from $109 to $126 (an almost 16% hike). Doing the math reveals that Metropass holders would have to ride the rocket a minimum of twice daily on 6 days of the week, in order to make the per ride fare less than the cost of tokens. Where's the savings for the most frequent transit users?
Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors players got H1N! flu vaccinations from their team doctors. But are they in high risk groups? (I know they're high risk for not making the playoffs again, but that doesn't count.) Should they have had to wait like the rest of us, especially given the inevitable shortage of vaccine supply?
It looks like the controversial and expensive gun registry program may get axed. Is killing it the answer, given all the resources that have already gone into it? I'm not sure. But I am quite certain that many police officers in Toronto and beyond won't be happy if it ends like this.
The housing market in the Greater Toronto Area saw a huge spike in October, with sales up 64%, and prices up 20%. Many signs are pointing to overall economic recovery, and many for sale signs are pointing to sold properties.
And on the money front, the Ontario government is looking into better teaching our youngsters about personal finance before the credit card companies given them a literal run for their money. Education on financial matters may be introduced into the public school curriculum as early (or as late) as in 2011.
Discussion
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For the Metropass to be worthwhile you've always needed to take a very large amount of trips per month, even before this fare hike. With the token increase a person can commute to work both ways, 5 days a week with tokens for about $110.
Comparing TTC's fares to other transit systems in North America is tough to do because most have zone fares. New York City doesn't, and it's 30 day pass is $89 US per month, however it is currently experiencing a financial crisis and is drastically cutting service. The TTC however is at the start of its biggest expansion in history, so some fare increases should be anticipated, although again it appears the metropass is taking a disproportionate hit.
To compare cash fare: Mississauga, Oakville and York Region's transit systems are all currently $3.00 or more, and Durham Region's fare is $2.90.
As for a Toronto Sales tax. Brilliant, lets enough more people to go to the 905 to do their shopping
Avoid a municipal tax as Xavier said because many people would travel to the 905 or elsewhere for their purchases. The city needs to live within it's means. it's just that simple.
For anyone in a higher tax bracket it would pay back even faster.
I have to agree though, 16% is a bit much.
HA!
As for a new tax, great way to send people to the 905.
There's 200 million bucks right there sitting uncollected because the city is f*cking stupid.
They're are not being efficient at all, even for a government. Miller deserves a good chunk of the blame, but it mostly rests on council as a whole.
This is a perfect example of how the system is gamed.
As a result, those regions can provide better services than the city with a proportionally larger budget and not be forced to nickel and dime its residents at every opportunity like the city is forced to.
I doubt the 905 would willingly give up some of its tax money to Toronto, so I say make the Gardiner and 404 Toll Highways. Up the price of GO Transit into the core (but still keep the relative increase lower than the highway tolls) and give exemptions to city residents.
But the Metropass, by design, should be providing savings to people who commute, just as monthly passes in other cities do; yet it still won't.
I don't commute by TTC every day, but if at some point in the future I do, I'll more likely buy tokens than a pass.
Give the athletes the H1N1 shot first. And in the case of the Leafs, give them a shot of Heart too.
they are constantly traveling on planes, they are mixing it up with many people, and lets not forget about their off court involvment with kid programs at schools and youth centres...
this makes perfect sense to me, id rather have a team without the swine flu and everyone playing at regular fitness levels, than half the team quarantined and us being barely competitive(because we're already barely competitive already)
As for the TTC, yeesh, another reason why TO sucks balls. Let's make the citizens (especially those who can barely afford it already) pay more and give them lthe same, if not shittier, service.
Apparently Ottawa does it. Like Ottawa City Council is worth emulating - the guys who have to pay Siemens millions to break a light rail contract.
i mean, i'm a food service worker who rides public transit everyday. doesn't that mean i'm also in close proximity to hundreds of potential carriers everyday?
They are badly managed and refuse to change!
And the city councillors that get their mitts into it are in breach of one of the founding conditions of the TTC many decades ago, besides the fact they demonstrate themselves they are useless at managing funds in a responsible manner.
Are there better run, larger, more modern examples worldwide? Absolutely! And our guys have all visited them more than once but ignore making changes.
My suggestion... vote them all out of office and demand a massive reorg of TTC from the Chair down with a lot of staff replacements. Unions included. Then do the same throughout City Hall and all of its associated divisions.