He swore that there would be NO SERVICE cuts. That is a major reason why he was elected.
Toronto has a rather large deficit right now, and instead of raising taxes, the mayor wants to cut services.
He wants to cut daycare subsidies (city hall pays for daycare spaces for those parents whose jobs are minimum wage and cant afford to pay $50 per day). He wants to cut down on the number of times the grass gets cut in city parks during summer. He wants to cut down on the number of times the roads get plowed (snow removal) during the winter. He wants to cut down on Police numbers.
But the biggest shock of all is that he wants to Privatise the public libraries!!
Interior of the Toronto Reference Library - the main central branch at Yonge and Bloor
So Canada's champion for books - internationally known author Margaret Atwood - has joined the battle to keep our libraries open.
Margaret Atwood takes to Twitter to battle Toronto Mayor over Library Closures
She is asking people to sign the petition to KEEP OUR LIBRARIES OPEN
Many City Councillors see Toronto's public libraries as a financial burden rather than an important community service. As some American cities already have done, Toronto City Hall is actively considering turning over some or all of the operation of our free public library system to the private sector.
BUT WHO WILL PAY IN A FOR-PROFIT LIBRARY?
Library users, that's who, through higher user fees, fewer books, less access and fewer branches.
Would YOU as a library user want to pay to borrow books?
I would not and cant afford to do that. If this happens, I would just stop using the library.
I have heard that Toronto Public Library is one of the best library systems on the entire North American continent. Possibly also one of the biggest - there are 99 branches. Even Montreal's public library only has 50 branches. We have to all work together to KEEP it that way.
SAVE OUR LIBRARY
SIGN THE PETITION
Thank you.
3 comments:
Good luck with your fight!
That looks like an amazing library building!
We've been getting bits and pieces of your mayor, but didn't hear about the library. I want to know why it's the poor and voiceless (because they are busy working) are always targeted. I notice he's not raising taxes. We aren't facing this yet in Ottawa, but cuts to our library system come up often. I really hope your mayor and city councillors leave your public library alone!
If I lived in Canada I would sign the petition. The last thing I would expect to be closed in a recession is a public library. That is where people go to for recreation when they have no money. What is this guy thinking?
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