Social Planning Toronto | Committed to diversity, social and economic justice, and active citizen participation in all aspects of community life.

Video from SPT’s December 1st Budget Forum is now available online.

Posted on 02. Dec, 2011 by Jeremy.

0

Close to one hundred residents came to YWCA’s new Elm Centre on December 1 to hear how the budget cuts were going to affect our communities and discuss what can be done to prevent these cuts from being implemented. Social Planning Toronto (SPT) hosted the event with Winston Tinglin, SPT’s Director of Community Engagement moderating the forum. Speakers included Franz Hartmann (Toronto Environmental Alliance), John Cartwright (Toronto and York Region Labour Council), Mark Ferguson (CUPE Local 416), Preethy Sivakumar (Justice and Dignity for Cleaners Campaign), Rob Howarth (Toronto Neighbourhood Centres), Jane Mercer (Toronto Coalition for Better Child Care), Neethan Shan (Council of Agencies Serving South Asians), Sonja Greckol (Toronto Women’s City Alliance), Lindsay Junkin (Toronto Youth Cabinet) Susan Wright (Toronto Arts Council), Michael Shapcott (Wellesley Institute), and Geordie Dent (Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations).

Continue Reading

December 1 – Communities Organizing to Stop the Cuts, Budget Committee Meets Friday

Posted on 02. Dec, 2011 by Beth.

0

Communities Organizing to Stop the Cuts

Organizing in Rexdale

Since the City’s 2012 draft budget was released on Monday, residents have been getting together to find out more and organize to stop harmful service cuts to their communities. Two such meetings took place in Etobicoke this week. On Tuesday night, the Rexdale Civic Engagement Group hosted a lively forum on the City budget, including speakers Safia Ahmed from the Rexdale Community Health Centre, Anita Khanna with the Commitment to Community campaign and Beth Wilson from Social Planning Toronto. Beth provided an overview of the proposed budget. Safia followed with a discussion of the impact on families from several proposed cuts. Anita concluded with a discussion of the community grants program and how residents can take action to save vital services. Moderator Nigel Barriffe, Rexdale resident and elementary school teacher, got residents up and speaking about their concerns for Rexdale in the City budget – including the loss of priority recreation centres, cuts to TTC and transit fare increases, cuts to libraries and community services provided by local organizations and the disproportionate impact of service cuts on poor, racialized and newcomer communities. Community members capped off the meeting with plans to organize to stop the proposed TTC cuts among other cuts to important services in the neighbourhood.

Mobilizing in South Etobicoke

On Wednesday night, the South Etobicoke Social Welfare Reform Committee held its budget forum with local residents. Anita and Beth joined Bill Worrell from LAMP Community Health Centre to lead a discussion about the impact of cuts in south Etobicoke. Bill provided both an important overview of the city’s declining trends for low and middle income residents, and the local story of south Etobicoke, including its fighting spirit that has succeeded in saving services under threat in the past. Moderator Richard De Gaetano with Social Planning Toronto encouraged residents to share their thoughts and ideas for change. Residents expressed their deep concerns for the many cuts on the table that would impact their communities, workers and the city. They ended the meeting with plans to make deputations at the December 7/8 public hearings at City Hall.

Getting the Facts in the Downtown
With thanks to SPT Intern Anna Lerner for her report

Close to one hundred residents came to YWCA’s new Elm Centre on December 1 to hear how the budget cuts were going to affect our communities and discuss what can be done to prevent these cuts from being implemented. Social Planning Toronto (SPT) hosted the event with Winston Tinglin, SPT’s Director of Community Engagement moderating the forum. Speakers included Franz Hartmann (Toronto Environmental Alliance), John Cartwright (Toronto and York Region Labour Council), Mark Ferguson (CUPE Local 416), Preethy Sivakumar (Justice and Dignity for Cleaners Campaign), Rob Howarth (Toronto Neighbourhood Centres), Jane Mercer (Toronto Coalition for Better Child Care), Neethan Shan (Council of Agencies Serving South Asians), Sonja Greckol (Toronto Women’s City Alliance), Lindsay Junkin (Toronto Youth Cabinet) Susan Wright (Toronto Arts Council), Michael Shapcott (Wellesley Institute), and Geordie Dent (Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations).

Continue Reading

Check out Social Planning Toronto’s Soundbites e-Bulletin for November 30, 2011

Posted on 30. Nov, 2011 by Jeremy.

0

This issue:

Continue Reading

November 28 – Budget Launch: Death by a Thousand Cuts

Posted on 29. Nov, 2011 by Beth.

0

November 28 – Budget Launch: Death by a Thousand Cuts

Today, the City of Toronto’s Budget Committee began its annual budget process with the launch of the 2012 staff recommended operating and capital budgets. Over the next seven weeks, City Council will debate these draft budgets before making final decisions at its January 17-19 meeting. With today’s launch, the City has released hundreds of pages of documents detailing these budgets (www.toronto.ca/budget2012/index.htm). Today’s update outlines key points from the 2012 operating budget. Over the next week, I will provide further updates on the capital budget and delve into individual program area budgets.

This update also provides key dates in the budget process, including the public hearings that take place on Wednesday, December 7 and (if required) Thursday, December 8. Register by Tuesday, December 6 at 4 p.m. to have your say on the City’s 2012 budget. Contact buc@toronto.ca or 416-392-7340 to register to depute at the Budget Committee. These public hearings will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Queen Street West in Committee Room 1. Register today to save your spot! For more on making a deputation: http://commitment2community.org/?p=237

So what’s in the operating budget? As you may know from media reports, there are a whole lot of cuts in this year’s budget – $88 million in department after department – as well as increases in user fees such as TTC fares and recreation fees. Here are some of the proposals on the table:

elimination of the Hardship Fund in June 2012 – sign the petition now! http://togethertoronto.ca/campaigns/hardshipfund/
cuts to library hours, purchase of library materials
elimination of priority recreation centres (no more free registered programs for children and youth in priority centres)
cuts to arenas, increase in recreation facility permit costs, increases in user fees for recreation
closure of some wading pools, outdoor pools, elimination of programming at some school board pools and shared use schools
closure of three emergency shelters (Birchmount, Downsview Dells and Bellwoods)
9.8% cut to community grants for services delivered by nonprofit community organizations (unclear how these cuts will be applied – across the board vs. targeted cuts)
closure of visitor cafeterias in long term care homes
cuts to student nutrition programs
elimination of over 2,300 City positions including 1 in 5 in the City’s human services divisions (citizen centred services ‘A’)
deferral of hiring of police, firefighters and paramedics (questions about how this will affect overtime spending)
10 cent TTC fare increase with cuts to 62 routes as of January 8
no more Wheel Trans service for dialysis patients
2.5% property tax increase

That’s just scratching the surface. In the days to come, I’ll provide further breakdowns on these cuts.

Continue Reading

Full House to Save the City’s Housing and Homeless Support Services

Posted on 28. Nov, 2011 by Jeremy.

0

Check out the videos from this event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBocAn4v9l0 ( part 1 of 8 )

One hundred residents filled the gym of St. Stephen’s Community House to discuss the fate of affordable housing and homeless support programs in the City budget at the “Housing, Homelessness and the City Budget” public meeting on Thursday, November 24. Hosted by Housing Action Now (HAN) and co-organized by Social Planning Toronto, the event was moderated by HAN co-chair Barb Hurd with Kensington Bellwoods Community Legal Services. Speakers included Beth Wilson (Social Planning Toronto), Linsey MacPhee (Toronto Drop-In Network), Susan Gapka (Tenants for Social Housing), Joy Connelly (openingthewindow.com), Phil Nazar (Toronto Christian Resource Centre) and Michael Shapcott (Wellesley Institute).

HAN co-chair Beth Wilson with Social Planning Toronto kicked off the night with an overview of the City’s role in developing affordable housing, ensuring tenant rights and supporting homeless people, a recap of the housing-related cuts from the 2011 budget and a discussion of the budget process for 2012. Beth’s presentation is available at www.socialplanningtoronto.org.