Toronto is Ready for a Bright Future

December 2, 2003
Toronto Star, Canada

Toronto is Ready for a Bright Future

When Toronto's new mayor and councillors are sworn in today, they will
shoulder the staggering task of saving this city. To succeed, they will need
to set aside their differences and work together for the common good.

If they fail, all of Toronto fails with them.

Municipal voters have elected a potentially volatile mix of fiscal
conservatives, social activists, New Democrats and outspoken right-wingers.
Similar divisions, in past councils, have made partisan bickering the norm
at city hall. That must end. Turf wars, blind ideological feuds and empire
building are indulgences this city can no longer afford. 

Mayor David Miller is already off to a good start. In a new spirit of fair
play and "transparency," he has opened the process of filling council
committee jobs. Miller has gone out of his way to consult with councillors,
and has created a special "striking committee" to help divide city hall's
plums among the politicians. 

By contrast, under former mayor Mel Lastman, a predetermined slate was
simply sent to council for confirmation.

Miller's inclusive approach is a promising sign of what's to come. But it
remains only a beginning. He will need to deploy all of his powers of
persuasion, and his skill at coalition building, to survive the challenges
ahead.

Toronto faces a budget shortfall of up to $350 million. The TTC is
sputtering; long-neglected sewers and bridges are crumbling; the city's
litter-blown parks are an eyesore; and its waterfront looks even worse. As
if all that weren't bad enough, a series of multi-million-dollar lawsuits
loom over Miller's promise to axe the planned Toronto Island Airport bridge.


On some days, it seems only a miracle could save this city. But there is a
"plus" side to the urban ledger. Toronto is budget poor, but it's rich in
potential. And there's widespread agreement, at all levels of government,
that this municipality has been unfairly treated for years. There's broad
agreement that a "new deal" is necessary, giving more money, autonomy and
power to large urban centres.

The debate is no longer about whether Toronto needs such a deal, but about
how much help will be necessary, what form it should take, and how soon it
should be delivered.

Liberated from the shackles of unfair treatment, and freed to set its own
course, Toronto should assume its proper place as one of the great cities of
the world. It's Miller's job to take us there. And it's also the task of
every member of city council. They should focus on that prize - on their
common task - and forgo the ideologies that divide them.

Only then will this city have the enlightened leadership that it deserves.


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