NORTH YORK WESTON FOREST, as r/ LEAS\DE EAST YORK SWANSEA] — TORONTO METRO TODAY SCARBORO NORTH YORK TORONTO SCARBORO EAST YORK AMALGAMATED METRO SIX-BOROUGH METRO By PHYLLIS CLARKE : ITH ONLY a week to go in the presentation of briefs Mission the Goldenberg Com- tif, os Speculation is already ing to the recommendations. alm tl Goldenberg, appointed Vincial a year ago by the pro- ate Pee cment to investig- ee a lems of municipal gov- t in Metropolitan To- Will have heard over 75 from municipal govern- digg Fat enicipal advisory bo- divig orePayer organizations, in- mo, as, the organized labor Pant ment, the Communist Y and others. boroughs? mite Were no great sur- —Sity aa the presentations. The ®aly Toronto proposed full Oyo,2*™Mation while the suburbs 2oVer to maintain some two- the ,7Ment form be it metro or of the cush system. Some hint Conommissioner’s thinking , ained in his comment © borough system is just " ‘Onto th Ss ays z. Meposals for the future of Metropolitan Toronto, Ussed here by Mrs. Phyllis Clarke, who last wee ‘How AMALGAMATION can ease Present burden of municipalities the metro set-up but with few- er municipalities. Mr. Goldenberg in his last municipal _ study recommended amalgamation for St. John, N.B. Many of his questions of the briefs indicate a predilection toward amalgamation. Metro is now 10 years old in Toronto. Over this 10 years taxes have soared. Provincial grants are relatively lower. Di- vision of responsibility between two levels of government has been a wonderful refuge for those who want no action. Metro Council, a body not directly elected, levies almost half the taxes. Representation by population flew out the window with Metro. An area like North York vith 32 times the population of Swansea has the same repre- sentation on council. Antagon- isms between municipalities, petty quarrels between elected. representatives, the issue of “city versus suburbs” perform the useful function of masking . the main problem in the munt- presently being studied by the Goldenberg Royal Commission, are dis- k submitted a brief to the commission on behalf of the Communist Party. cipalities, that of the inadequacy of spending by senior govern- ments for health, welfare and education. — Big business benefits by play- ing off one municipality against another. Special tax conces- sions, changes in zoning by- laws, all work in the interest of the real estate sharks and monopoly industry. Inequalities Inequalities in service, educa- tion and housing development have continued under the metro set-up. For example, health ser- vice per capita expenditures in 1962 ranged from $4.62 in To- ronto down to 64 cents in Mi- mico; public library service was $5.03 per capita in Leaside in the same year and $1.27 in Swansea. The brief of the Toronto and District Labor Council points out: : “In Toronto, a boy in Grade 7 may have the benefits of a Wa Construction goes on at Toronto’s new’ city hall in the midst of controversy about what (vj.° Of new municipal government should be adopted. Shown above are the architect's model thie Rewell won an international competition for this design) and the present building stage at SWntown site. science laboratory, music room and library. He can have spe- cialist teachers in art, music, physical training. Dental and psychiatric staffs provide free services to children who need them. In Mimico he would have none of these services, except for a library at one school. Weston has no public school lib- raries, Scarborough has no se- nior public schools or junior high schools with specialized facilities.” The other side of the coin is the obvious genuine concern of many in the suburbs that amal- gamation will bring immediate tax increases. The 1964 mill rates on residential property range from 69.1 in Toronto down to 51.37 in Leaside. Six of the mu- nicipalities have tax rates of 60 mills or more, with the re- maining seven all in the 50’s. The Communist Party in its brief ‘proposed “that the provin- cial government pay the costs of bringing all services in great- er Toronto up to the level of the best.” The brief also c2!'!-d for the assumption by the ‘ederal government of the cost of sie- ‘mentary education and fo. fe- deral - provincial responsibility for health and welfare and hos- pital construction. The brief further states, “In- stead of uniting the municipal-. ities to present common de- mands to the provincial and fe- deral governments, the present metro system fosters divisions and bickering. This makes it easier for the senior govern- ments to escape their respon- sibilities — notably in the field _of finances.” Will the city be too large and municipal representatives re- mote from the people? This is another question that received wide attention. In its appearance before the Commissioner the Communist Party was questioned on its pro- position that in an amalgamated Toronto there should be small municipal or ward councils elected to have authority over neighborhood questions such as sidewalk and street repairs, en- forcement of zoning by-laws, maintenance, local parks. Funds for these purposes, the party proposed, should be alloc- ated from city council. It point- ed out that this in no way re- presented two levels of govern- ment as these local bodies would have no authority to levy taxes but would serve to bring the people in an area closer to their municipal government. All of the briefs presented by those involved in the problem of housing, planning and urban re- newal strongly favored amalga- mation. Mr. Goldenberg listened most sympathetically to their complaints about the problem of real action on these questions with two levels of government. Housing The Toronto and District La- bor Council also stressed this field: “Metro should be building at least 3,000 new units of low- cost housing yearly. The re- cord has been a disgraceful few hundred units during the past three years. The delay has been caused by bickering and lack of coordination among the muni- cipalities. Housing policy is not unified in the Metro area. Fami- lies most in need of housing live in the city. Downtown land is too expensive. The most suit- able land is in the suburbs. The housing program will continue to lag until there is one amalga- mated authority to unite all ef- forts and consider the needs of the whole area.” - How long it will be until Mr. Goldenberg makes his report, not to mention how long it might be until the Ontario gov- ernment acts on his recommen- dations, is of course unknown. This much though is certain — municipal elections this fall af- ford an excellent opportunity for candidates to urge changes in federal - provincial - muni- cipal financial responsibilities. This is vital to the solution of. Toronto’s problems, whether or not there is amalgamation. June 19, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7