MUNICIPAL SERVICES REVIEW

Despite assurances from Mayor Ford campaign that "services are not cut and who will be
guaranteed", the Service Review of Toronto seems to be precisely in that direction. The
accelerated process of public consultation seems to be setting the stage for the court or
the privatization of municipal services to address the budget deficit in 2012. The first of
eight "discussion sessions" took place last Tuesday May 24 at North York Civic Centre.

I had the opportunity to be present on that date, to learn more and bring information to
you today and share with you what to do about the possibility of cuts to our municipal
services.

Identified by some media as a "Trojan horse", the Toronto Review Service consists of a
feedback process tilted toward the privatization of city services. A union leader I think
about The Lord John Cartwright President of York and Toronto Labor Council "took
generations to meet the service - either in the TTC, libraries or recreational - that respond
to public needs and is built to be responsible and sustainable. It is unacceptable that can
be privatized or user fees based on an uneven process.

The review process question which of the hundreds of services in 35 categories will be
run by the city or privatized. On the question of how a city of services should be
financed, the options presented include increased user fees or increased property taxes.
However, neither the survey form, and the discussion sessions provide information on
millions of the revenue generated from city services such as hydro, recycling, and
parking in the city. While the outline of the review states that the budget deficit is $ 774
million, does not mention that the Ford administration and has reduced the annual income
of approximately $ 90 million through the Vehicle Registration Tax Credit and tax freeze
property.

The purpose of this review is to gather local input from a wide range of people from
Toronto on service review program of the City of Toronto. It can translate into what is
important to you, and give their suggestions to the municipality while it is reviewing all
its services. Their contributions will help the city manager to develop recommendations
on services of the municipality for the Council.

In the City of Toronto wants to know:

• What issues and services important to you, your neighborhood, your community and
around the city? Consider what you can keep Toronto as a city livable and prosperous,
now and in the future.

• In your opinion, what should the role of the municipality in providing these services?
Should these services subcontracted to other suppliers?
• How should the city fund the services we provide? For which services would you
support a user fee and / or increases in real property tax?

All comments, suggestions and ideas collected will be delivered to the City Manager to
prepare its report to the Standing Committees of the Council in July. The comments from
the consultation will also be posted on the project website at:

www.torontoservicereview.ca. To learn more opportunities to speak at Council meetings

and Committee on Services Review Program, please see www.torontoservicereview.ca

About the Program Services Review

The Council of the City of Toronto approved a three-part plan to review the services, the
provision of services and user fees for municipal services. The service review program
will help the manager and the City Council to identify what services the municipality
should provide and how we pay.

The three parts of the Service Review Program are:

1. The core services review will identify what services should pay the municipality.
These include services that the municipality is required to provide by law and those that
the municipality must prestart as a government. The analysis will take into account what
is needed to meet the needs of the residents of Toronto, which is important for people in
everyday life and what it takes to manage the largest municipal government in Canada.

2. The review will examine how user fees paid by the municipality services. The majority
of the public services are paid through taxes on real property. Individuals, companies or
organizations who choose to use other services are paid through user fees. The revision of
rates users develop guidelines on how to fix the prices of user fees.

3. Studies on the efficiency of services will ensure that services do not cost more than
they should. These studies will examine more closely the provision of certain services to
identify new and more efficient ways to offer these services at lower cost.

The affordable housing is part of this counseling. Call it what you know it. "Houses
of Government," Public Housing "or another.

Toronto are questioning the credibility of this process for good reason. Everyone knows
what the real agenda here cuts, cuts there. And he hit out: We, the poorest, our families,
our elderly, do not let the right-wing agenda beat us.
Some good advice on how to complete the survey Toronto Review Service

"A friend of mine wrote this note to me about the city of Toronto survey service (review)

How to complete the survey?:

The survey is obviously very biased and is complicated, but if you have a clear idea of
what you value, it is easy to make it work.

1. At some points, the survey asks if the services are "necessary" or "extremely
important" for the city (instead of being "less important" or "not necessary") All services
are important to some people in this city. So choose t "necessary" or "extremely
important" for all services.

2. In some parts of the survey asks whether the programs should be "delivered by the
City" or "outsourced", or "I do not care." But of course, people should take care not to
fall into the trap. Contracted services are less responsible, less quality and more
expensive. So choose the City must submit all programs by law.

The survey will allow a closer look at specific services. Choose the services they think
are most important. (It made no sense to classify the different aspects of each of these
services, so I skipped that part)

3. I made a point of emphasis on quality was the most important of all aspects of each
service, and investment and improving services makes more sense than slashing them.

4. Because user fees hit poorest people told me that all services should be paid through
property taxes.

Following these four principles, which was capable of completing the survey faster and
have to reflect that mattered most. "

From now until October, a team of 3 million dollars for consultants carefully every line
item in the budget of the city in search of items that ax. Search results - along with tips
gleaned from public consultations, both online and in person - could realign how the city
manages everything from the transit police, court libraries.

Until now, residents of Toronto are taking it very seriously. More than 4,000 people have
responded to an online survey asking what city services residents of greater value. Of the
eight public meetings scheduled to run June 7, six are in excess of reservation .. are the
maximum quota!
The recommendations from public consultations and review of basic services are to be
examined by special standing committees in July. The range of recommended cuts and
increases will not be known until autumn.

We hope that the Latino community of Toronto to actively participate in this process of
counseling issues. And put our interests ahead before the Municipal Government.

Miguel Avila
Latin American Association Tenant