Municipalities are partners, not punching bags

May 27, 2019

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner made the following statement after the government cancelled retroactive cuts to municipal public health, child care, and other services:

“I am relieved the Premier has come to his senses and finally listened to Ontario’s mayors, who have warned for weeks about the damage from his short-sighted cuts.

In his rush to implement back-of-the-napkin plans, the Premier was prepared to put public health at risk and throw municipalities into chaos.

The Premier has finally done the right thing by backtracking on his retroactive cuts, but the Premier’s fights with other levels of government must stop.

It’s time to bring municipalities to the table rather than dropping budget bombs on them without notice.

I hope the Premier begins treating other levels of government as partners, not as punching bags.

With more cuts to come, and less revenue than expected from the promised doubling of the municipal share of the gas tax, there remain questions that must be answered.

When the Premier disrespects municipalities by not consulting with them and downloading cuts onto them, he is disrespecting the same voters and taxpayers he is supposed to serve.”

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