March 2010

[Ally]

Toronto property tax hike shrinks 2.9%

For months, city hall had been singing the same tune: We are broke. Homeowners would be asked to carry a considerable chunk of the burden. A 4 per cent property tax hike was necessary to balance the books.

What this would mean to the average homeowner: a $93 increase.

But despite the tax hike, Toronto residents could expect fewer services. City officials called for 5 per cent budget cuts across the board. Though most departments failed to hit the target, considerable cuts were made to virtually every area.

But at a news conference Wednesday morning, Mayor David Miller made the surprise announcement that the city`s financial picture was not as bleak as projected.

An extra $100 million in surplus had been found, mostly through property tax figures that arrived late and city investments that performed more strongly than expected.

Now some have quietly questioned just exactly how much in the dark some city personnel really were.

Was the sob story just a tool to get difficult budget cuts made?

Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Officials dig into Go station tunnel plans

A second GO station for Barrie is one step closer to reality and Allandale residents are a few steps closer to the waterfront.

The federal government, the province and the city announced $2.1 million in joint funding, Friday, to build a pedestrian tunnel and stairs to get the Allandale GO Transit station on track.

The new access tunnel will allow commuters and local residents to walk from parking areas along Gowan Street and under the tracks to the GO station platform, which will be located on land near the historic Allandale station.

Prior to construction of the 20-metre tunnel, site preparation around the future station -- which is actually a platform -- will begin in late spring or early summer, according to Gary McNeil, managing director of GO Transit.

The final design of the three-to four-metre wide tunnel will make it pedestrian-friendly with an eye to safety, he said.

"It will have high lighting levels and clean sight lines with no hidden corners," McNeil said.

He said the tunnel is not just for commuters using the GO train.

Read the full article here.