Sunday Reading

Two quick posts of good weekend reading that happen to be from Rotman profs:

• Why it is your fault the Leaf's stink, by Richard (Rick) Powers
  
• Wake Up Toronto, by Richard Florida

Incidentally, there are profs with names other than Richard.

Got style?

In the winter, a new Country Style opened near my old apartment at Yonge and Eglinton. The staff are very friendly, it is comfortable, the line moves fast and the food is great. All a very clear contrast to Timmy's - a positive one - and a more reasonable offering that Starbucks or Second Cup. Yes, it costs an extra dollar or two by then end, but for that you get a larger sandwich with fresh veggies Jalapeño bread, or a muffin that is visible to the human eye. Sounds worth it to me. The coffee also tastes better.

The store is clearly one of the test stores for the chain's redesign, as reported here in the Globe, and in my opinion has been a great success. Moving to areas near a Tim Hortons, the direct competitor, and creating a better offering on service, food and atmosphere has created a busy, and likely successful store. Expert to see more springing up near you.

In fact, I put in a request for a location near my new pad. Too bad it isn't public...

Speaking of food, have you been to South Street yet for a burger? Wow.

Hissy Fit?

David Miller, in response to council deciding to delay his proposed massive tax hikes, has apparently decided to throw a hissy fit and propose absurd consequences including massive TTC cuts, a new casino and raising your property taxes to ensure nobody ever wants to live in Toronto. I have two questions:

1) How did it get so desperate? If these massive actions are necessary, wouldn't a responsible person have been phasing them in over the past 5 years? Or at least included them in their election platform?

2) What about the less headline catching solutions, such as looking at council's expense habits and the size of the city government? What has been the cost of the fun street lights that countdown your wait?(A favorite of Bay Street Type A folks)

I vote for a responsible audit of city spending and potential savings from an outside auditor that the public can review and then judge. Similar to a publicly held company. Wouldn't that be an odd practice in accountability?

Letter on Toronto's proposed new taxes

This morning, I sent the following letter to my city council representative. What do you think about Toronto's proposed new taxes?

Mr. Jenkins,

As you know, today City Council will vote on two new taxes.
I understand it is your intention to vote against these tax increases, and for that I would like to thank you.

The proposed taxes are bad policy for Toronto for a number of reasons:

Both taxes piggy back existing provincial taxes and take advantage of "one-time" occurrences like renewing a driver's licence and buying or selling a home. This is as opposed to a regularly paid tax, such as property tax. It is clear to me that these taxes are designed to blur the line of responsibility between the provincial and municipal government so voters are unclear who should be held responsible. In addition to the bad precedent of ambiguous lines of responsibility, the taxes were not a part of the Mayor's election platform or mandate. Toronto deserves an accountable city hall and voting against these taxes is a vote for accountability.

As a city, Toronto also faces a challenge with residents and businesses moving to surrounding suburbs, thus decreasing our tax base and weakening Toronto's economic engine. I would not be surprised if the net outcome of the land transfer tax is a smaller total tax base as residents move to other municipalities in order to save thousands of dollars on a home purchase. Buyers and sellers budget based on the total cost/revenue of a sale or purchase. This new land transfer tax will mean sellers paying more and buyers receiving less in Toronto than in areas like Mississauga, Whitby, Oshawa and even Kitchener-Waterloo.

In addition, I am not yet convinced that the city has yet made the effort to find savings within the existing expenditures. Before raising the cost of living in Toronto, city council and management must look for ways to more efficiently spend the current revenues. A competitive business would not raise prices until all other avenues were exhausted. Similarly, Toronto should view itself as a competitive business for residents and businesses in Ontario.

Given the reasons above, I hope that you and your colleagues will take the opportunity today to turn down these tax increases and keep Toronto accountable, strong and competitive.

Sincerely,

Tim Tutsch