Another bleak financial picture is being painted for cities across the province, but this time it could actually happen.
Mayors and chairs from across Ontario met today to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 financial emergency. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario, and the Large Urban Mayos' Caucus of Ontario held a news conference, where they sounded the alarm over their financial emergency.
Toronto Mayor John Tory was there, and says the provincial and federal governments need to act now or something drastic is going to happen.
"There will be a report coming to Toronto City Council and I suspect it's true in other municipalities as well, in our case it will come to the July meeting of city council which will outline, in the absence of any help coming from the other governments, exactly what will have to be done," Tory says. "It will probably begin the process of making some of those service reductions."
The joint call for action by Ontario municipalities is part of a national effort led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which is seeking to secure at least $10 billion in emergency relief for Canadian municipalities to be completely funded by the federal and provincial governments.
Several mayors and chairs, including Tory, reiterated today that time is up and if action isn't taken soon, municipalities will have no choice but to raise property taxes, cutting services, and consider other cost-saving measures.
The mayors and chairs said the conversations they've respectively had with the provincial and federal governments has been pleasant and cordial, but now those conversations need to materialize.