Core Review Given Toronto Experience
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 @ 9:05 AM
Prince George, B.C. – One hundred people came out last night to hear speakers discuss the Prince George and Toronto core services reviews. The meeting was organized by CUPE BC, I Heart PG, Stand Up for the North Committee and the Faculty Association of CNC.
Peter Ewart, from the Stand Up for the North Committee, began the presentations by giving an overview of Prince George’s Core Review, as well as a ten point critique of it. He pointed out that KPMG, which is the organization contracted to conduct the review, is not an independent or neutral organization as advertised on the City’s website, but rather a multinational organization deeply involved in bringing about privatization of public sector services in many parts of the world.
Furthermore, in his opinion, KPMG’s research methodology leaves much to be desired, whether the planting of privatization ideas by KPMG facilitators in public input sessions or the drafting of an extremely awkward and clumsy online survey. He also criticized the fact that the Prince George Core Review will not be examining the role that various city councils have played in jacking up the city’s debt by authorizing big spending on various capital items and mega-projects.
Sean Meagher, of Toronto’s Public Interest Group, pointed out that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and his administration brought about a fiscal crisis in Toronto by reducing city revenues. He did this by freezing and eliminating various taxes, while inflation increased costs every year. Thus, the stage was set for a Core Services Review which, as in Prince George, was to be conducted by KPMG. Alarm bells were then sounded by Ford and others on council about the urgent need to make “tough decisions” and “big cuts.”
Recommendations that KPMG made in its Toronto review included massive cuts to community agencies, funds for medical supplies for the elderly and disabled, child care subsidies, recycling services, and a host of other services. In addition, libraries were to close, snow removal reduced, transit fees increased, and seniors housing sold off.
However, in its rush to complete the Core Review, KPMG and the City of Toronto made many mistakes, discovering after the fact that many of the services could not be cut or eliminated, either because they were statutorily required by law or because their elimination would cause shortfalls or financial difficulties in other areas. KPMG even proposed selling off the Toronto zoo until it was discovered that the city neither owned the land nor the animals in the zoo.
Meagher pointed out the citizens of Toronto got into action in a big way when they realized the magnitude of what was being proposed. But KPMG and the Ford administration had set up a process that limited and confined public discussion and engagement over the massive cuts and changes. The people demanded that their voices be heard and eventually changed the debate to focus on what people wanted in terms of city government and on how to make the city run better. City councillors were deluged with phone calls, emails, and peppered with questions in public meetings. The enthusiasm and concern of the citizenry was so strong that some of these public meetings went on all night.In the end, according to Meagher, most of KPMG’s recommendations were rejected by city councillors, and Mayor Ford suffered a crushing defeat.
In Meagher’s view, the Toronto experience highlights the importance of citizens getting into action to save their cities from unnecessarily fomented fiscal crises, and faulty core review processes that cut and sell off services and infrastructure it has taken years for the citizenry to build up.
Comments
Sounds like this right wing think tank believes its working in a third world country.
Cheers
Well, it certainly sounds like like they had a fair and unbiased discussion last night. My mind’s made up; Ewart for Mayor!
So, in reading this article I have to wonder why we the citizens of Prince Goerge are not rising up and crying foul.
We are going to have to get tough on this present Mayor and council. Otherwise they will run rough shod over us as is indicated by this up coming China trip. Both the Mayor and councilors have ignored everything and are going ahead with spending of money that could and should be put to use in other important areas within our city – the road budget being the least.
I for one am getting tired of seeing elected officials from the Federals all the way down to our Municipal governments become dictators and igmore what the people say or want.
I don’t profess to know all of the ups and downs of governments and their workings, but common sense tells me that if there is constant complaints from officials about the lack of money to do things that are realy needed like snow removal, fixing of roads etc. then spending money on stupid trips to twin some city in China is assine to say the least. Who the hell cares about having a twin city in China. We need our elected Governments to take care of our city first – then if you have the money go on your vacation to China.
I knew that Ms. Green would be trouble when she was elected and boy was I right! That also includes councilors like Mr. Stolz.
Please forgive the spelling mistakes I left uncorrected in my post – I was in a hurry.
Sorry.
Sure get tired of HRH Green wasting our taxes. Please ma’am , more soup. That and people that post, then post again to apologize for spelling mistakes. Nobody cares if you can’t spell big werds
bonneville – you are funny – Ha, Ha.
Sounds like it was a typical union bitch session, lots of complains but no suggestions on what could be done to make the process better.
Keep the status quo….no lay-off clause and chin rests on all shovels.
Put a banner on your car, toot your horn and drive around city hall until this council gets the message that this ‘China’ trip will have to wait until our NEEDS are met first!
“Put a banner on your car, toot your horn and drive around city hall until this council gets the message that this ‘China’ trip will have to wait until our NEEDS are met first!”
Call me a pessimist but I doubt that would work. They don’t care about our needs; politicians are there for themselves.
Miss Green is not my favourite politician, and much of the current council has its head somewhere I would not want to look, but with respect to the China trip – that money was given to the City by the Province for that specific purpose. I wonder why it took four years to come up with a use for it, especially when the City has made other trips in that period.
Which money is being shuffled where ???
And, will the trip “bear fruit”? Not likely. And if it does, it will likely be green and unpalatable – like our mayor.
Well said lonesome sparrow.
lonesome sparrow:
“chin rests on all shovels”
Have you checked to see if there is a current patent on such a thing ? That idea is even better than the hula-hoop, slinky or a frisbee.
I worked for the department of hiways when I was younger. I’d like to see if those snotty noses could keep up. ha!ha! If you was thinking there was a chin rest you would have to back up to operate it.
Rather then flying half way around the world to twin our city maybe we should try and live up to the title of “Capital of the North” Take a Road Trip up north to the booming Towns like Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek, Ft.St.John and Ft.Nelson and figure out why they consider the “Capital of the North” to be Grande Prairie, Alberta.
After all that is the same road trip that a lot of our unemployed and contractors drive when the PG economy has let them down.
axman I love your idea about puting a banner on a car voicing our concerns about THE TRIP TO CHINA and drive it around city hall very slowly with the horn stuck.
Another way to spend-spend-spend our tax dollars. Each tax payer could suggest a way to save PG money and it is simply to tell Her Majesty to quit spending foolishly. There would be no need for a core review, we could be able to pay our teachers adequately and we could pave our streets.
Excellent idea Farnorth!!! ^5
I do not understand why anyone here would consider PG to be the Capital of the North. Whoever thought that up ought to be fired. If I were living in the Peace I would consider this City to be displaying the height of arrogance.
Just looking up its current population ….
2011 census 55,000
2006 census 47,100
At that reate, and at the rate we are “growing” it will catch up by 2021 ….
People around here do not understand that economic regions and “centres” of such regions do not stop at man-made provincial borders, they stop at mother nature made geographical barriers unless those barriers are removed physically, socially, and economically.
We are not working on a single one of those. I really do not think that we should bother. I do not see the advantage to the locals and that is the main thing.
Tsk tsk Gus, with Stolz’ explosion of foreign students (what a capital F joke on so many levels, I can’t believe this guy actually believes the words that come out of his mouth, IMO), the legions of Irish and Chinese workers that will save our economy during this next short term “boom” period, in addition to all those people that will want to move to Prince George following the big ticket winter games and we will be back on top in no time (personally, this is the “one” I am counting on…it’s worked everywhere else in past decades, so look out PG)!
PS: In 1975 I recall the population sign on the the north side of town at 65,000…how we doin’ so far?
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