LABOUR'S AGENDA FOR WORKING PEOPLE IN THE NEW CITY OF TORONTO

Introduction:

Toronto, with a population of 2.4 million people, is the fifth largest city in North America. It is home to one of the most diverse populations on the continent. Toronto has a proud and strong heritage of showing compassion and taking care of its most vulnerable citizens. There has been a tradition of providing public and community-based health, education, social and recreation programs.

This Labour Council has been at the forefront in advocating for social and economic justice. We have a history, spanning 125 years, of leading the fight for better working conditions, decent and affordable housing, quality health care and public education. Unions have fought for equality for all workers regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and country of origin.

The Strategy to Reduce City Government:

There is a movement to reduce and severely limit the scope of government in Toronto including privatization, contracting out, user fees, 'competitive' wages, destroying unions, dismantling health and social services, introducing Workfare and undermining public education. Our greatest fear is that the Councillors in the new City of Toronto could allow this destructive strategy to guide their decisions on policy, budgets, taxes and legislation. We need an alternative vision - one that recognizes the important role that government, community and workers can play in building and creating a great city.

The Labour Vision:

Toronto must be a city that embraces all its residents. It has to resist the values found in other urban centres that increasingly serve the needs of the powerful, the politically well- connected and the rich. It must include everyone. Our new City government must show leadership by speaking out for social and economic justice. It must challenge the mean-spirited attacks by some of our politicians, business leaders and media on the poor and marginalized. It must support working families who want affordable housing, decent jobs, quality City services, proper health care and a clean and safe environment.

This Labour Council urges City Councillors to adopt our Six Point Vision for Toronto.

  1. Democracy in our City

    Toronto must continue to be built on strong democratic foundations. All residents must have a voice in deciding how their City is run. There must be open and accessible structures. There has to be accountability to constituents. The City bureaucracy must work with residents and organizations to assist in giving voice to people's concerns. Our democratic traditions and institutions cannot be compromised for the corporate interests who argue against a strong role for government at the municipal level.

  2. Services and equity in our City

    Urban democracy is also about the equitable distribution of quality services and resources. The residents of Toronto have worked hard to ensure that quality services and programs are available on an equitable basis to all residents. Everyone must have equal access to services. The City government must resist the calls to reduce services to the lowest level found in the former municipalities. The harsh legislative and program actions of the Harris government such as Workfare and the draconian changes to Workers' Compensation must not be allowed to destroy the rights and dignity of people who rely on income maintenance from all levels of government. The City of Toronto must stand firm. It must oppose Workfare. It must increase childcare. It must push hard for the co-ordination of job strategies for the unemployed in our city. The construction of affordable housing has to be a top priority. The City must provide leadership in creating a healthy, environmentally safe city with clean water, clean air and quality public health. The City government must not abandon the poor and the most vulnerable in our city.

    Anti-racism and anti-oppression strategies must be made a priority and integrated into all the work of the City Council. Every program and service provided by the City must have access and equity as a primary principle of delivery. The City must take a leadership role as government, employer and service provider to ensure that the needs and voices of all Toronto residents are acted upon. The City must recognize the existing expertise in Toronto's communities on anti-racism, anti-oppression and human rights. It is essential that the City government involve these people in all phases of policy development and implementation.

  3. Taxes and user fees

    This Labour Council knows that taxes are the 'collective wealth' of our society. Taxes provide a solid basis for protecting and managing quality public services. We believe that taxes must be developed and applied on the principles of fairness and equity. Historically, we have been vocal critics of the property tax system because it is not based on these key principles. Until we can remove the flawed property tax system, the plans adopted by the City Council to both phase in Current Value Assessment and overhaul Toronto's antiquated property tax assessment system is the best, interim compromise. City Council must not use this new tax system to shift the burden of taxes from commercial to residential. We would welcome the opportunity to work with City Council and other groups to look at alternative measures to the property tax system.

    User fees and tax revenue are linked. Achieving long term, progressive municipal tax reform and determining what are appropriate user fees policies will not be easy. The new City of Toronto needs to consult widely with local residents, community groups, users of services, unions and business on user fees, especially in the area of recreation. Those who want to dismantle government see user fees as the answer to addressing the cuts in transfer payments and declining local tax revenues. As well, by forcing people to pay for essential City services, it further erodes the role of government in our day-to-day lives and our expectations of government as a partner in working with all citizens and communities in improving the quality of urban life. The long range goal of the new City should be the gradual phase out of user fees, where appropriate.

  4. Jobs and economic development

    The ongoing creation and retention of jobs that pay decent wages are essential for the growth and future of this city. The task for this new City Council is to develop a comprehensive job and economic development strategy for Toronto. City Council must work with both the Labour Council and our affiliated locals and the business community to create and retain employment opportunities. Organizations such as the City-owned TEDCO and non-profit organizations, such as the Canadian Women's Foundation are currently focusing on job creation and environmentally sensitive economic development. We must preserve and enhance these types of institutions. The new City Council needs to focus on job strategies to assist young workers and older, laid off workers. Amongst these jobs, special attention must be paid to the creation of new and innovative green industries. Toronto must advocate for the federal and provincial governments to develop economic initiatives to assist women, minorities and other workers displaced by the major changes in our economy.

  5. "No" to privatization and contracting out

    The City must be involved in delivering services and programs. Key services such as water, garbage, municipal Homes for the Aged must remain in the hands of government. This Labour Council is opposed to attempts to dismantle our system of government by promoting the privatization and the contracting out of governmental responsibilities. In spite of their critics, City staff continue to do the job of delivering services just as efficiently and cost effectively as the private sector. Give them this recognition. This new Council must show its support for government delivery of programs and services by resisting the call for privatization.

  6. Workers' rights in the City

    One of the many indicators in determining whether a city is world class should be how it treats and recognizes the rights of the working men and women in the city. Working conditions, wages, health and safety are many of the key indicators in determining worker satisfaction. This Labour Council believes that the new Council should not allow Toronto to become a low wage town. For example, the City must maintain its Fair Wage Office and set an example to other private sector employers. Unions understand better than any other sector the importance of a strong and healthy economy. As an example, the Hotel Employees Restaurant Employees Local 75 wants to work with this City government to further expand the tourism/hospitality industry in order to improve the economic health of both its members and the City. Toronto must be a leader and set a standard for other cities in assisting and recognizing the rights of all working men and women in this community.
This Labour Council will devote its resources to achieving the Six Point "Labour Agenda":-

  1. Establishing strong democratic institutions in the new City government.

    • ensuring that the creation of both policy and services at the new City allows for citizens and community groups to influence, change and effect the decision making process;
    • developing the role of Community Councils to allow for effective citizen involvement in decision-making and problem solving;
    • appointing Labour Council representatives to serve on relevant agencies, boards and commissions to ensure the voice of labour is heard in the decisions of these key organizations.

  2. Linking the quality of life in our City to how our new Government confronts the issues of poverty, unemployment, homelessness and child welfare.

    • developing 'Service Standards' for the new City to ensure that all residents are provided with accessible, quality and affordable services;
    • implementing co-ordinated community-based policies and programs which emphasize quality public health, decent and affordable housing and accessible services;
    • opposing Workfare policies to prevent the provincial government displacing private or public sector workers with Workfare recipients;
    • working with the City to ensure that anti-racism, anti-oppression and human rights are integrated into every sphere of public life.

  3. Developing an alternative approach to taxation for the new municipal government.

    • researching and supporting alternative sources of revenue including designated taxes;
    • maintaining and enhancing services and programs in the new City;
    • researching the causes and impacts of shrinking tax assessments including corporate tax appeals;
    • fighting for investment in municipal programs and services by senior levels of government.

  4. Creating and maintaining jobs and economic development in the new City.

    • Ensuring the new City supports organizations such as TEDCO which are involved in job creation and community economic development;
    • demanding that the City be a key advocate in developing job creation strategies on behalf of women, minority, youth and older laid off workers;
    • forcing the City government to enhance its efforts to work with the labour movement, the community and business to ensure that Toronto attracts industrial as well as service jobs;
    • ensuring that the City assist other private sector unions such as HERE Local 75 in their campaign to promote the tourism and hospitality industry as an important sector of our local economy;
    • emphasing that enviromentally sensitive economic development must be an important part of the Toronto's strategy to increase its sources of new tax revenues.

  5. Making our City work through quality, accessible public services.

    • financing quality public services through tax revenues;
    • preventing user fees from being used to erode the availability of accessible and affordable public services in our city;
    • ensuring that privatization and contracting out are not seen as options in maintaining quality, accountable and accessible public services;
    • demanding that municipal services are enforced through by-laws rather than through self-regulation;
    • preventing public services across the Greater Toronto area from being undermined by the Greater Toronto Services Board;
    • ensuring that water and hydro are not for private sale;
    • keeping a strong public school system a top priority for our city.

  6. Defending workers' rights in the new City of Toronto.

    • protecting all workers and their jobs from the regressive policies of corporate mergers, downloading, Workfare, privatization, contracting out and use of volunteers;
    • developing, with our public sector and construction trade affiliates, strategies to make sure decent, well paying public sector jobs are not destroyed by our City government;
    • guaranteeing that key programs such as WIACT and the Fair Wage Office are there to help all workers and are identified by the new City as a crucial part of their mandate to help workers and their families;
    • fostering good working relations between all Unions and the new City.
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