Editorial

Hogtown comes to a grinding halt


If the ice storm and the TTC strike seemed like major disasters, this strike will soon have us throwing darts at posters of Mel Lastman. A few years ago, it seemed that nothing could wreck our beloved city. But that was before a gleam appeared in the eyes of the Tory government. Now, in the wake of funding cuts and budget ‘downloading', the big smoke has had to begin pinching pennies.

Even the Tories can only squeeze so much blood out of a stone, however. Eventually the stone cracks. In our case, the union representing the people who make Toronto work has been forced to put the bolts to us as a last resort in their attempt to align wages with the effects of inflation. Of course, this situation could have been remedied by a slight increase in property taxes. Unfortunately, the mayor won the election on the strength of his vow to freeze municipal taxes without degrading services. Under these circumstances, the immediate future looks bleaker than it ever has.

It Is ironic that the consequences of two of our elected leaders keeping their campaign promises can result in such chaos. With any luck, this will force us to think carefully before voting for the candidate with the most appealing platform in future elections.