re. Rebuilding social programs will decrease youth violence: reader

Ronak Ghorbani has written a thoughtful and well-researched letter on the importance of properly funding our social programs. Her analysis on the impact of Tory cuts to municipal funding actually understates their impact. And given that the McGuinty government is working on a new City of Toronto Act, her letter is timely.

As Ghorbani so clearly identifies, provincial funding is key to maintaining our city's well being. Simply giving Toronto the power to increase the amount it charges its residents, whether through user fees or consumption taxes, drives people to the suburbs and will not work. The province needs to properly fund the services we all need.

It is doubtful that McGuinty can summon the political courage to do that however. Ironically, he continues to endorse Harris's "Common Sense Revolution" by refusing to restore the province's tax base. Given that he has already broken his "I won't raise your taxes" promise with his health care premium that mainly hits low and middle income earners, his obsession with keeping taxes unsustainably low is puzzling.

We are already seeing this in cuts to government programs for farmers and northern communities, as he desperately tries to fund programs for his urban and suburban base without increasing the deficit.

Now it appears we are about to see his juggling act hit Ontario's hospitals. Prior to his election, he lambasted Harris and Eves for their plans to open three privatised hospitals. Immediately after the election he reversed himself and allowed the deals to go through virtually unchanged. Since then, his plans have picked up speed as it looks like no hospital will be safe from privatisation.

So will McGuinty adequately fund our city? The only thing that might succeed in altering his "Common Sense Revolution on Steroids" vision for Ontario will be solid activism from the people of Ontario, and Toronto especially, to say No! to privatisation of our hospitals and Yes! to restoring our social programs.

Gary Dale