POSITION STATEMENTS

Transit and Revenue Tools
At the Special Council session on transit ion March, Councillor McMahon put forward a motion that passed in a 42-1 vote. It addressed our pressing need to examine what revenue tools could be used to finance continuous rapid transit expansion. Everyone agrees that transit expansion is critical for our city to get more people moving faster, quicker - the biggest challenge is paying for them.  To that end, Councillor McMahon felt it important to get a closer look at what revenue tools are available, with an eye to creating a sustainable funding strategy for the full range of transit modes - LRT, busses, subways and streetcars. Councillor McMahon is particularly keen on getting a viable funding strategy in place so we can examine the viability of the Downtown Relief Line that is urgently needed to address crowding and congestion in our ward.

"Remarkably, given the bitterness tainting so much of Toronto’s transit debate, the measure passed in a 42-1 vote (with two councillors absent and only Norm Kelly opposed)," wrote the Toronto Star. "Council’s right and left wings finally came together. Even Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Councillor Doug Ford were on board.

The report is to be prepared by staff and is due back to Council in the fall. The full Toronto Star article is here:

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1151310--toronto-is-studying-road-tolls-and-other-fees-to-pay-for-public-transit

 

 

 

 March City Council update - Toronto Community Housing - March 2012

City Council also considered a proposal to sell off the Toronto Community Housing portfolio of roughly 700 stand-alone houses. 25% of these houses are in Ward 32 and contribute importantly to maintaining a mix of residents in our neighbourhood. Councillor McMahon was a strong supporter of Councillor Bailao's motion which passed at Council that brokered a compromise in the management of these city assets. Approximately 60 of these homes, the ones that are vacant and in a very poor state of repair will be sold off with the money going towards a backlog of repair work necessary to TCH properties. The sale of any other of these 'scattered' TCH houses was deferred until other options for devolved ownership, cooperativization, non-profit management and so on could be considered more closely by a qualified working group. Public consultations and opportunities for input will be part of this process. Councillor McMahon will continue to work on this important issue, but these problems with affordable housing are compounded by the federal and provincial governments downloading housing on the City without providing funds for capital repair and upkeep.

 

Toronto Transit Commission - March 2012

At the March council session Councillor McMahon voted to restructure Toronto Transit Commission to have seven City Councillors and four citizen members (applications details for the citizen members will be posted when they become available). There was a lot of jockeying for these important positions, with Councillor McMahon being nominated at one point but declined. In the end councillor McMahon voted for a group that supports council's majority view that it's time to get the shovel in the ground building a transit system that moves more people, faster, sooner and within our financial means.  Councillor McMahon noted that the firing of TTC Chief General Manager Gary Webster by the previous TTC commission sent a troubling message to city employees who could fear reprisal for merely performing their professional duties of giving advice and insight. 

 

CETA Trade Agreement

Councillor McMahon voted with Council to exempt Toronto from trade agreements like CETA that are currently being negotiated with the EU. In her opinion CETA was a bad deal for the city. It would have taken away Toronto's autonomy and agency to support our local economy, protect the environment and run city services as we feel is best. 

 

Councillor McMahon's position on Casinos in the GTA - March 2012

Councillor McMahon feels that allowing a casino to be built in the GTA is socially corrosive and therefore an inadvisable way to generate revenue for the city.

Although she admits we need to be creative in our approach to revenue generation, she feels that casinos harm the social fabric of communities and families, negatively affect local businesses and prey on the impulses of the addicted and vulnerable. Councillor McMahon is much more supportive of the idea of charging road tolls and parking levies, for instance,  to close the financial gaps at the city level.

Therefore Councillor McMahon will not be supporting any proposal to put a casino in our city.

Message from Councillor McMahon regarding transit and the TTC - Feb 2012

Transit is a critical issue for all Torontonians. Whether you take the subway, the bus or the streetcar, we all know it's about moving people quickly and comfortably across every neighbourhood in this city. I believe that Torontonians need the facts about the plans, the costs, the timeline and the funding sources.

Earlier in February I supported the alternate plan put forward by Councillor Stintz that proposed that the Eglinton LRT come above ground east of the Don River. I also supported the proposal to study the viability of the Sheppard subway extension.

As much as I disagreed with TTC General Manager Gary Webster over the location of the Ashbridges Bay Storage Yard and the Gerrard India Festival fees for re-routing the streetcars, I was strongly opposed to how the TTC Commission conducted itself in dismissing him 'without just cause.'

As a City Councillor I rely on dependable information and analysis from staff every day, from statistics on 311 calls to briefings from the Auditor General. Their ability to report and write reports without fear of reprisal is critical to good governance, and a transparent and accountable public service.

I will continue to monitor the transit issues and plans as they emerge at City Hall.

Councillor McMahon

Special Session on Transit - February 9, 2012

Councillor McMahon was one of the 24 signatories on Councillor Stintz's petition to have a special council session devoted to transit issues.  She is strongly in favour of revisiting the current transit plan that prioritizes subways. She would like to see our transit dollars spent in such a way that they benefit the greatest number of Torontonians and gets the city moving faster, sooner while relieving congestion in both the core and suburbs. Please follow events in the media and on our website for further updates.

 

Letter from Councillor McMahon, January 19 2012

Fabulous News, Ward 32 Neighbours!

It was a whirlwind at council but the 2012 budget finally passed! I am proud to say that we're on our way to fiscal responsibility while saving the programs and services that matter most to Torontonians.  The vote was very close, 23-21, but in the end, we put back 0.2 per cent of the operating budget and ensured that you got the city you've been asking for in thousands of emails, phone calls, letters and meetings.

This is a budget that is the result of you raising your voice when it mattered most. Ward 32 residents were unstoppable - cranking out the creative ideas, passion and support around the clock. We even had one resident, a strong swimming advocate, sit through hours of Executive Committee in a wet suit!

The motion that carried the day, moved by Councillor Josh Colle, took weeks for us to put together. My colleagues in the 'mighty middle' were running from meeting to meeting, madly crunching numbers, drafting motions, asking questions of city staff. It was organized chaos, with staff working long hours and constituents providing a steady stream of ideas and inspiration. In the end, a coalition that spanned the political spectrum agreed to protect childcare, transit, pools and ice rinks, environmental programs and shelters.

·         $5 million to the TTC to help prevent service cuts

·         $3.9 million to prevent proposed cuts to libraries

·         $2.8 million to restore funding to the Community Partnerships Investment Program  which support seniors, newcomers and youth

·         $1.97 million to restore funding for three shelters

·         $1.68 million for the school-based childcare rent subsidy

·         $1.3 million to restore youth programs at Priority Centres

·         $680,000 for pools

·         $670,000 to restore child care centre programming

·         $323,000 for climate change and sustainability programs

·         $325,000 for Live Green animators

·         $260,000 for ice rink programming

This team effort of working across political stripes will hopefully carry over into other City Council affairs. Municipal politics seem to work best when we focus tightly on figuring out what is best for the city, suggesting constructive alternatives, thinking of revenue generation as well as prudent approaches to operations.  We have some major challenges ahead to keep our great city running, but at least for today, we have show that we can work together and build a better city.

Go Ward 32 Go!  -  Mary-Margaret

 

Councillor McMahon and Councillor Colle