Last week the discussion of what Toronto should be was raised indirectly by a Conservative MPP from a rural constituency. He felt the rest of Ontario would be better off it became the 11th province. If you remember the pre-amalgamation debate, many in Toronto thought that this Harris imposed integration, combined with social cost downloading and school underfunding models reflected a need to see Toronto as a standalone government worthy to be a province.
This week's Star editorial opinion concluded "Rather than seeking provincial status for Toronto, or even the GTA, it would make more sense to expand the city's powers and give it access to new revenue sources, like road tolls. Efforts to foster more economic co-operation across the GTA would also be beneficial. The best way forward lies in wisely building on what we already have."
The City of Toronto Act 2007 did somewhat enhance the city's powers but only so far. The Star's road tolls idea might make more sense if it was a added to a consumptive tax.
Yes, maybe pragmatic reality says Toronto can't become a part of the Canadian confederation as province but it needs to be further uncoupled from the maternal strings of Ontario. Toronto cannot continue to treated as a child of the province: it must become more peer like.
Of course, we will hear none of this from the McQuinty folks. But hopefully, a 2010 city candidate or two will keep the idea going that the 2007 Act was just one step in an evolution of Toronto to another position of governance and freedom within Ontario . We need to hear about the next step.
Is it time to add "city states" within provinces to the confederation table_ add Montreal, Vancouver, ... ?
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