I am very disappointed that Mayor John Tory is backing away from his promise to city staff that, if re-elected, he would stop the cuts to their pay. He gave the average of $33k per employee a raise of just over $3,500.
Also, he waived his “cut of 1/3” increase law, which, according to TTC spokesperson Wynna Brown, is typically given only to highest paid TTC employees.
I would suggest that all GTA mayors, regardless of party, cut their Transit Authority employees’ pay to reflect the fact that Toronto’s land use policies create a gigantic subsidy for the Highway 407 Transit program, putting the transit system in the red.
This is not the first time this Liberal/Tory giveaway to the 407 has hurt Toronto.
Read: John Tory presser after promising to end pay freezes at Toronto City Hall: ‘You are welcome!’ – NEWS10CHFILE.COM
If he does this now, the media will blame any early OPP/OCCUPY demonstrations on his withdrawal from the guarantee.
Mayor Tory’s opponents and taxpayers alike can build a case that he is already up to his neck in scandals – collusion with Uber to cut fares and a gas price rebate scheme that is going to cost us a whole bunch. It’s rather unsettling to consider the dark strings he pulls with a stroke of his pen.
I believe that if he lost, he would be out of office sooner rather than later.