BY: ROGER TRAN
Bill Murdoch is known as the party maverick for the Progressive Conservatives. But the MPP from Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound wasn’t taken lightly last spring, when he proposed separating Toronto from the rest of Ontario.
His idea stemmed from an invasive coyote problem in Murdoch’s rural area riding. He wants a bounty on them - $200 a head. While the coyote bounty bodes well in Bruce, Murdoch says it would anger Torontonians if they heard the word ‘bounty,’ so his solution wouldn’t pass at Queen’s Park. Murdoch feels the city controls too many provincial rules.
“I’m from rural Ontario and I’m always pissed off at something at Queen’s Park,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, let Toronto be their own province and we can live without them.”
The recurring proposal of separating Toronto reveals several issues facing the city today, with finance being the largest problem. Canada’s largest city is the economic engine of Ontario, perhaps even the entire country. Toronto subsidizes the rest of the province, yet doesn’t see much of it return.
Alan Broadbent said Toronto needs more revenue control. He’s the author of Urban Nation, which emphasizes the importance of Canadian cities and their limited powers. Broadbent said Toronto relies on 50 per cent on property tax revenues, while cities in the United States and Europe use only 15 and five per cent. However, they also have access to income and sales tax.
As a consequence, he said Toronto cannot accommodate all social services like homeless shelters.
“The city should do something about (panhandling), but the city can’t do that because it simply doesn’t have the fiscal capacity,” Broadbent said. “So you got this split between what the city is actually able to do and what it’s held accountable for.”
David Vallance, a spokesperson for the secession of Toronto and a 2010 mayoral candidate, also believes the city doesn’t have enough money. He says the city could be self-sufficient on its own as a province.
“What I’m saying is the province derives huge revenues from Toronto and we don’t get enough back to cover the costs,” Vallance said. “We’re subsidizing a lot of the province.”
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ONE COUNTRY, TWO PROVINCES: A provincial Toronto would separate from the rest of the Greater Toronto Area. (Photo by Mortadelo2005, Wikipedia user) |
Vallance proposed the Province of Toronto idea to one of Mike Harris’s cabinet ministers. He said he’ll never forget what was said to him.
“I agree with everything you said, but you have no idea how difficult it is to get something from Toronto before cabinet. Because they hate us out there,” he recalled.
While the reasons and benefits for separating Toronto are numerous, some feel it’ll only stay as an idea.
Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, speaks of problems of a provincial Toronto. He says secession sounds appealing on the surface, but it’s not going to happen.
“It’s like talking about Star Trek happening,” Wiseman said. “It’s also not practical. I don’t think it would be functional.”
He says provincially funded institutions like the Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Hospital would be an issue. And Pearson International Airport is located in Mississauga, which means the airport couldn’t serve the city. Wiseman believes Toronto puts more money into Ontario than it gets out, but also receives a lot of things out of the province.
By federal law, a constitutional amendment is required to create a new province. The House of Commons, the Canadian Senate and seven of the 10 provinces in Canada must approve of a separated Toronto.
Murdoch believes the first step is a supportive Premier. He criticizes the current structure of provincial government, saying the Premier has too much power.
“It’s run by a dictator. It doesn’t matter what government is in power,” Murdoch said.
He’s even criticized his own party leaders, such as John Tory, who kicked Murdoch out of caucus in 2008. He returned in 2009.
Vallance is more optimistic. He argues a constitutional amendment is not required, noting the Quebec separation movement as an example.
The country used a referendum for the Quebec sovereignty issue. If the majority voted “yes” to separation, then the provincial and federal governments must debate the issue.
Vallance argues the same process could be used for separating Canada’s largest city. But he says Toronto cannot fully develop as a city because the province has final say in everything.
“I think we could be a glorious city,” he said. “The federal government would be quite happy, as far as I’m concerned, to separate Ontario into two.”
External Links
Proposal for the Province of Toronto - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposal_for_the_Province_of_Toronto
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