Mayor John Tory stands firm on low taxes in the face of massive budget shortfall, declining city services, and an increasingly poor performance on major projects such as the Scarborough subway
Toronto Mayor John Tory today announced an investment of $8.7 million in new community and cultural programming that includes six neighbourhood festivals and a new art centre.
The funding for the new community projects is part of the City’s $300 million economic transformation plan, where the goal is to help Toronto grow its economy.
“The people of Toronto deserve the opportunity to engage with their community through projects that enhance our quality of life. We are proud to help bring more culture, food and fun to more people this summer,” said Mayor Tory.
“I am very proud of the work being done to modernize our city by providing new opportunities for the people who live or work here. This additional community programming is another example of that,” he added.
The $8.7 million will go to the City’s Cultural Arts Council to help develop new community programming and is part of $3.4 million in funding to the council announced earlier this week by Mayor Tory.
“This new funding announcement is a true testament to the Council’s commitment to building a more dynamic and beautiful city for all of us to enjoy,” said council chair Karen Stintz.
The Economic Fund is funded through the proceeds of the City’s sales tax, the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), and through the City’s annual budget. The goal is to use these revenues to help enhance the city’s infrastructure and economy. As a result, we will be able to implement more projects that benefit the community, including arts funding, job skills training, community development activities and affordable housing.
The City of Toronto will be applying for its share of this funding through the EIP program. As part of the program, we may apply for a portion of new community development funds, as well as capital funding for a new Toronto Real Estate Board office.
The City will be making announcements about the EIP program in the coming days.
The goal of the Cultural Arts Council is