The Assassination of Toronto's Finances By the Coward Rob Ford

[bcholmes]

Okay. Flashback. It's last November. And because my birthday is in November, I I hafta deal with stuff like renewing my license plates. Now, a mere few weeks earlier, our city was dealt a significant municipal blow in the form of drunk-driving mayor Rob Ford.

One of Ford's campaign promises was to repeal a recently-implemented $60 municipal levy on licence plate renewals in Toronto. (Now the levy on your chevy, it is sayin' goodbye) I typically renew my plates for two years at a time, because I can't be arsed to go stand in line every year, so I've had to pay an extra 120 bucks. And this year, I was faced with the same prospect.

The woman at the ministry of transport service desk could not process the idea that I was going to prepay the following year's levy, given how Ford was obviously going to axe it. But, for me, this boils down to two things. One: I can't be arsed to stand in line at the MTO every year, as previously noted. Two: I actually believe that taxes are a Good Thing, and I like the idea that Toronto's services are well-funded.

Well, one of the things I didn't count on was that our Honourable wife-beating mayor would decide to refund the pre-paid 2011 levies. Today I got a cheque in the mail for $60. So: now I hafta decide. Do I send this to the campaign office of my local City Councillor, Mike Layton? (And is that even viable when there's no election underway?) Do I send it to a Toronto service, and if so, which one? Can I buy a model train and some mix for instant gravy?

Comments

[hypatia]

i feel like sending it to something he's politically opposed to rather than just his opponent has more oomph to it. like maybe an AIDS charity or women's shelter?

alternately, if you were to purchase a train and instant gravy and make a youtube video of it you would basically be guaranteed minor Toronto internet celebrity, i think :)

[maize]

I actually have a model train and some mix for instant gravy, if you want them! ;)

(Yes, yes, I know you were joking, but when I see friends talk about buying things I have this knee jerk reaction to think of whether or not I have one spare, and it amused me that I have both of those hanging about unused in the house right now.)

(On the other hand, if you were actually partly serious and would like to get into model trains and gravy-based simulated landslides or something, hit me up. :) )

[frandroid]

Someone else I know gave his refund cheque to a "cycling initiative". I guess the Toronto Cyclists Union would be a good one.

Or you could try to give the money to the TTC, haha.

Buy tokens and give them to homeless people... TTC gets money and then homeless people resell the tokens for money as well. Double-win.