Toronto service cuts meeting draws hundreds

A marathon city hall meeting is underway after more than 325 people signed up to discuss $100 million in potential service cuts.

Many of the speakers have used their two minutes to condemn the planned reductions, saying the process has been too short.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, however, said residents have had plenty of time to give their input.

"We've had more of a democractic process than I've ever seen in 11 years at down here at city hall,"he told reporters Monday."We've listened to them in their communities, we've listened to them at committee, at executive. This is more than democratic, we've given people more than enough time."

Ford also said he would be willing to stay 48 hours to hear from concerned citizens.

Mayor Rob Ford and his executives have backpedalled on twocontroversial suggestions for deficit reductions.

Coun. Michael Thompson, a key member of the committee, said an earlier recommendation to examine the possible closure of library branches will be off the table on Monday.

Instead, Thompson said, the recommendation is to reduce service hours across the citypossibly by about an hour per day, per branch.

"We want to look at how we could perhaps stagger the hours of operation," Thompson said.

Daycare subsidies safe from cuts

The earlier suggestion to close public library branches drew the ire of members and book-lovers over the summer, but the debate gained more prominence once venerable Toronto author Margaret Atwood became involved.

In response to the CanLit icon's objection to the closures, Coun. Doug Ford, the mayor's brother, now infamously retorted:"She could walk right by me, I wouldn't have a clue who she is."

Monday's executive meeting must consider other possible areas for cuts, including selling the Toronto Zoo, selling or closing Riverdale Farm and ending some snow-clearing servicesin the suburbs.

Among the recommendations isa contentioussuggestion to phase out 2,000 subsidized child-care spaces currently funded in part by the city.

City councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, also amember ofFord's executive committee, said it was decided upon public hearings that "some things we don't want to move forward with," including taking away the daycare spots.

"Anyone who has a daycare space now will continue to be able to take their child to day care," Minnan-Wong told CBC's Matt Galloway Monday on Metro Morning. "We're not going to touch that."

However, Thompson added thatthe city may not be able to subsidize new families in the future without help from the province.

City to sell theatres

"Daycare service tends to cost the city 30 to 40 per cent more than day care that's not provided by the city, so it's a huge challenge for us,"Thompson said.

CBC News has also learned the executive committee will go along with a recommendation to sell off the city's theatres, including the Sony Centre.

Mayor Ford said the goal is to eliminate a more than $700-million budget deficita figure that has been called into question by some critics.

Speaking to Galloway on Metro Morning, former Toronto budget chief and city councillor David Soknacki estimated the budget deficit was "probably now under half of that number," close to about $350 million, after considering nips and tucks and other efficiencies.

Soknacki said the Executive Committee meeting Monday would be a "core service review."

"What's in there are a good 20 to 30 recommendations that will make the grass longer, the snow deeper, will deal with everything from affordable housing to 311 services," he said.