CTV News has learned the City of Toronto plans to cut part-time litter removal jobs and will suspend road repairs in an effort to bail out the cash-strapped municipality.
The city is currently suffering from a $300 million backlog on road repairs. Projects outsourced to private companies will be wrapped up at the end of this year with proposed projects suspended indefinitely.
Maintenance for the Gardiner Expressway and bridges in the GTA will continue, but prime summer positions for students will be axed.
The Library Board agreed this week to more than $1 million in cuts after city hall ordered spending within public service departments to be tightened and warned of large cuts to city services after two proposed taxes were deferred until after the October provincial election.
The proposed land transfer tax and vehicle registration fee would have raised $350 million for cash-strapped Toronto.
To slash expenditures, the board voted to halt the purchase on 14,000 new items, put in place a hiring freeze, and cut its Storyteller in Residence program.
As well, 16 branches will be closed on Sundays and the opening of the Jane-Dundas branch, which is currently under renovation, will be delayed.
The city faces a potential $575 million budget shortfall next year and Mayor David Miller maintains the downloading of services from the province has crippled Toronto.
City agencies were instructed in a letter from the office of city manager Shirley Hoy that cost restraints, including hiring freezes and discretionary spending, must be implemented by July 31.
On Wednesday, the Police Services Borad was ordered to scale back it's expenditures by $10 million.
During an emergency meeting, Chief Bill Blair defied the order to slash services saying cuts would present "apocalyptic scenarios" to the people of Toronto.
The board argued 90 per cent of their budget is used for police wages and any scaleback would result in job cuts and a compromise to public safety.
"It causes a great deal of anxiety among the people of Toronto and I don't think that's appropriate for us to do. It also causes a great deal of anxiety among my people," Blair said Wednesday.
The board is slated to meet again in October.
With a report from CTV's Desmond Brown