A former mayoral candidate who has openly mused about entering the 2018 race is getting involved with the debate around the proposed budget.
Doug Ford recently recorded a robocall in which he urges residents to attend a town hall meeting hosted by Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti to discuss what he says is the rise in taxes under Tory.
The meeting is scheduled for Monday night, which is just two days before the budget will be debated by city council. That budget includes a 2 per cent property tax increase, which is around the rate of inflation.
“The reason we are going to this meeting is that no one is holding John Tory accountable. Where are all the councillors? No one out there is holding him to account,” Ford told CP24 on Saturday. “People elected John Tory but this isn’t the person they thought they were electing. He is a typical politician that is continuing to look to gouge the little guy. He has not done one thing to find efficiencies.”
This will be the third budget that has been completed since Tory was sworn into office. In 2015, city council approved a 2.75 per cent property tax increase as part of the budget and in 2016 council signed off on a 1.3 per cent increase.
Though both increases were in line with the rate of inflation and helped to keep Toronto’s property tax rate well below other cities in the Greater Toronto Area, Ford says it is the other taxes and fees that irk him.
“Your garbage taxes are going up, he is putting a roof tax in, he wants to gouge you with tolls. People are fed up. I hear it across the city,” he said.
Ford was asked whether he is any closer to deciding on his political future on Saturday but would only say that he is “keeping the options open.”
