Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford vowed Wednesday to slash the mayor's office budget by 20 per cent and councillors' expense budgets by $20,000 if he is elected to the city's top job this fall.
The thrifty Toronto councillor unveiled his Taxpayer Protection Plan Wednesday morning, an initiative he says will improve accountability and transparency at city hall.
The plan also calls for:
- new rules that require all city expenses to be published online in a timely manner.
- the opening of all major purchases by the city to a competitive tendering process.
- the introduction of whistleblower protections for city employees "who do the right thing and speak out against waste, mismanagement and corruption at city hall."
Ford estimates the initiative will save about $3 million per year.
"For too long, city hall's spending has been out of control, and something needs to be done about it," Ford said in a statement. "This plan will improve accountability and transparency, as well as cut costs, and that's what city hall needs most right now."
Ford famously spends none of his office budget, and goes so far as to publish his fellow councillors' expenses on his website.
Also on Wednesday, Ford's mayoral rival George Smitherman expanded on his promise to implement a program he dubs SwimPass.
Smitherman told reporters the program will utilize resources such as school- and city-owned pools to give every child the chance to learn to swim by Grade 5.
"It's clear when you look at the statistics this is an area of preventable death, especially for young kids," Smitherman said.
