TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Letting Hydro privatize its telecom, maybe selling Corktown’s proposed off-leash park, bringing in a money-losing second-rate olympics
By Frank Touby –
Greedy David Miller and his council gang are cashing in Toronto taxpayers’ properties to finance his out-of-control spending on ridiculous things like super-expensive streetcars. Things that might grow his “legacy,” but don’t help and might even hurt taxpayers.
He plans, for instance, to dump millions of our tax dollars into a second-rate Olympics called the Pan American Games. They’ll boost his image if Toronto is unlucky enough to get the money-losing event.
His bureaucrats and appointees have designated privatization for what would have been Corktown’s secure dog-walking park to be sold to a developer or billboard company. Whether Leslieville dog owner will ever get a park where they can be free from revenue-grabbing bylaw officers tagging them for off-leash offences is not assured.
Now, city-owned Toronto Hydro Corp., without consulting council, has voted to sell its subsidiary Toronto Hydro Telecom to Cogeco. So the private corporation will be making money off what has been a taxpayer investment.
City council is the sole shareholder in Toronto Hydro Corp. Banks and brokers will be big winners, according to CUPE spokesman Paul Kahnert:, who estimates that the financial types will collect about $60 million for doing the deal.
HE says city residents won’t benefit at all from reduced hydro rates or otherwise. Council should veto this unwise sale of a valuable taxpayer-owned asset and take control.
