It’s been 16 years since six municipalities were formed into the City of Toronto.
And yet, more than a decade and a half after amalgamation, Toronto is still dealing with numerous policy discrepancies, bylaw inconsistencies and service disparities in its various neighbourhoods. Rules governing anything from snow removal to mechanical leaf collection to rooming house bylaws can be markedly different depending on what area of the city you live in.
It’s completely understandable why York South-Weston Councillor Frances Nunziata wants to approach the budget committee to explore extending mechanical leaf collection to all parts of the city – including her ward. Currently, the service is only available in certain pockets of Etobicoke, Scarborough and a small part of York. How is it fair that residences mere blocks away in the same city can receive disproportionate levels of service?
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It’s reasonable to expect there to be a transition period from such a complicated process as the megacity amalgamation was. But now, in 2014, we’re into the sixth term of Toronto council in its current format. It’s past time to tidy this up.
In the coming term, Toronto’s new council must make a sincere effort to build more consistent policy throughout the city – one that reflects a more unified entity that is Toronto. Councillors must understand there will be differences between putting forth their priorities from their constituents and looking at those priorities through a city-wide lens.
Governing a city with the size, complexity and diversity of Toronto is a challenging task. But a city that has more consistency in its policies can take pride in a more equitable distribution of services and still respect the unique characteristics of its 140 neighbourhoods. Providing equal access to the benefits that come with being a resident of this city does nothing to change those valuable characteristics.
The effects of amalgamation were felt strongly when it happened in 1998. The effects of amalgamation are still a hurdle today in this city. They will continue to be a hurdle as long as we don’t view Toronto as one unified entity.
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A more unified Toronto is a stronger Toronto. The sooner the city unshackles itself from a hodge-podge of policies the sooner it’s prepared to deal with present challenges.
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