Don’t be surprised if you get a sense of déjà vu as the mayor and Toronto city council wrap up the budget for 2017, this week. City council finalized the budget during a meeting scheduled for Feb. 14-15. On the chopping block for budget reductions are popular public services such as library hours, childcare and the potential closing of a men’s shelter in North York for people addressing substance-abuse. They’ve all faced similar threatened cuts in previous years.
Kaitlin Heller thinks Toronto streets are very safe, but not necessarily the result of an increased police presence. “I used to live in Harlem, New York, and there were shootings on my doorstep,” Kaitlin Heller said while sitting on a bench at Yonge-Dundas Square. “Toronto feels much safer.”
Scarborough Centre councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker proposed a ban on shark fins, which was approved by the Toronto Council late October. Scarborough Chinese restaurant consumers and staff gave their comments on the recent legislation.
Some consider it a delicacy, it can cost up to $200 a serving and, if some city councillors have their way, it may soon be banished from Toronto's restaurants. The move to ban shark fin soup in the city is now in the hands of the municipal licensing and standards committee after a council meeting last week that pushed the issue ahead.