Service Cutbacks in Toronto - Research Paper Example

Service Cutbacks in Toronto Service Cutbacks in Toronto Introduction People around the world are populating centers in record numbers. They are shedding their rural way of life in order to gain the modern conveniences and economic stability that urban areas can provide. With this unprecedented growth have come new problems and issues that previously did not have to be dealt with on such a massive scale. Increasing population in many urban locations has created a strain on public resources, aging and outdated infrastructure problems, transportation issues, rising crime rates, and the list goes on. Toronto, Canada is certainly not exempt from these problems. The population of the urban center of Toronto has continued to increase year over year in this new Century. In the past five years alone, the population has risen from 4.7 million people to an astonishing 5.2 million people, with no end to the increase in sight. If you add the outlying areas of Toronto, the population now stands at nearly 8.8 million people. This figure was almost unthinkable a mere 50 years ago, yet the reality must now be dealt with. Like much of the world, Canada is facing uncertain economic times. With this rise in population, the current tax structure and income in the city cannot keep pace with the many services required to take care of all the people who need help. As such, the government has been forced to make some difficult decisions in recent years that affect nearly every sector of society, from education to social services, and transportation to the cultural arts. Service cuts are rarely popular with the general populace, so it has been a delicate undertaking to say the least. This essay deals with some of the realities that have forced these cuts, coupled with a few case studies that provide a glimpse of the reaction of the people. The hope is that, moving forward, Toronto can better deal with the influx of people into this beautiful city that Canadians have been proud to be a part of for centuries. General Analysis Issues surrounding debt and financial deficits have plagued the general provinces surrounding Toronto for nearly two decades now. Juggling an increasing population, changing demographics, and different political parties and agendas taking central stage has been no easy task. While budget cuts and a need to conserve resources may not be popular on the surface, Canadians in this region have generally supported conservative governments and the fiscal policies that come with the party in power (Hughes, et. al., 2006, p. 268). The populace has largely understood these cuts, as long as the government shows a true desire to cut back on spending and use the taxpayer’s money more wisely. This last point has been the point of contention given recent tough service cuts in the Toronto area. In recent years, the residents of Toronto have had to endure countless cuts to basic public services offered in the city. Perhaps the most important of these cuts are the ones made in the areas of education, health care, and to public sector employment services. To make these cuts, the government was faced with the daunting task of restructuring the health care and educational systems in order to make them more streamlined and efficient, while maintaining as many of the current services as possible. All of these cuts were a part of the government’s strategy to eliminate budget deficits and to ensure the further cuts would not be needed in the future. In the end, as mentioned, the people of Toronto has been electing conservative governments in order to get back on the path of fiscal prosperity, but recently the cuts in education and health care, among others, have been a bit hard to stomach (Hughes, et. al., 2006, pp. 271-271). Studies in the Toronto region have revealed that the health care system has seen the most extensive service cuts in comparison to other critical areas. Recently, by way of example, there has been a push to, “reduce expenditures on physician services, de-insure certain health-care services and procedures no longer considered medically necessary, and rollback public sector wages by approximately $150 million” (Hughes, et. al., 2006, p. 271). In addition, numerous other cuts have been called for in mental health arenas. While these cuts have been met with much resistance, the government takes the stance that if these cuts were not made, then other critical services, such as education, would be even more adversely affected (Jonas, 2009, p. 77). Cuts to the healthcare industry have not been the only area of concern. When budgets are in question, educational offerings seem to come under increased scrutiny. The Toronto District School Board has recently had to cut programs at the secondary level, including the funding of certain special education endeavors. Sports and the arts were targets of these service cuts, as was teacher funding and programs aimed at math and the sciences. Seemingly ever are of education was impacted, which the governing board apparently felt with would bring the public closer to understanding the difficult decisions that were made. The opposite occurred, however, as people questioned nearly every cut that was made in light of other service cuts in different areas that were not as deep as many felt was plausible (Pareh, Killoran, & Crawford, 2011, p. 252). The social services that a large city like Toronto provides to its people turn critically important in a difficult economy. As mentioned before, Toronto is experiencing a population boom. With this reality come an increased number of people living at or below the poverty line. These individuals often count on government services in order to have their basic daily needs met. This is compounded during a time of strained economics because unemployment is up, donations to certain food banks and shelters are down, and resources are strained. Even given these facts, however, social services are not immune from deep service cuts. Recently, a study uncovered that potentially 22% of families residing in high-poverty Toronto neighborhoods are currently suffering from food insecurity. This means that they typically do not have availability to sufficient and balanced nutritional food with which to feed their family. Couple this with the fact that food prices in the Toronto are on the rise, and the ability to purchase critical food and household supplies has been further diminished for those living in poverty. Recently, with the cuts in social services, programs aimed at reducing food insecurity in the region have been vulnerable and unable to provide the assistance they were once counted on to give (Dachner, et.al., 2010, p. 51-52). Finally, it was recently that cuts to the social work industry in and around Toronto have been particular difficult to comprehend. As Baines (2009) contends, “Social workers not operate within a contradictory space involving limited resources, increased demands, and low wages” (p. 59). Given the nature of their work, and the fact that they are already underpaid and under appreciated, these cuts are incomprehensible to many. The very people that are tasked with the well being of the destitute are slowly becoming destitute themselves. The residents of Toronto are increasingly frustrated with these cuts as they are impacting people who truly cannot bear them any longer. Case Study There is perhaps no better way to understand the faces behind the various service cuts taking place in Toronto today than by examining cases. Four examples of services cuts will be discussed, with commentaries made by the people directly impact by these cuts, in an effort to better understand what individuals are being affected the most. Recently, thousands of women turned out for a rally in which they protested recent service cuts, violence, and harassment at the hands of the government. One protestor summarized the feeling of those in the crowd by proclaiming, “Over the last year in Toronto, we’ve seen our services under attack. We want to save our services” (Toronto, 2012). Women are adversely impacted by cuts to health care. They require more preventative medicine, prenatal care, and a host of other treatments that do not affect males. When services in these areas are cut, women rightfully feel that they are being singled out. In this particular case study, it is interesting to note that several members of Parliament took part in the protest. It could possibly be that they were attempting to shore up needed political capital, but they were also making the point that taxes should be raised in certain areas in order to avoid these cuts. Part of the protest, for example, focused on cuts in salary and the elimination of many jobs in the public sector. Library services were particularly hard hit in the past year. One sitting member of the government made the suggestion that taxes be raised on the top 1% of wage earners in the province, and to possibly increase the corporate income tax, in order to fund that areas that are being cut. To date, however, neither of these proposals appear to have gained much traction in Parliament and services that impact women continue to be cut. Consider library workers for a moment. Women make up 75% of the workforce in this area in Toronto. The current proposals call for massive layoffs in this area alone, and there is little hope of these workers being able to find employment in another sector. We know from recent Census figures that there are a growing number of single parent households headed by females in the Toronto region. If jobs are cut that are primarily sourced by females, then there is a domino effect of sorts that goes far beyond just the services that are being cut. Entire families are likely to be adversely impacted. A second case study focuses on cuts to special education, student services, and overall local school budgets. Recently, Toronto teachers spent their Saturday on the streets informing the public about the proposed budget cuts. The district, who has a $10-million budget deficit, just eliminated 28 literacy coach positions, eight high school secretaries, and they cut back on money allocated for school maintenance. The next round of cuts that are coming will include the closing of school cafeterias and the increasing of user fees for anyone that uses school facilities outside of normal school hours. With all of these cuts to basic services, teachers worry that there is less money for supplies, fewer activities for their students to take part in, and less access to outside material that they can bring to the school to strengthen the learning environment. In addition, these cuts are now affecting instructional services. There are fewer educational and special needs assistants, and there are not as many employees available to offer much needed secretarial services. This means that teachers have larger class sizes and less help in the classroom. This, in turn, means that students have less interaction with their teachers, and less opportunity for individual assistance. So, here we have teachers spending their weekend educating the public about the cuts that their children will surely be affected by. To compound this, local Toronto government has called for teachers to take wage reductions and to have their salaries frozen. In addition, they are about to lose a long-standing perk that allowed them to save up their sick time and cash it out upon retirement. If this cut is allowed to stand, teachers will have little incentive to remain in the classroom, where they are desperately needed. Finally, it is important to note that the cuts are not over. Just recently, the Toronto School Board announced the elimination of 430 education assistants, 134 school secretaries, 17 vice-principals, 200 high school teachers, 10 caretakers, and six hall safety monitors (Toronto Teachers, 2012). These cuts do not just impact teachers and students, but they will eventually affect each citizen living in Toronto. The service cuts impacting the people of Toronto are not just limited to big items like education and healthcare. Community resources are seemingly being cut right and left. Consider Springwater Park as a prime example. This provincial park is a great place to enjoy nature and to spot wildlife. Countless families have enjoyed it since it was cleared and made into the enjoyable park it is today way back 1958. The park is 47-hectacres and resident of all ages can enjoy the changing seasons, escape the business of city life, and for a moment in time be transformed to the wilderness and nature that Toronto used to have more of. Due to recent announced service cuts, however, Springwater Park will be permanently closed on March 31st of this year (Cutbacks, 2012). The closure of this park, and 9 others, will accomplish a savings of just over $7 million per year, as well as eliminate the need for allocating $12 million towards future costs associated with the upkeep of the parks. While these cuts, on the surface, seem viable given the essential nature of other services, many in the community point out that the arts and the parks are a critical component to the culture of Toronto. With the erosion of family values and the difficulty of finding time and activities to do together, the elimination of these parks strikes yet another blow to the efforts aimed at strengthening Toronto families. Hopefully the government or private individuals will find a way financially to keep the parks open and available for future generations of Canadians to enjoy. Finally, service cuts to key transportation routes are being announced. Just recently, two train services to and from Toronto center we eliminated. The problem here is that, like many urban cities around Canada and North America, people are moving to surrounding communities and the commuting into downtown Toronto to work. With the emphasis on creating a better environment and cutting down on the traffic on the roads, many of these individuals had begun to rely on the train network to take them to and from work. Now, these routes are being cut, forcing thousands of people to now commute to work, when they otherwise would have been able to take public transport (Stop the Cutbacks, 2012). While this is a cost-saving measure to be sure, as public transport rarely turns a profit, many wonder what the long term cost will be. Consider environmental factors alone. Every car on the road increases pollution, pollution increases sickness, and sickness increases healthcare costs that are burdened by the taxpayer. This is just one example of how certain service cuts could end up costing Toronto more in the long run than simply keeping the eliminated services in the first place. Conclusion . No, Toronto is not immune to the economic conditions plaguing much of the Western world today. With increasing populations, aging infrastructure, and a weakened tax base, the government has come to the reality that current services simply cannot keep pace with changing times. The cuts made to critical services, however, must be done with great caution and consideration. All viable alternatives should first be explored before any decisions are made that impact so many people. In the end, the goal should be to maintain as many services as possible and to avoid the elimination of jobs that people have come to depend on. Alternative sources of revenue can also be explored, as can eliminating the waste in government. Perhaps this is where the frustration that many Toronto residents feel today is coming from. While they understand the reality that some service cuts are necessary, they cannot stomach the wasteful spending that they see continuing. By making wise cuts to services that are truly no longer needed, and cleaning up the wasteful spending that has plagued the city, perhaps future cuts can be avoided. References Baines, D., Davis, J., & Saini, M. (2009). Wages, working conditions, and restructuring in Ontario’s social work profession. Canadian Social Work Review, 26(1), 59-72. Cutbacks close Springwater Park. (2012, 04 Oct). The Stayner Sun. Dachner, N., Ricciuto, L., Kirkpatrick, S., & Tarasuk, V. (2010). Food purchasing and food insecurity among low-income families in Toronto. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 71(3), 50-56. Huges, K., Lowe, G., & McKinnon, A. (2006). Public attitudes toward budget cuts in Toronto: Biting the bullet of feeling the pain? Canadian Public Policy, 22(3), 268-284. Jonas, G. (2009). The inside story. Queen’s Quarterly, 116(1), 74-97. Parekh, G., Killoran, I., & Crawford, C. (2011). The Toronto connection: Poverty, perceived ability, and access to education equity. Canadian Journal of Education, 34(3), 249-279. Silversides, A. (2007). Homeless in Toronto. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 177(10), 1172. Stop the cutbacks. (2012, 26 Oct). Waterloo Region Record. Toronto march marks women’s day aimed at fighting service cuts. (2012, Mar 05). The Philippines News Agency (PNA). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/926207672?accountid=35812; http://AV4KC7FG4G.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQ%3Anewsstand&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+Philippines+News+Agency+%28PNA%29&rft.atitle=Feature%3A+Toronto+march+marks+Women%27s+Day+aimed+at+fighting+service+cuts&rft.au=&rft.aulast=&rft.aufirst=&rft.date=2012-03-05&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.isbn=&rft.btitle=&rft.title=The+Philippines+News+Agency+%28PNA%29&rft.issn= Toronto teachers stage protest. (2012, Jun 18). South Asian Focus. 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