Cross-posted from Eye Daily.
Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is ready to take on federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
“They’re doing everything to put money in people’s pockets to win the next election, using the taxpayers’ money to win a majority,” McCallion said, refering to the recently announced sales tax cut. “I take real exception to that, I tell you. We are fighting. I’m in a fighting mood. … We are going to get a real campaign going across this country.”
What’s got McCallion up in arms? Well, first of all, it’s because of the feds that she was forced, she says, to raise property taxes in Mississauga 3.9 percent — including an extra five percent “special infrastructure levy†— to deal with the pressing need to replace aging infrastructure (sound familiar?). Like Toronto, Mississauga has depleted its reserve funds and is struggling pay it’s bills thanks to provincial programs that were downloaded onto cities. Unlike Toronto, it’s got a feisty, unconditionally-loved mayor and benefits from the perception that its books are in order.
Perhaps that’s why McCallion was able to increase taxes with barely a peep from nay-sayers — the debate lasted all of 20 minutes. David Miller is probably green with envy.
As John Barber reports in today’s Globe and Mail, Mississauga may now be the most heavily taxed municipality in North America (unfortunately, you can only read the article if you’re a Globe Insider or subscriber). “In 2008, the surprise tax will cost people who live and do business in Mississauga twice as much as Toronto Mayor David Miller’s controversial tax package — about $160 per capita versus $80 in Toronto,†Barber writes. Even still, it won’t be enough to bring in as much cash as Mississauga needs. The levy will reel in $12.75 million per year; $75 million a year is required to eliminate the city’s infrastructure deficit.
“I challenge Harper or Flaherty or anybody to say how they can do better,†Barber quotes her as saying. “What can we expect?†she says of Flaherty. “When he was minister of finance in Ontario, he gave us the gears, downloaded social housing, took away all of our transit. Do you expect anything different from him when he’s in Ottawa? I’d love to challenge him to a public debate!â€
Barber argues that that this plucky, 87-year-old woman is the perfect leader to lead the charge for cities.
As one of the world’s longest-serving, most consistently popular and famously effective mayors, Ms. McCallion has been the single most powerful influence on urban policy at Queen’s Park for decades. Both Liberal and Conservative governments cut their cloth to her specifications, rather than risking public confrontation. Mr. Flaherty, who represents a similar suburban constituency, knows that well.
Not only is she threatening the minority Conservatives where they live, with a weapon they fear, she just engineered a brazen tax grab of her own — one for which they, not her, will pay the political price. Nobody can beat this amazing woman. They should give up now.
The Toronto Star’s Royson James writes about McCallion in his column today as well (no password required here). The last quote he atributes to the mayor no doubt reflects the way many Torontonians feel.
“The citizens of Mississauga are disappointed that the federal government has disowned the cities of Canada, absolutely,” McCallion says. “It’s a complete neglect of the cities of this great country.”
