Editorials - Jan. 10, 2025

As we enter budget deliberation season, we expect to see a certain amount of volley-and-return from municipal finance departments and councils. You know the gambit: the treasurer opens with a budget that would see a 20 per cent increase in taxes, the council moans and the taxpayers throw up their arms. After several rounds, the final increase lands at 10 per cent and everyone is relieved, especially the treasurer who just had a large increase passed but is seen as a hero for avoiding the initial increase (which was likely never the true goal).

 

Wilmot Township may be in the process of qualifying for the X Games of municipal budget politics. The opening salvo for their budget target is a whopping 50.87 per cent increase to property taxes (the “volley”). The acting chief administrative officer explained that years of low tax increases and a failure to budget properly for funding capital projects has left the township critically behind neighbouring municipalities. Council has promised to work to bring down the proposed increase to a more reasonable level (the “return”). 

 

The most cynical among us wonders if the municipality might also be using the increase as a scare tactic that would make its controversial land assembly project more attractive by proving the need for a more industrialized tax base to sustain its assets and services. – DS

Well, it happened. It’s over. Justin Trudeau has said he’ll step down as Prime Minister and leader of the federal Liberal Party, proroguing parliament and giving the party until late March to select a new leader.

 

Trudeau bowed to years of pressure on Monday and finally stepped aside as calls to resign - from political friend and foe alike - intensified. And, instead of giving way to a snap election, this break, he hopes, will give the Liberal Party a chance to save some modicum of support.

 

Whether Trudeau was to blame for all the country’s ills became irrelevant at a certain point and many Canadians (recent polls showed approval of Trudeau below 20 per cent) just wanted him gone as new threats beyond the country’s borders complemented the lingering woes within them. The irrational, visceral hatred of 2022’s Freedom Convoy slowly gave way to a more universal and measured disapproval in his leadership being felt by many mainstream Canadians seeking change. And whether that change will be Conservative Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh or another Liberal Party leader remains to be seen, but, for now, things are on hold in Ottawa during a crucial time.

 

Many beer cans will collide and high fives will be slapped, but what will the country truly gain by losing its leader at such a pivotal point in time? A new leader? Perhaps. For now, the country feels as though it’s in disarray. Whether you liked him or not, Canadians had a 10-year relationship with their government. Trudeau was the devil we knew. Now, we must ready ourselves to meet the devil we don’t. – SL 

In 2005, Ontario set an ambitious and laudable goal: to become fully accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. This promise, embodied in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), aimed to remove barriers in transportation, public spaces, education and the workforce, ensuring all Ontarians could participate fully in society. But as we cross into 2025, that vision remains unfulfilled.

 

While the province touts investments in infrastructure, accessible buses and retrofitted buildings, the enforcement of accessibility standards has been woefully inadequate. Successive governments have been warned for over a decade that progress was insufficient to meet the 2025 target. Yet, the response has been marked by complacency, deflection and a lack of urgency. Meanwhile, the government has shown remarkable zeal in pursuing other initiatives. We’ve seen a focus on dubious goals like allowing beer and wine in corner stores, distributing expensive rebate cheques and planning a spa in Toronto. These priorities reveal a troubling disconnect: the province appears more invested in superficial popularity than in delivering on its foundational promises. Accessibility, it seems, has been relegated to the back burner.

 

The AODA was meant to be a transformative law, not just a box to tick. Its failure underscores a broader issue: a lack of political will to prioritize long-term societal benefits over short-term political gains. By sidestepping its responsibility to enforce accessibility standards, the government has not only failed people with disabilities, but has also let down all Ontarians who believe in equality and fairness.

 

It is time for Ontario to re-evaluate its priorities. Accessibility cannot remain a secondary concern, overshadowed by headline-grabbing policies and superficial achievements. The government must recommit to its original promise, with concrete actions to enforce standards, allocate sufficient resources and hold non-compliant entities accountable. Anything less perpetuates the cycle of exclusion and broken promises. – SBS