Toronto Mayor-Elect Rob Ford's "Distracted" CBC Radio Interview

(h/t: Frum Forum - Interview With Toronto's New Tea Party Mayor)

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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How Many Rob Fords Does It Take To Change A Streetlight?

None. Let the damned bikers ride in the dark.

(This could be turn out to be a bit of fun...)

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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All Politics is Local...?

Except in Anchorage, Alaska, apparently, where much of a Sunday senatorial debate was fixated on the 'necessity' of building a border security fence - between the U.S. and Mexico!

(Can you see Russia from Ciudad Juarez?)

Meanwhile, closer to home...

Remember to vote today in Ontario's municipal elections. Polls are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. For our Toronto readers, everything you ever wanted to know about candidates, polling locations, voting and election-day procedures is online here.

Finally, for more on a bizarre series of homophobic ads related to the Toronto mayoral campaign that aired on a local Tamil radio station, see Slap Upside the Head for the details.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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The Great Toronto Street-Food Debate

While much of Toronto's media celebrates the imminent arrival of Biryani, Pad Thai and Bulgogi carts on the City's street corners, The Globe's Margaret Wente isn't so pleased.

Ms Wente takes on Toronto City Hall for politically-correct over-regulation of street food in Toronto:

Once upon a time, I used to think that the job of city government was to fix the potholes, police the streets, clear the snow and pick up the garbage. How wrong I was! Now I know that the most important job of city government is to enforce healthy eating habits among the populace, promote diversity and (perhaps contradictorily) harass hard-working immigrant micro-entrepreneurs until they wonder why they ever moved here.

...In New York, the customers are allowed to judge the street food for themselves. Naturally, that would never do in Toronto, a city run by control freaks who think street food should be about social justice and nutrition. Don't get me started on the bottled water. It's been banned from city premises because it's anti-environmental. From now on, thirsty citizens will just have to drink Coke.

See Ms. Wente's Please stop nannying us, Toronto.

She has a point.

While I'm all in favour of zealous regulation on food safety issues, I'm not so sure City Council should be in the business of  setting - or limiting - the menu selections for Toronto's street cuisine.

Variety is the spice of life.  

(And Tums are my friend.)

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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3.75 % Increase in Property Taxes for Toronto Homeowners

According to a CBC News Report, Toronto Mayor David Miller has proposed a 3.75 per cent residential property tax increase this year in his "Balanced Budget" introduced yesterday.

For sure living in Toronto is becoming expensive with increased property taxes, new land transfer tax coming into effect on February 1st 2008, vehicle registration tax and a new garbage fee.

- Shashi K. Raina, Toronto

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City Announces Details of Toronto's New Land Transfer Tax

As we previously discussed, Toronto City Council has approved a new, municipal Land Transfer Tax. Effective, February 1, 2008, the tax will be payable by purchasers of homes and other property within the City.

The new tax will be payable in addition to the existing Provincial land transfer taxes that are currently imposed throughout Ontario.

Details on the new Toronto Land Transfer Tax are now available on the City of Toronto Website. As of February 1, 2008, the following new municipal land transfer taxes will be payable by purchasers of property in Toronto:

• 0.5% of the value of the consideration on sales up to and including $55,000;
• 1% of the value of the consideration on sales exceeding $55,000 up to and including $400,000;
• 2 % of the value of the consideration of land containing one and/or two single family residences exceeding $400,000;
• 1.5 % of the value of the consideration on commercial properties including multi-residential units exceeding $400,000 up to $40 million;
• 1% of the value of the consideration which exceeds $40 million.

According to a recent City of Toronto news release, the following purchasers will be exempt from the new land transfer tax:

• Where the net revenue after transaction fees would result in revenue to the City of less than $2.00, the purchase would be exempt from the Toronto Land Transfer Tax.
• Purchasers with a Purchase and Sale agreement on or before December 31, 2007 will receive a full rebate of the Toronto Land Transfer tax regardless of the closing date.
• Purchasers with a Purchase and Sale agreement signed after December 31, 2007 with a closing before February 1, 2008 will not be required to pay the Toronto Land Transfer tax.

A special land transfer tax rebate provision has been included for first time home buyers as follows:

A rebate of up to $3,725 will apply to first-time purchasers of both new and existing homes. This means a full rebate for first-time buyers of homes valued at $400,000 or less. For example, a first-time purchaser of a home valued at $600,000 would pay land transfer tax according to the scale shown above, and receive a rebate of $3,725. A first time home buyer of a home valued at $300,000 would get a full rebate on the land transfer tax.

- Annie Noa Kenet, Toronto

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New Toronto Land Transfer Taxes, Vehicle Registration Fees

Yesterday, in an effort to ease its chronic budget woes, Toronto City Council voted to impose significant, new land transfer taxes and vehicle registration fees upon Toronto residents.

The National Post reports:

For the first time in Toronto's history, residents will now pay a tax to City Hall when they buy a house or register a car.

Council took the extraordinary step last night, voting 25-20 in favour of the vehicle registration fee and 26-19 in favour of the land-transfer tax, a comfortable margin of victory for Mayor David Miller…

On the land transfer tax levy:

The tax ranges from 0.5% to 2%, depending on the price of the residential property. The new proposal means the tax will add $3,725 to the price of a $400,000 home. The average home in Toronto is priced just below that.

First time home buyers purchasing properties up to $400,000.00 are exempt from the new tax. The vehicle registration fee is $60.00 for a car, $30.00 for mopeds and motorcycles.

- Annie Noa Kenet, Toronto

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