Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000
MAYOR LASTMAN HONOURED FOR ACHIEVEMENTS 1,500
Welcome Mayor at Fund-raising Dinner

TORONTO--The new City of Toronto has achieved more in three short years than any other municipality in Canada, Mayor Mel Lastman told a standing-room only crowd tonight.

"You have helped create a miracle and that miracle is called Toronto," Lastman said to enthusiastic applause and standing ovations at a fund-raising dinner. "I am proud to be part of that miracle."

Lastman, elected in 1997 as the first mayor of the new City of Toronto, listed the achievements of his administration and his vision for the future.

"We have built a new City from scratch and created the largest City in Canada and one of the most important in North America," Lastman said.

"We have kept our promises despite incredible financial pressures and we have built a quality of life that is the envy of the world."

The mayor cited a three-year tax freeze, a major decrease in crime, job creation and a welcome-investment attitude as major contributors to Toronto's booming economy.

He announced to cheers that he was seeking a second term in the November municipal election. "We must become a City with a fabulous infrastructure of transit and transportation, a city of clean air and clean lake water.

"Our Toronto should be open, accessible and planned in a way to put our people first. We must leave our children a lasting legacy."

Wednesday, Nov. 1st,2000
"We will be an incredible city, envied around the world!" - Mayor Mel Lastman

Mayor Mel Lastman today outlined his priorities for the future of Toronto, should he be re-elected on November 13th, 2000.

Speaking to a crowd at a campaign stop at the Canadiana Restaurant and Banquet Hall in the west end of Toronto, the Mayor spoke about his vision for the city.

"In 10 years, if we do our job right - which we will - this will be an incredible city of clean air, safe streets, strong neighborhoods, a booming economy and a quality of life envied around the world," said Mayor Lastman.

To make sure this great city of tomorrow is in place for our children of today, we must work on an important set of priorities over the next three-year term.

The Mayor set out his priorities including:

Keeping Taxes Down

• The new city of Toronto has never had a tax. Council froze taxes for three years, it is not going to be easy to do it again but if it can be done it will be done. We have to do our best to keep taxes down.
• We have to crackdown on waste. We have to crack down on perks: Like lifetime transit passes for TTC commissioners. These are just small things. But they all add up and any waste is too much.
• Independent Auditor General: Cracking down on waste is so important to the people of Toronto that we need to have some help.

Making Toronto the safest city in North America

• Toronto is one of the safest cities in Canada. We have added 250 new police officers and, despite other budget pressures, spent more money to ensure that our police have the equipment they need.
• We have hired the best police chief in the country. Chief Julian Fantino. We need to work with our officers to help them work with us.
• We want to have fewer officers behind desks - more on the street. Our plan will put 10% to 15% more police cruisers on the streets immediately through better deployment of officers.
• We will also make our successful community action policing program permanent.
• We need to save lives by making Toronto's red light camera pilot project permanent, and cracking down on unsafe drivers.
• City council should review the police helicopter project now underway, and, if it is a success - and I am confident that it will be - provide permanent police helicopters.

Invest in infrastructure now to improve our city

• I will continue to fight to ensure that Ottawa and Queen's park build and maintain the infrastructure necessary for Toronto to continue to prosper.
• Transit: The TTC and GO transit move Toronto!
• Right now we need more rolling stock - new buses, street cars, and subway cars just to maintain the current system.
• But in the longer term we have to build more transit infrastructure if we are going to move more people efficiently.
• But in the longer term we have to build more transit infrastructure if we are going to move more people efficiently.
• Today the Prime Minister answered our call to help fund public transit in Toronto.
• The Provincial Government must get back in the transit business.

Improve and protect our natural environment

• Increase from 600,000 new trees to be planted in Toronto by 2010 to 1 million new trees.
• I remember a time when kids could swim in Toronto harbour. I want our children to have that opportunity again.
• Most important of all - our new waterfront revitalization plan includes one of the largest environmental clean ups in Canada's history - over $1 billion for clean water and clean soil.
• Air pollution: to cut down on smog - both the federal and provincial government need to get serious about funding for public transit.
• Task force 2010 the City of Toronto was a leader in recycling with the blue box program in 1988 -and in 2000 with the introduction of the OMG public recycling containers. The City of Toronto is currently involved in many exciting pilot projects on composting. We are currently test driving combined garbage/recycling trucks that can be more cost efficient.
• Task force 2010 chaired by the Mayor, will be the watch dog to make sure we achieve our discussion targets.

The taskforce will have five objectives:

1. Oversee the achieving the city's stated diversion target of 30% by 2003, 60% by 2006 and 100% by 2010.
2. Get the Provincial Government to institute deposit return
3. Investigate new methods and means of economically diverting our garbage from landfill.
4. Get the Federal money that is available (100s of millions in the current budget) for innovative recycling and composting projects in Toronto.
5. Sell the benefits of increased recycling and composting to the people of Toronto.

Bring the 2008 summer Olympics to Toronto

• The Olympics is the greatest cultural and sporting event in the world and Toronto is ready to host the world in 2008.
• Winning the games will benefit our City, our Province and our Country.
• The legacy of the games will be new infrastructure, housing, recreation facilities, cultural development, environmental improvements and improved transit.

Transform our waterfront into the greatest waterfront anywhere

• Working with the Prime Minister and the Premier we have taken the first step with a $1.5 billion investment.
• Toronto will get a waterfront that is green, clean and accessible to the public. Toronto will also get a waterfront that is on budget and accountable to the taxpayer!

Keeping Toronto a "city that cares" with new investment in children, housing and social services.

Children

• There is no better investment in our future than making an investment in our children. The decisions we make must reflect the needs of the 363,000 children in our city.
• I will fight to get Toronto's share of the $300 million of new Federal funds for children. We must put that money to good use to cut our childcare waiting list.
• We will develop new partnerships with our "boys and girls clubs", the YMCA, libraries, and our recreation centres to ensure the development needs of children at home alone are met.

Housing

• For the past 2 years I have been working with council to pressure the Federal Government on any given night this winter 4500 citizens of Toronto are going to be without proper shelters - 900 are children. That is not acceptable!
• The City of Toronto has committed funds that will build 500 affordable units this year and again next year.
• Thanks to the work of our council the province promised 1,000 supportive housing units for the mentally disabled in Toronto. 500 have already been provided.
• Today the Prime Minister announced the Federal Government is back in the housing business. That is good news.

Keep Toronto clean, friendly and fun for residents

• Festivals: Toronto is a great place to be…to add to the already great calendar of events including the beaches jazz festival, Gay Pride Parade, The Downtown Jazz Festival, the Taste of the Danforth, Chin Picnic, Portuguese Concerts, Caribana.
• Project Respect I want everyone to think more about how we treat each other. It's about courtesy to a senior or a pregnant lady, giving up a seat on the subway. It's about helping people in need. Giving something back to the community. Maybe picking up some trash and putting it in the recycler.

Build great services and maintain great service

• City hall is in the service business. Citizens deserve the best. All the time.
• City council worked hard to harmonize service levels from 6 former cities - while still protecting the taxpayer.
• We are putting more into keeping the streets clean - and we will keep working on it. And we will back it up with our garbage hotline whenever there is a problem - just call and the city will be there.

Create a new funding partnership with the provincial and federal governments

• The federal and provincial governments have dumped $900 million in costs on the city of Toronto in the last three years.
• This year the federal and provincial governments will grab from the citizens of Toronto $3.8 billion more than they will spend in Toronto.
• I am determined to stop the dumping on Toronto and "lead the campaign" for charter status.

Make Toronto a magnet for jobs

• Jobs quarterback: The Mayor needs to be the Jobs Quarterback for Toronto - seeking out great companies to locate great jobs in Toronto and expanding employment at the great companies we have.
• I will work with the economic development committee - and leaders in the business community to identify the best companies with the best jobs for the best city in the world.

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