Emerald Ash Borer Update

Excerpted from the Fall 2011 Newsletter:

Emerald Ash Borer Update
On a sad note, I wish to inform you of the loss of many Ash trees in Ward 39. The Emerald Ash Borer insect continues to infect Ash trees in the entire City. Overall, an estimated 420,000 trees, which represents one third of Toronto’s entire tree canopy, will have to be destroyed.

If you have Ash trees on your property which are infected, you are responsible to remove them at your own cost. Should you wish to replace the trees that have to be removed, you could contact:

LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests): they offer a Backyard Tree Planting Program that provides native trees and shrubs to homeowners in Toronto at a subsidized cost. Visit www.yourleaf.org for more information.

For healthy Ash trees on private property, there is a chemical compound that can be injected into the tree every other year to prolong its life. For more information on this process, please contact 311.

Budget Issues in Brief

Excerpted from the Fall 2011 Newsletter:

Budget Issues in Brief
I have outlined a few points below to help you understand the City's financial situation:

• Each year the City's costs rise by $200 million, just to cover inflation and payroll costs
• Each 1% increase in your property tax brings in $21 million in revenue for the City. To cover the above $200 million alone would require a 9.5% property tax increase.
• Even if Council did not spend a single cent this year, our debt - caused by the previous mayor's spending - would climb from $2.5 billion to $4.3 billion.
• By 2014, the annual cost to service this debt will rise from $430 million to $620 million.
• Half of our $9.3 billion Operating Budget is comprised of wage costs (totaling $4.7 billion). We currently have 53,000 people on the City's payroll.
• The City's Budget for 2012 has an opening shortfall of $774 million which is a significant amount. If we were to use tax increases alone to account for this, we would have to increase property taxes by 36.8%.
• Unfortunately, businesses are moving out of the City of Toronto into the 905 areas (Markham, Mississauga, etc.) as it is cheaper for them to operate outside of the 416 area. This also puts pressure on our budget.

Bicycle Safety (reprinted from newsletter volume 2, issue 1)

Bicycle collisions remain one of the leading causes of danger in our ward, and one of the most preventable. The city of Toronto has an extensive list of laws pertaining to bicycles, and by following them you will not only avoid hefty fines, but you could save lives too. We've taken the time to outline some of these laws previously in our newsletter, which we've reprinted here. A full list of laws and fines can be found here.
(From Volume 2, Issue 1 of our newsletter, which you can find online here, other newsletters can be found in our newsletter archive)

Bicycle safety – or rather, pedestrian safety around bicycles – is a serious concern. I receive numerous calls from people, particularly seniors, who feel very uncomfortable walking in the Ward because of bicycle traffic on our sidewalks.

A bicycle is considered a vehicle under the Provincial Highway Traffic Act. The City also has a by-law that forbids cycling on the sidewalk if your wheels are larger than 24 inches in diameter. A number of noteworthy violations and set fines listed in the Act are:

• Careless driving $ 265
• Disobey stop sign – fail to stop $ 90
• Failure to yield to pedestrian $ 90
• No bell (horn) $ 90

The plain truth is: enforcement is difficult. Cyclists should know that they are liable and can be sued when collisions happen and they are at fault. I would ask everyone who rides a bicycle in our community to respect pedestrians and their right to use the sidewalk in comfort. When riding on local streets, cyclists should ride on the road. When riding along our arterial roads, cyclists riding on the sidewalk should go slowly, use their bell or horn to warn pedestrians and remember to share the sidewalk. At intersections, cyclists should always walk across the road.

As with any accident, if a pedestrian is hit by a bicycle, they should call the Police immediately and report the incident.