[homeles_ot-l] Ottawa Budget analysis - The Targeting Quality of Life

[Lynne Browne]

Hello all, 

 

People for a Better Ottawa (PBO) have brought in economist, David Macdonald
of Embryonic Technologies to undertake an analysis of the Draft 2009 City
Budget and his analysis is in the attached easy to read document.

 

PBO & this analysis conclude: “Our City’s stated values of promoting a
caring, safe, inclusive and clean City are at odds with this Draft Budget…If
this is the case then we must ask why the very services that promote these
values have been so unfairly targeted for cuts. What is most striking in the
Draft Budget is the way that over 80% of the cuts are targeted to “soft
services.” The Targeting Quality of Life document reviews the proposed cuts
and where they are coming from. It is meant to be a briefing document for
those attending public consultations and who want to be informed and ask
questions. The consultation schedule is available at: 

HYPERLINK
"http://ottawa.ca/city_hall/budget/budget_2009/draft_public_consut_en.html"h
ttp://ottawa.ca/city_hall/budget/budget_2009/draft_public_consut_en.html

 

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)
147 Besserer Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7 
HYPERLINK "mailto:lbrowne at ysb.on.ca"lbrowne at ysb.on.ca,  613-241-7913 ext 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca  

 

The Targeting Quality of Life document concludes with…


Questions for Councillors:


1.	Why are we targeting quality of life programs?

On the operations side, Transit, Parks & Rec and Cultural services are being
hit with 71% of the cuts but they only represent 22% of the budget.  If you
include childcare and public health, 81% of the cuts are coming from 24% of
the budget.  This is clearly skewed and targets those most dependent on city
services and least able to otherwise pay for services.

 

2.	Why is inflation not inflation?

The city is proposing a 4.9% tax increase but less than half or 2% is
actually going to city services.  The rest is being siphoned off by police
and the capital budget.  A 2% increase is too small when city costs are
expanding at 4%.  With only a 2% increase, we will be forced to cut 2% of
city services every year. 

 

3.	Why aren’t all Ontario uploading savings going to People Services?

The city is finally getting what it wanted, provincial uploading of social
services.  That uploading will lead to large and long term savings.  We need
to direct those savings to the restoration of services that were cut the
most and not to more 0% tax increases.

 

4.	Why are the Police getting a 7% budget increase while people
services are being slashed?

It is clear that everyone has to do their part in balancing the budget.
However, quality of life programs are being slashed in part to accommodate
rapid growth in police.  There should be no programs that are allowed to
lavish expand while others are savagely cut.

 

5.	Why are we downloading our problems to small non-profits?

While the city always railed against provincial downloading, it is now
downloading its own social problems onto child care agencies and non-profit
sports and recreation associations.  The city should be paying its own
bills, not forcing kids playing soccer and hockey to pay them for it.

 

6.	Why do you keep writing budgets that are so out of sync with our
values?

Budgets are perhaps the clearest reflection of values.  What we are willing
to pay for and what we are willing to invest in reveals what is important to
us.  Successive city budgets continue to target our quality of life.  Why do
councillors have to fight so hard every year to protect our values?  


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