A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was >important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
Journalist Brian Lilley talked to him afterwards in this segment as the >speaker describes the reaction of various prominent city councillors.--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4 [10 minutes]
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was
important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government
that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
--Journalist Brian Lilley talked to him afterwards in this segment as the
speaker describes the reaction of various prominent city councillors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4 [10 minutes]
2026-01-23 12:08 p.m., Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was >>>important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The >>property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other >>improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government >>that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Even metro Toronto is a pretty big city but it's just the center of a >cluster of satellites like Mississauga, Brampton (a.k.a. Bramladesh), >Richmond Hill, Unionville, Pickering, etc. are often substantial cities
in their own right. There has been talk for some years of Toronto
separating from Ontario and being its own province, although that hasn't >become a popular notion, just an outlier.
Of course you have to remember our dollars are a good bit smaller than >yours. I sometimes jokingly refer to them as Canadian pesos given that
the exchange rate is somewhere near 30%.
I know nothing about the guy making the speech but he seems to go to
Council meetings regularly so I suppose he's some kind of activist, not
just a Joe Blow who finally had enough and decided to make his first
foray into a council meeting.
It was disturbing - but unsurprising - to hear him tell Brian Lilley
about prominent council members looking at their phones or doing online >shopping when people are giving their speeches to council. It sounds
like most of them just go through the motions and PRETEND to listen when >their constituents speak. It probably explains why they do so many
things contrary to public sentiments.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2. . .
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
2026-01-23 12:08 p.m., Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was
important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The >>> property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other
improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government
that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Even metro Toronto is a pretty big city but it's just the center of a
cluster of satellites like Mississauga, Brampton (a.k.a. Bramladesh),
Richmond Hill, Unionville, Pickering, etc. are often substantial cities
in their own right. There has been talk for some years of Toronto
separating from Ontario and being its own province, although that hasn't
become a popular notion, just an outlier.
I am aware that Toronto has had metropolitan government since the '50s
and there were suburban combinations and annexations in the '60s.
Chicago became a huge geographic area with major suburban annexations in
the 1870s in order to issue sewer bonds to prevent future disease
outbreaks due to poor sanitation. Also, Chicago is a swamp and drainage
is a huge issue. You may be aware that sreeets in the oldest areas were raised eight feet to make room for sewers.
While we don't have metropolitan government, we do have a lot of special districts that cross municipal and sometimes county lines.
When he stated that budget figure, was that for the municipal budget
only or did that also include metropolitan government? You appear to be talking about spending that's 50% more than here.
Of course you have to remember our dollars are a good bit smaller than
yours. I sometimes jokingly refer to them as Canadian pesos given that
the exchange rate is somewhere near 30%.
No. It's 3:4 right now.
I know nothing about the guy making the speech but he seems to go to
Council meetings regularly so I suppose he's some kind of activist, not
just a Joe Blow who finally had enough and decided to make his first
foray into a council meeting.
He's articulate.
It was disturbing - but unsurprising - to hear him tell Brian Lilley
about prominent council members looking at their phones or doing online
shopping when people are giving their speeches to council. It sounds
like most of them just go through the motions and PRETEND to listen when
their constituents speak. It probably explains why they do so many
things contrary to public sentiments.
I attend a lot of public hearings. They can be boring.
Does that answer your question?
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
Does that answer your question?
$1.9 billion is the operating budget only. Total spending is much
higher, As far as how metropolitan government is funded, that may be a
pass through from the six underlying municipalities or separately
budgeted and taxed. But wow, spending is substantially higher than here.
Thank youHappy to help.
. . .
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was >>important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The >property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other >improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government
that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Journalist Brian Lilley talked to him afterwards in this segment as the >>speaker describes the reaction of various prominent city councillors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4 [10 minutes]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government
that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had
enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was >>important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The >property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other >improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government
that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Journalist Brian Lilley talked to him afterwards in this segment as the >>speaker describes the reaction of various prominent city councillors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4 [10 minutes]
Even metro Toronto is a pretty big city but it's just the center of a >cluster of satellites like Mississauga, Brampton (a.k.a. Bramladesh), >Richmond Hill, Unionville, Pickering, etc. are often substantial cities
in their own right. There has been talk for some years of Toronto
separating from Ontario and being its own province, although that hasn't >become a popular notion, just an outlier.
Of course you have to remember our dollars are a good bit smaller than >yours. I sometimes jokingly refer to them as Canadian pesos given that
the exchange rate is somewhere near 30%.
I know nothing about the guy making the speech but he seems to go to
Council meetings regularly so I suppose he's some kind of activist, not
just a Joe Blow who finally had enough and decided to make his first
foray into a council meeting.
I have no idea. A quick search brought this as the top (AI-generated) >answer:
========================================================================= >Toronto's 2026 Budget was officially launched on January 8, 2026, with a >focus on affordability, service stability, and long-term financial >sustainability.
Operating Budget: $18.9 billion, supported by a 0.7% residential
property tax increase.
Capital Budget (2026–2035): $63.1 billion — the largest 10-year capital >plan in Toronto’s history — prioritizing aging infrastructure, transit, >housing, and water systems.
Combined Tax Increase: Approximately 2.2%, including a 0.7% property tax >hike and a 1.5% levy increase for the City Building Fund.
Key Investments:
Transit: 55 new subway cars for Line 2, 500,000 additional TTC service >hours, and fares held flat for the third consecutive year.
Housing: 8,000 affordable homes unlocked, 6,000 rental units
fast-tracked, and support for renters and homeowners (e.g., basement >flooding protection).
Social Services: Expanded school food programs (48.4 million meals
served), 4% increase in child care spaces, and support for 3,800
families through eviction prevention.
Fiscal Management: $788 million in reductions and offsets identified, >building on a multi-year approach to financial stability.
Credit Rating: Upgraded to AA+ in 2024 — the first time in over two >decades — lowering borrowing costs.
The budget reflects input from over 11,000 residents and aligns with the >City’s Long-Term Financial Plan. It also includes interim rate
increases for Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management Services (3.75% >increase) and a 1.25% increase for industrial users.
time our dollar was worth slightly more than yours but that must be
nearly 20 years now. Given the Liberal mismanagement of our economy, I
have to assume our dollar is going to be increasingly worthless now that >we're pivoting to China and Qatar....
There will also be money coming from the province and federal government
as well, at least sometimes. Early in (Justin) Trudeau's first term, he
said they would run a few *small* deficits for a few years but then be
back to balanced budgets by the 2019 budget. (He lied massively about
that.) He "found" many millions of dollars for a few major cities to do >things like major transit projects. I don't remember if the province
kicked in for that too. Metro Toronto and the province also help each
other to some extent. For instance, I think the province maintains some
of the major roads that might be said to serve Ontario as a whole which
some roads are deemed municipal roads and Metro has to plough them,
repair them, etc.
On Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:06:45 -0500, Rhino
<no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
Even metro Toronto is a pretty big city but it's just the center of a
cluster of satellites like Mississauga, Brampton (a.k.a. Bramladesh),
Richmond Hill, Unionville, Pickering, etc. are often substantial cities
in their own right. There has been talk for some years of Toronto
separating from Ontario and being its own province, although that hasn't
become a popular notion, just an outlier.
My first house was in Pickering (and my firstborn was born there)
which (this will make no sense to anybody but Rhino) pretty much ended
at Finch Street but now ends somewhat north of Hwy 7. When we were
going through there on the way back to the inlaws on the S side of
Toronto having started the day in northern New Brunswick we did a
drive-by (our two younger kids were born in BC, our eldest didn't
remember Pickering as she had come west as a baby though she returned
to Ontario to go to Carleton in Ottawa - which is 5 hours drive from
Toronto)
--Of course you have to remember our dollars are a good bit smaller than
yours. I sometimes jokingly refer to them as Canadian pesos given that
the exchange rate is somewhere near 30%.
The current US/CA exchange rate is 72-73 cents (or about $1.37-1.38
Cdn = $ 1.00 US)
I know nothing about the guy making the speech but he seems to go to
Council meetings regularly so I suppose he's some kind of activist, not
just a Joe Blow who finally had enough and decided to make his first
foray into a council meeting.
I know quite a few such people in both camps :)
Rhino wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4
Did you know that Brian Lilley is a homo who prefers Russian boys?
It's true. Peter Worthington liked fucking Russian children so that's how Lilley got the job.
In fairness Adam in Canada municipal taxes are based on property
values not on incomes. Most Canadian provinces allow homeowners 65+ to
defer their municipal taxes as a 'loan' at roughly 1/2 the going rate
payable when the property changes hands either by sale or inheritance.
Federal and provincial income taxes in Canada are based on income as
in the US.
Please understand that's the 10000 ft level and that there are
substantial differences between US and Canadian tax systems.
Or do you something different by "out of work"? (I'm not aware that's
a standard US tax term)
Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
A man appearing before Toronto City Council who had apparently had >>>enough of land acknowledgements helped put the focus back on what was >>>important, the taxpayers:
https://x.com/integrity_to/status/2014010967084982784 [short]
That's a Georgist message! He said nearly all taxes come from
expropriation of wages paid by hard-working taxpayers. That is correct.
The only taxes that don't are the portion of property taxes on land. The >>property tax on homes and commercial amd industrial buildings and other >>improvements to land are also paid out of work.
An $18.9 billion budget? I realize that Toronto has combined government >>that around here would be separate units of government, but still,
that's way higher government spending than us. Wow.
Journalist Brian Lilley talked to him afterwards in this segment as the >>>speaker describes the reaction of various prominent city councillors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cUjz_RuAV4 [10 minutes]
I don't pay taxes because you do. It's capitalism
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