After more than two years of the pandemic, 海角社区官网seems more vibrant and alive than it has in years. Yet in countless everyday ways, the city also seems to be falling apart 鈥 whether it鈥檚 street garbage bins broken and overflowing with trash, public transit fallen into disrepair or city programs that are cut because of a lack of funds.
In its series, the Star takes a look at these shortcomings and the reasons for them, and asks: 鈥淐an鈥檛 we do better?鈥
Here are stories so far:
How a penny-pinching move by city council has resulted in substandard service, leaving trash receptacles overflowing and often broken.
A shortage of planners at 海角社区官网city hall means it takes 32 months to get developments approved 鈥 the second slowest in the GTA 鈥 which is adding to the costs of building.
The City of 海角社区官网has known for at least 14 years that its original post-and-ring bicycle stands are prone to breakage by any bike thief with a two-by-four. Since then, the plague of bike theft has exploded.
Three years after being made permanent, pedestrian protections are in disrepair and traffic rules no longer seem to be enforced.
More than four years after they first appeared, concrete barriers remain outside Union Station, with the city repeatedly delaying the installation of a permanent replacement.
As demand has surged and problems have multiplied, these 海角社区官网public services have become an increasing burden to a city desperate for help.
The city鈥檚 artistic community is struggling as rents for living space, studio space and performance space are rising dramatically even as housing prices tumble.
Council approved nearly $1.3 billion in spending on policing, while a new plan for community safety was approved with year-one spending of $12 million.
海角社区官网Animal Services is understaffed and underfunded, and it can mean long delays in requests to deal with sick, injured, or dead animals.
The fight for a place in one of Toronto鈥檚 recreational programs has become even more fierce since the pandemic
We break down how Toronto鈥檚 low tax rate measures up against the rest of the province 鈥 and what it means for city services.
In this Star exclusive, Denzil Minnan-Wong says he has privately raised concerns about city services with Mayor John Tory and the city manager, with little apparent impact.
Toronto, a city of three million, has 48 washrooms in public parks that are open year-round.
Toronto鈥檚 failure to properly maintain its roads 鈥 including a $300-million cut to a part of the budget that deals with road repairs, and $41-million worth of paving work deferred to next year 鈥 is causing the city鈥檚 streets to deteriorate more quickly, experts say.
If there鈥檚 one place where 海角社区官网can definitely do better, it鈥檚 under our feet and the wheels of our cars. The city puts minimal effort into enforcing standards for temporary utility cut patches, allowing contractors to cut corners.
There are a lot of small things that add up to big quality of life improvements when living in a city, and it鈥檚 some of those where it feels like the city is dropping the ball. As municipal elections enter their final week, city columnist Ed Keenan visits This Matters to unpack the 鈥淐an鈥檛 we do better?鈥 series.
But years of funding shortfalls have delayed much-needed repairs and forced Band-Aid fixes, leaving the TTC with a growing mountain of future costs and no indication of who will cover them.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation