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The KPMG Core Services Review is seriously flawed

28 July 2011

Letter to the Executive Committee Regarding the KPMG Core Services Review from Local 79 President Ann Dembinski, reminding that public consultations showed that Torontonians value their public services; and pointing out that the KPMG Core Services Review is flawed.

Mayor Ford, Chair
And Members, Executive Committee

Re: Item # EX8.1 Core Service Review

On behalf of Local 79, I wish to begin by reminding you of the following:

  • Mayor Rob Ford continually guaranteed during last year’s election campaign that, if elected Mayor, there would be no major service cuts. Each of the KPMG options are major service cuts.
  • It is reported in the Core Service Review – Public Consultation document, that the first choice for those who participated is to pay more property tax to maintain current service levels.

The participants made it crystal clear that residents of Toronto value their public services and want them to remain public.

The KPMG report brought forward a multitude of options which, if adopted, would reduce, jeopardize, or eliminate many valued programs and services altogether. This is definitely not what Mayor Ford guaranteed during the election campaign!

The hundreds of deputants who took the time to speak at the many Committees over the past two weeks, and the almost 13,000 concerned people who participated in the Public Consultation, emphasized the fact that the KPMG Core Services Review report is not taking the direction that they want for their Toronto.

It is important to note that Torontonians, particularly low income families and women, will bear the brunt of many of the options proposed by KPMG, through increased user fees and less access to vital services.

 A survey published earlier this year by the U.K.-based group the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Toronto the fourth most liveable city in the world.

Local 79 wishes to remind everyone that Toronto is such a liveable, world class city for residents, newcomers, visitors, and, national and international businesses because of the following:

  • front-line City workers, who are there every day to provide programs and services, even during a crisis such as the SARS outbreak, Legionnaires’ disease, the Blackout, the Wellesley Street apartment fire
  • a renowned child care system
  • recreation centres and skilled staff who provide a lifetime of activities for everyone – babies, children, youth, adults and seniors
  • nurses providing programs such as Healthy Babies, Healthy Children, and Vaccination and Immunization
  • cleaners who maintain a healthy environment in our City facilities and protect City assets
  • ambulance dispatchers who talk individuals through a crisis, sometimes of life and death proportions, until Emergency Services arrive
  • planners who grow and revitalize the City’s tax base by identifying the best use of lands for residents, businesses, and visitors
  • inspectors who check the water quality, enforce building codes, make sure that restaurants are rodent and bug free and safe to eat in, and your grocery store is clean
  • affordable, quality long term care for our many seniors, and young adults, who require it
  • social services helping strengthen the social and economic well-being of low income families, and assisting newcomers to settle.
  • services and programs for the homeless such as Streets to Homes, and shelters

This list is by no means exhaustive. It is intended to highlight the wide range and variety of programs and services that are available to meet the needs of Toronto’s many diverse communities.

Local 79 urges you, as elected officials, to remember the outstanding reputation that Toronto has on a worldwide level. Toronto is a great City due, in no small measure, to all of its quality public services and programs!

Yours truly,

Ann Dembinski
President

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CUPE Local 79, representing 30,000 City workers, has officially requested a No Board Report in its ongoing negotiations with the City of Toronto, moving closer to a potential strike or lockout deadline. Despite months of bargaining, the City has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations, forcing frontline municipal workers to take a stand. “City workers have had enough,” says Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi. “After years of being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid, we refuse to accept a deal that keeps us falling further behind. We are prepared to stand up for what we deserve, and we won’t back down.” Last month, over 90% of City workers voted in favour of a strike mandate, in a historic turnout. Toronto’s municipal workers have endured years of stagnating wages amid rising inflation. CUPE Local 79 members are demanding fair wages, an end to mismanagement, an end to the City being a minimum wage employer and an end to the many staffing crises facing divisions across the City. After months of negotiations, the City has yet to propose solutions to the following: - Vacancies across the City have ballooned by 65% since the pandemic, with roughly 1400 positions unfilled. - The staffing crisis in Long-Term Care is at a level never before seen. Currently there are over 500 vacancies, a 700% increase from pre-pandemic levels. - Turnover rate for call takers and dispatchers at the Central Ambulance Communications Centre more than tripled over the last 5 years. Resignations accounted for 47% (55 of 117) of the call takers’ and dispatchers’ departures for the last five years. - Recreation programs are the most used service by City residents, yet they are largely operated by low wage workers. Out of 12,000 part-time staff, only 69 received health benefits through the City.
On a day when the City of Toronto declares a major snowstorm and schools close across the city, Toronto City workers are still tasked to be on the job — caring for our kids, keeping childcare centres and recreation centres open, and ensuring essential city services continue to run. Let’s take a moment to recognize and thank them for their work. Their work is critical, and investing in public services is worth it.
As Toronto City Council begins debating the 2025 City Budget, we joined 20 other organizations to demand they Fund Our City! The rally came as new polling confirmed that a majority of Torontonians support increased investments in city services (see previous post).
Majority of Torontonians support investments in City services and fair wages for workers, new poll finds. An online poll of Torontonians found that 81% support investments in city-run services. The most commonly used city services among respondents were parks, pools and wading pads (37%), recreation programming and community centres (25%), employment services (20%) and 311 (16%). Among those that expressed an opinion, 60% of respondents believe that all City of Toronto workers should make above minimum wage given the current cost of living, and 75% agree that in a scenario where workers are leaving for higher paying jobs the City should respond with targeted pay increases. On negotiations with Local 79, 73% of those asked believe that Mayor Chow and City Council should work to reach a deal with city workers. “On the eve of the vote for the 2025 City of Toronto budget, it is clear the residents of Toronto want to see city workers make above a poverty wage after nearly two decades of austerity. Torontonians understand that minimum wage just isn’t cutting it and that investments in our services and in the workers who deliver those services are necessary”, said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. Local 79 has been highlighting the crises across City of Toronto divisions from nearly two decades of austerity. Most importantly - the Local has spoken about part-time recreation workers who make minimum wage. An online survey of representative sample of 1,001 Torontonians was commissioned by CUPE Local 79, and executed by Crestview Strategy. The survey was fielded between February 5 and 7, 2025.
Yesterday, CUPE Local 79 held its first Picket Captain training, as we must prepare for the possibility that we will need to use our strongest tool: our collective power to withdraw our labour and push the City of Toronto to meet our reasonable contract demands.
Toronto’s 2025 Budget: Rebuilding requires investing in workers For a decade, the City of Toronto has lived under a climate of austerity which has affected not just the residents of our city but its workers. Our buildings are falling apart, our services are stretched thin and the staff who run our city are being run off their feet. Today, Mayor Chow launched her version of the 2025 City of Toronto budget. We agree with the Mayor that in the middle of an affordability crisis, people need public services most and that it is finally time to rebuild our city. Rebuilding our city requires investments in its workers. As Torontonians struggle with the cost of living and try to lift each other up, our members are already doing the work necessary to build community. An investment in the recruitment and retention of the people who run our shelters, take care of our children and elderly, test our water, manage traffic, answer 311 calls, run our recreation programs, facilitate the building of affordable housing and so much more is vital. Today, we remain disappointed with the City of Toronto’s refusal to invest in the workers who have been providing life-saving harm reduction services to our most vulnerable residents. Instead of redeploying the qualified workers from The Works safe injection site and actually showing leadership, Toronto Public Health maintains their stance that these positions will be deleted. Equally concerning is the lack of emphasis on additional positions for call takers and dispatchers in the Central Ambulance Communications Centre and the lack of advocacy to the provincial government for more operating dollars. The crisis in emergency response times will not improve if there are no workers available to dispatch the additional paramedics that will be hired. Every Toronto resident should be concerned about not having enough ambulance dispatchers - this is a matter of life and death. Local 79 members ensure the City of Toronto functions. Our members deserve respect for their work and recognition of the crises impacting their labour.
CUPE Local 79, representing 30,000 City workers, has officially requested a No Board Report in its ongoing negotiations with the City of Toronto, moving closer to a potential strike or lockout deadline. Despite months of bargaining, the City has refused to engage in meaningful negotiations, forcing frontline municipal workers to take a stand. “City workers have had enough,” says Local 79 President Nas Yadollahi. “After years of being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid, we refuse to accept a deal that keeps us falling further behind. We are prepared to stand up for what we deserve, and we won’t back down.” Last month, over 90% of City workers voted in favour of a strike mandate, in a historic turnout. Toronto’s municipal workers have endured years of stagnating wages amid rising inflation. CUPE Local 79 members are demanding fair wages, an end to mismanagement, an end to the City being a minimum wage employer and an end to the many staffing crises facing divisions across the City. After months of negotiations, the City has yet to propose solutions to the following: - Vacancies across the City have ballooned by 65% since the pandemic, with roughly 1400 positions unfilled. - The staffing crisis in Long-Term Care is at a level never before seen. Currently there are over 500 vacancies, a 700% increase from pre-pandemic levels. - Turnover rate for call takers and dispatchers at the Central Ambulance Communications Centre more than tripled over the last 5 years. Resignations accounted for 47% (55 of 117) of the call takers’ and dispatchers’ departures for the last five years. - Recreation programs are the most used service by City residents, yet they are largely operated by low wage workers. Out of 12,000 part-time staff, only 69 received health benefits through the City.
On a day when the City of Toronto declares a major snowstorm and schools close across the city, Toronto City workers are still tasked to be on the job — caring for our kids, keeping childcare centres and recreation centres open, and ensuring essential city services continue to run. Let’s take a moment to recognize and thank them for their work. Their work is critical, and investing in public services is worth it.
As Toronto City Council begins debating the 2025 City Budget, we joined 20 other organizations to demand they Fund Our City! The rally came as new polling confirmed that a majority of Torontonians support increased investments in city services (see previous post).
Majority of Torontonians support investments in City services and fair wages for workers, new poll finds. An online poll of Torontonians found that 81% support investments in city-run services. The most commonly used city services among respondents were parks, pools and wading pads (37%), recreation programming and community centres (25%), employment services (20%) and 311 (16%). Among those that expressed an opinion, 60% of respondents believe that all City of Toronto workers should make above minimum wage given the current cost of living, and 75% agree that in a scenario where workers are leaving for higher paying jobs the City should respond with targeted pay increases. On negotiations with Local 79, 73% of those asked believe that Mayor Chow and City Council should work to reach a deal with city workers. “On the eve of the vote for the 2025 City of Toronto budget, it is clear the residents of Toronto want to see city workers make above a poverty wage after nearly two decades of austerity. Torontonians understand that minimum wage just isn’t cutting it and that investments in our services and in the workers who deliver those services are necessary”, said Nas Yadollahi, President of CUPE Local 79. Local 79 has been highlighting the crises across City of Toronto divisions from nearly two decades of austerity. Most importantly - the Local has spoken about part-time recreation workers who make minimum wage. An online survey of representative sample of 1,001 Torontonians was commissioned by CUPE Local 79, and executed by Crestview Strategy. The survey was fielded between February 5 and 7, 2025.

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