Where does Toronto fit in the budget plan?

Well, parliament will be returning from an lengthy holiday on the 26th, and there are several questions at hand.

Canadians are all desperate to see if the Conservatives will be initiating an economic stimulus. They insist they are, but with the stern Jim Flaherty running such a tight ship, can we really expect anything outrageous? One thing is for sure, Ontario will likely be getting the short end of the stick as per usual.

I don't condone capitalism and I believe that the rich (provinces) have a duty to aid the poor (provinces). If Ontario is a wealthier region then I don't have problems distributing the wealth to other parts of my country that require it. Only, it begs the question, with the state of our economy and the tragic losses in the automotive sectors, is Ontario still the leader?

When I go outside and see nothing but potholed roads; when I breathe, I inhale dirty, polluted air, is Ontario really the wealthiest province? Some of the poorest people in the country - a lot of recent immigrants, homeless that flock to urban centres to sponge off of tourists, those who work for minimum wage downtown at all the countless restaurants, bars and clothing stores - live in Toronto. TTC fares are soaring, not to mention it is a flawed haphazard system, in some serious need of improvement.

It gets to the point where I can't streetcar or subway because it costs upwards of $5.50 a day to go anywhere. I can't walk very far because the streets are incessantly crowded and the air quality is abysmal. Toronto is one of the most expensive cities to live in, with some of the poorest citizens in Canada.

I'm not one to complain for no reason, but Flaherty seems to get all haughty when Torontonians approach him and ask for more funding. The last place Canada needs to invest is apparently Ontario.

Well excuse me, but with the current lack of well-paying jobs (especially in the magazine industry, thanks to a series of arts cuts by our loveable prime minister) and the soaring living expenses in Toronto, and elsewhere, I'm sure, how are Ontarians expected to stay on top? This is how urban centres go from wealthy and flourishing to dingy, old and dangerous. You must continually invest in cities to keep them rejuvenating.

It's incredibly frustrating. The government is supposed to be encouraging spending to keep our economy afloat, but they aren't making it any easier on citizens to spend. If we are making less or the same amount of money, but everything else is rising (TTC fares, rent, hydro, clothing costs, food costs), how are we expected to spend?

There needs to be a form of help for those of us who are stuck in the roving middle class. It's true, Ontario houses many rich, celebrity-status individuals who probably aren't even aware of the economy crisis. But in this contemporary age, there are so many of us in the middle, who pay our bills, but never have any extra money to take the TTC, to eat healthily, to buy clothes that look professional so when we do get a job we don't look like slobs.

I appreciate that there are Canadians in other provinces who probably struggle more than I do. Canadians in general are blessed and I am so proud to live in this bountiful country. But I don't appreciate being thrown under this stereotypical umbrella that all Ontarians are wealthy, and that we don't need financial assistance like the next person.

All I ask is the recognition that everyone is feeling the effects of the spiralling economy, it touches the lives of everyone in an equitable way. Have compassion and empathy for us in the middle, and the millions of us that are on the bottom.


-- the golden girl

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