Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province will not be hammering out a so-called “New Deal 2.0” to solve Toronto’s finances. “No, there’s no 2.0 to answer your question directly,” Ford said when asked by a reporter if he plans to cut a new deal that would give Toronto more money. The original new deal was inked between the province and the city early in Mayor Olivia Chow’s first term. It saved Toronto billions of dollars by uploading responsibility for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway back to the province. City officials have consistently said they were working with the province on a second iteration of the deal that would provide more long-term predictable funding for Toronto. City Manager Paul Johnson even said publicly in recent weeks that the city would be looking to other levels of government for funding in Chow’s second term. Chow recently won re-election, promising to keep taxes at or around the rate of inflation in order to help people deal with the rising cost of living. While Ford ruled out an updated new deal with Toronto, he did say the province would be willing to work with the city on certain priorities, particularly around safety. “But are we willing to sit down and talk to Mayor Chow about certain priorities? Maybe put policing into the subways to make it safer. We’re all in,” Ford said. “Make sure we reduce the crime because the tragedy that happened in the Bridle Path – that’s unacceptable. So areas like that we’re always open.” This is a breaking news story. More details to come…
