Ford meets with Wynne in 'productive' meeting

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said Thursday he had a “productive” meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne, but offered few details about what had been accomplished.

“We talked about a number of things with respect to the upcoming budget,” Ford said following the meeting at Queen’s Park. “There’s a lot of issues. There’s transit issues, the casino, there’s the entertainment complex, housing issues – a whole slew of them. It was a productive meeting… It went very well.”

While it’s not clear what understanding the two leaders met – if any – Wynne said earlier in the day that she didn’t plan to budge on at least one issue, that of special casino revenues for Toronto.

Speaking to CP24 at a food bank event earlier Thursday afternoon, Wynne said she’s been clear that the revenue formula for municipalities across the province must be uniform.

“He (Ford) may want to talk with me about this today, but I’ve been very clear that there needs to be the same formula across the province,” Wynne said.

OLG CEO Rod Phillips had previously said Toronto should receive a larger share of revenues from a possible casino because of the size of the city, an idea lauded by some local politicians as a way to help get citizens on board.

Ford himself has lobbied hard for building a casino in the city, saying that such a facility could be a significant revenue source.

“Obviously Toronto’s a bigger place, so if the casino is bigger there will be different revenue that will come from that for the city,” Wynne said Thursday. “But we need the same formula and no special deals for any municipalities.

“I’ve also been clear that city council working with its constituency needs to decide whether they want to have a casino and where to have it.”

The meeting was the first official sit-down between the new premier and the mayor of the province’s largest city.

Wynne told CP24 Thursday the meeting would likely focus on transit and infrastructure issues, as well as uploading services to the province.

Responding to observations that the mayor and the premier hail from distinctly different political corners and have differing styles, Wynne said she’s maintained a positive working relationship with Toronto’s mayor.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet Rob Ford on many occasions and it’s always been a cordial exchange so I expect it will be today as well,” she said.

A statement released by her office earlier in the day said Wynne and Ford had spoken together by phone several times and will continue to have regular conversations.

“The Premier believes it is important for the province and Toronto to have a strong relationship to ensure that the city can maintain a strong economy and create jobs,” a statement from Wynne’s office said.

Talking briefly with reporters after the meeting, Ford deflected questions about a recent newspaper story claiming he was asked to leave a charity event because he was too drunk, saying only that it wasn’t a topic of conversation with the premier.

He also refused to confirm a report from earlier in the day quoting his brother Coun. Doug Ford as saying the mayor would attend the raising of the pride flag at city hall again this year.

“I know what I will be doing tomorrow. I’ll be going to the procession,” Ford said in response.