Toronto Mayor John Tory has declared war on Premier Doug Ford’s funding cuts and criticized a key Ford alcohol liberalization policy.In a Scarborough speech Monday, Tory boosted pressure on the Progressive Conservative premier to roll back budget cuts set to cost Toronto hundreds of millions of dollars a year for transit, public health, child-care and more.Toronto’s “ability to continue to move forward is in question due to a combination of very ill-advised budget cutbacks, harsh measures imposed on cities and towns across Ontario without any consultation whatsoever, some of them imposed more harshly on Toronto than any other municipality,” he said.“If we simply throw up our hands and let this damaging budget go forward, we put our success at risk — the jobs, the quality of life, and the very success of the economic engine that is Toronto — all of that is at risk if we fail to fund responsibly the things that contribute to that success and maximize opportunity for the future.“In the coming days and weeks, I will be engaging with MPPs of all parties at Queen’s Park, with business groups, and directly with local residents in wards across Toronto to call on this provincial government to stop the cuts that will take Toronto backwards.“Ward by ward and door to door, I will be reminding government MPPs that they did not seek or receive a mandate to cut public health or child-care.”Read more: Opinion | Christopher Hume: Booze, speed and dangerous cuts — is this what Ontarians want? Editorial | Ford’s cuts are falling heaviest on TorontoGTA councillors call for halt to provincial proposal to bring back OMBThat vow to fight triggered applause from audience members at the Scarborough Business Association luncheon.Tory also, for the first time, slammed Ford’s push to get beer and wine in corner stores.The Star has reported that liberalization could cost Ontarians more than $1 billion becaus ...
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