Dundas Street West, Toronto. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
July 2021
So, Toronto city Council given approval for the re-naming of Dundas Street, an action that is estimated to cost between $5 million and $6.3 million. Of course, we all know this means it will actually cost around $10 million, at minimum, but I digress.
Seeing as Toronto Council has so much spare money kicking around, maybe they do something that will actually benefit the Indigenous community. Mayor Tory, how about sending that money directly to the many First Nation communities that lack clean drinking water and adequate housing, along with the work crews to ensure the job gets done?
How about spending that money on the ever-growing backlog of repairs to Toronto Community Housing units and city schools? How many homeless people, who actually want to get off the street, could be housed in affordable housing with that money?
How many churches and community groups who work with the disadvantaged could benefit from a donation from the city of $5-$6 million?
Given the multi-million-dollar price tag of this exercise in virtue-signalling wokism that will not actually achieve anything, I hope Torontonians will remember this the next time Mayor Tory says he has to raise taxes and fees, or has to go to the province, asking for more money to cover the shortfall in the city budget.
I hope Torontonians will remember this the next time Mayor Tory tries to revive his vanity project, the massively expensive rail deck park, a park that could potentially cost around $4 billion. For the record, I fully support the creation of this park, just as long as not one single cent of taxpayers’ money goes into the construction of it. Have ABC Widgets pay to build it, and give them the naming rights.
Perhaps Toronto council could just save the money and tell everyone that the street is actually named after someone else named Dundas. Invite any Toronto resident with the surname Dundas to submit their resume to council, and then pick the best one.
Sources: Toronto city council votes to rename Dundas Street, other locations named after 18th-century politician | National Post, Toronto to rename Dundas Street, other infrastructure bearing Henry Dundas’s name – The Globe and Mail, Rename Dundas Street, Yonge-Dundas Square, says city staff report | The Star, Rail Deck Park – Wikipedia.
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