Toronto Falling Behind

According to a United Way report, Toronto's median income is falling behind that of the GTA and the province as a whole. There are a number of reasons why incomes in an urban area might be lower than those in other areas, but there are still problems that seem unique to Toronto. For example, according to Ian Urquhart people living in Toronto have a harding time qualifying for EI.

Now while there are solutions that the province or the city might address, changes to EI would make a significant difference. It is now harder for Torontonians to qualify for EI than it is for Canadians in, say, Montreal or Calgary. That said, given Harper's attitude toward Ontario in general and Toronto in particular makes me very skeptical about the chances that any changes might be expected any time soon.

On the Margins, Literally and Figuratively

One thing that we in Toronto allow ourselves to be proud of is the fact that our downtown core has not been allowed to rot out. There are pockets of poverty, but for the most part our downtown is a safe, livable place. The reality though is that we've just pushed poverty to the corners. By doing this, it appears that we've merely pushed poverty to the margins - the east and northwest of the city.

The problems of poverty are compounded in these areas by the fact there are no services. In turn this apparently leads to health problems. The poorest neighbourhoods are the least-serviced ones too. We need to find the money to build transit into these areas. We also need to stop building areas like this. I understand that winding residential streets and an abundance of cul-de-sacs are designed to stop traffic from sailing through residential areas. Take a look though at the Annex, the whole neighbourhood is virtually impassable by car due to its one-way streets, that however does not impede pedestrians who wish to use the simple grid layout in the neighbourhood.