What does the Megacity mean for the citizens of Metropolitan Toronto?
The new city will have 2.3 million citizens, and be larger than 5 provinces. The 134 wards of the current cities (including Metro) will be replaced by 44 larger wards, 2 in each of the existing federal ridings. The average number of people in these new wards will increase from 29 500 to 52 300. (In contrast, the average size of wards in North Bay, home of Premier Mike Harris, is 5300.) Will the Megacity reduce the amount of government? Amalgamation creates two new levels of government. Six community councils will cover 7 to 8 wards each. Neighbourhood councils will be established in each of the new wards. With a Megacity council of 44 and the establishment of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) council, the number of levels of government will increase from the current two to four. Will the Megacity mean reduced taxes? No. Studies on equalizing the tax base in Metro concludes that property taxes for Toronto homeowners will increase substantially.This situation will be made even worse as the
