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[applause] I would now like to open the floor
[applause]
[applause] to questions for Mr. Pantalone.
We have someone at the microphone right now.
If you'd like to ask your question please.
[David Reville] Thank you. My name's David,
Ryerson School of Disability Studies.
And, as Joe Pantalone knows, I have been diagnosed
with a serious mental illness.
Uh, people like me have an 80% unemployment rate.
I'm wondering if Mr. Pantalone thinks that city council
has a role in trying to reduce that employment rate
and, if so, what role should council be taking?
[applause]
[Joe Pantalone] First of all, hi David.
Uh, actually, David and I
were members of Toronto city council together.
And he's done an incredible amount of work
in furthering the interest of the, uh, mental health community
and he's been a great advisor to planning, and so forth.
Um, you know the city of Toronto, as you know,
of all the taxes that they pay in our community,
which is the city of Toronto,
the city of Toronto gets 8%.
92% of all the taxes -
and that's how governments get their revenues -
go to the Federal and Provincial government.
92% to the Federal and Provincial government.
I would say that I believe that the mayor
of the city of Toronto
and the city of Toronto has to take responsibility
for anybody who lives within the city of Toronto
or comes working, for that matter.
So, so, therefore, whether we have improved programs
to hire people who are of special needs -
like I said, accommodations come earlier
is one example of that -
or whether it's, uh, serious advocacy to the Provincial and Federal government,
you know, to make sure that proper planning get done
for people in need,
the mayor of Toronto has to be there.
You know, uh, you can also say,
"It's a Federal or Provincial responsibility,
therefore, I'll walk away from it."
Even though I think I, as the mayor of Toronto,
will have the responsibility to also let people know
who's making the money.
Because you just need to know that the Federal government this year
is lowering the taxes on banks - financial services - by 1%.
That means that banks this year that are going to be paying
$2 Billion less in taxes,
in 2010,
than they did in 2009.
And that will be $2 Billion more next year, and so forth.
So, therefore, you know, I as a mayor
would have an obligation to talk to you
and everybody else
and say we should tell Mr. Harper that that's not acceptable,
that people that need those kind of funds,
which is our money at the end of the day,
these people - in terms of, uh, employment possibility
with people with, um, health issues
and not necessarily banks who do quite well. Thank you.
You know, and that goes for the Provincial government as well,
which, by the way, is lowering the corporate taxes
ah, even though all jurisdictions around Ontario,
like Quebec, like New York, like Manitoba,
have put their corporate taxes where they are needed.
So they're making choices,
which is not to keep money for people in need;
rather, they want to put it to somewhere else.
And I think that that's wrong.
You know, no one should be left behind
and people in need should come up first.
Thank you.
[applause]
[Ing Wong-Ward] We have a question over here [inaudible].
[Audience member] So about five years ago
there was a bill passed that all new buildings
being built in Toronto
had to be made accessible.
Ah, since then I've seen several new buildings being made
that clearly aren't accessible.
What would you do to enforce this bill?
[Joe Pantalone] Well, the law is clear.
If it's a new building, you have to be accessible.
Um, if somebody is not doing it,
I would invite you to send me an email or something.
You know, get me the addresses and we'll have that checked.
Because that should not have happened.
New buildings need to be accessible.
There's no question as to the resident's ability.
I had a gentlemen over at Variety Village
ah, a few days ago,
telling me that the bathrooms in these supposedly accessible buildings
really don't have, you know, a lot of room to manoeuvre.
And I asked him to send me the material
because I will pursue that.
You know, in terms of our own building environment,
we may to recommend changes to the building code
if that's required.
So, I'll say, give me the address.
The problem is with the older buildings.
There is no law that says the older buildings
have to be retrofitted.
Um, there's programs that the buildings can do it;
they need money to do it.
But if they do major renovations,
then the new building code comes into effect
and they have to be accessible.
Okay? But if you give me those addresses,
I'll be pleased to pursue it further.
Thank you.
[Ing Wong-Ward] Okay, there's a woman who's been waiting very patiently
in the middle of the floor.
[Audience member] I thank you for this opportunity to speak about, ah,
issues very near to my heart:
those of us living with environmental sensitivities;
specifically, multiple chemical sensitivities
and electrical hypersensitivities.
I'd like to hear from each candidate
what you are going to do to accommodate and prevent
this serious disability.
Um, [inaudible] is chemicals.
Because we want those companies to tell us what chemicals they are
in their place of work,
and which we could presume extracts the materials, and so forth.
Um, I'm, um...
I'd be interested in finding out more about that
and hearing your suggestions, frankly,
on the right thing to do.
Because, like I said before, ah, I'm not an expert on everything.
No human being, uh, is capable of doing that,
so I'd like to learn more and see what we could do
based on what is possible.
Because I know, for example, some people come up to me and say,
you know, "I'm allergic to pollen in trees.
So, therefore, cut the trees."
You know, well, okay, that might solve that problem.
And the we have the problem we have no oxygen in the city.
You know? We have air pollution,
which will do more harm than good.
So, therefore, I usually say that there's a greater good here
for the greater amount of people,
so we cannot cut the tree in front of your house,
or next door,
because, unfortunately, you're allergic to pollen.
So certain issues are in contradictions with greater societal objective,
which all of us want.
So I need to know exactly, you know, what you think could be done
in order to be able to respond.
[Audience member] May I ask that you requisition the M.K. files
for electrical hypersensitivity research,
which have been hidden from us by Health Canada
for the last 40 years
and end the radiation of citizens passing as "red zones"
[inaudible]
[Joe Pantalone] You know, the government is under Federal prime ministry,
you probably know this,
so I have no authority over the Federal government.
And if they don't give it to you, they don't have to give it to me.
Now the issue of, ah, cell phones and, um, radiation...
How many people have here BlackBerries or portable phones?
Put you hand up if you have, ah, some of these.
[Audience member] You keep it in your pocket!
[Joe Pantalone] So, therefore, ah, it's not going to be as easy
because, obviously, unless we can suggest
that we ban cell phones and BlackBerries,
I don't know how you can do with that.
That's a bigger issue that requires a bigger conversation.
But I don't mean to dismiss your concern
because whenever there's any health issues
they need to be fully explored
and see whether there is ways of putting pressure
perhaps on the manufacturers,
in order to ensure they have safer product
while providing the service which all of us pining for.
[Audience member] My problem is with health and senticosus.
[Ing Wong-Ward] I'm sorry. I'm going to have to interrupt.
There are other people asking...
The woman in the purple, who's been waiting very patiently,
I thank you for your patience.
[Audience member] Um, I wanted to know, um...
I'm one of your constituents who has breast cancer.
Uh, I'm unable to work; I'm still on chemo.
There are rumours that a special [inaudible].
Uh, if that is happening, I cannot stay healthy.
And ODSP is not even enough for me to live on
because over one-third of my rent
is taken up
and I cannot get a subsidy.
So I am - from a working person - because I got cancer
I'm in abject poverty.
And I would like to know...
[inaudible]
...can I get a new subsidy for my rent...
so I at least have something to live on?
Or should I just disappear
and maybe, ah, my cancer comes back
and I'll die and that solves the problem?
[Ing Wong-Ward] Okay, Mr. Pantalone, can you break down
the difference between, ah, the municipal and provincial jurisdictions
when it comes to social welfare
and providing supports?
[Joe Pantalone] Well, the, um...
Whatever powers the city has or doesn't have
are given to us by the Province of Ontario.
And, um, social assistance, ah, is a Provincial, ah, jurisdiction.
They set the policies.
And the city administer them.
That is to say, they recognize the city does a better job
of administering it.
And, by the way, our so-called "welfare offices"
we call them now Toronto Employment Services
because we see them as having possibilities
to encourage people to do what they want to do
if they want and can successfully seek employment.
I, personally, am going to oppose any cut in this allocation.
And I will argue against it.
But I think it's up to the Provincial government
that is responsible for that.
But I would advocate against any of scale back
and if there's anything I can do...
We sometimes do.
For example, the city of Toronto provides a Breakfast Program
for needy children in post-trauma.
You know, I have said that I want to increase that
by an additional $40 000.
Because if you're a kid and you go to school,
if you're on an empty stomach
because your mom is not able to feed you,
then guess what?
You're not going to be healthy,
you're not going to learn as much as you could.
And that's social capital, as the professor said earlier,
and which would increase matters of society
as well as individuals.
So, therefore, to me, cutting that allowance
really is inhuman and should not occur.
And as the mayor of Toronto, I will oppose it.