Ford vows savings, blames tax increase on councillors

TORONTO – Mayor Rob Ford is claiming the proposed 2.23 per cent property tax increase for Toronto residents is a result of his powers being stripped.

Ford claimed that “it had been agreed” the 2014 property tax increase would be 1.25 per cent, plus the 0.5 per cent for the subway extension. The deputy mayor has previously suggested the mayor pulled 1.75 per cent out of thin air.

The mayor says after councillors voted to strip his powers in November, that number went out the window.

“Council created a leadership vacuum and removed my power, and in just two months, it’s back to the old ways,” he said at a press conference Monday. “Folks, we all know that this would have never happened under my watch, you look at the last three years and that is the proof.”

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While Ford pinned the blame on councillors, it was city staff who suggested the 2.5 per cent increase. That included 1.4 per cent for inflation, 0.6 per cent for services and 0.5 per cent for the subway.

In the last few weeks, Ford has frequently claimed to know ways of saving “well over” $50 million with little change to services. As of yet, he’s refused to divulge any details.

“You will see the $50 million on Wednesday,” he said during Monday’s press conference.

When asked why he wouldn’t try and woo councillors ahead of Wednesday’s council session by telling them the details of his supposed savings, he said he can’t trust them after they stripped his power in November.

“How can you trust someone that you gave the head of a committee to, and then they vote to strip your powers,” he said. “They all stabbed me in the back and stripped my powers.”

“How can you trust someone like that?”

Council voted in November to delegate Ford’s powers them to the deputy mayor after the mayor admitted to smoking crack and buying drugs while in office.