TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 9, 2011) - Over 10,000 people from every corner of the city and all walks of life flooded Toronto's downtown streets today in a massive rally to demand respect from Toronto City Council. They made their way downtown by bus, car, bicycle and on foot, but when they arrived, the message was the same: "We didn't vote for cuts." The chants that rang out signaled a call to put communities, public services and good jobs ahead of narrowly defined political agendas.
"Cuts to city services hurt the most vulnerable and marginalized, including seniors, the disabled and those living in low-income neighbourhoods," said Winnie Ng, Ryerson University's Gindin Chair of Social Justice and Democracy. "The last thing this city needs is a deeper divide between the haves and the have-nots. We are calling on City Council to work for everyone, not just for those who can afford to live here."
"Mayor Ford may have been elected, but he isn't a czar. When you ignore the interests of the people who live and work in this city and start axing services and slashing jobs, you are thumbing your nose at democracy and the electorate. People from all over the city are angry and they are demanding respect," said Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour.
"Each city councillor needs to look past their personal politics and commit to building a Toronto that serves every resident. The proposed cuts to transit will leave many of us stranded. None of us voted for this," said Krisna Sarvanamuttu, President of the York Federation of Students and North York resident.
"In the election, we saw a lot of debate about future plans for the city, but we weren't expecting existing services to be cut and key public assets to be privatized" said John Cartwright, President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. "There are many Torontos that make up this city and it is the city's services, public transit and arts funding that tie us all together."
The Rally for Respect has been endorsed by ACORN Canada, Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario, Good Jobs for All Coalition, Greenpeace Canada, Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, Toronto International Women's Day Committee, Toronto Women's City Alliance, Toronto and York Region Labour Council, Ontario Federation of Labour, Canadian Labour Congress, and many other organizations listed on www.Facebook.com/RespectToronto.
| Spokespeople: |
| Winnie Ng, Chair, Good Jobs for All Coalition: 647-291-3511 |
| John Cartwright, Toronto and York Region Labour Council: 416-999-5663 |
| Krisna Saravanamuttu, President, York Federation of Students: 647-448-0576 |
| Sid Ryan, President, Ontario Federation of Labour: 416-209-0066 |
Contact Information:
Lynn Simmons
416-668-7480