Eight in Ten (79%) GTA Residents Don't Believe There's Enough Public Accountability on Municipal Spending

Toronto, ONTARIO - According to a new Ipsos-Reid/Globe and Mail/CFTO/CFRB poll released today, eight in ten (79%) of those in living the Greater Toronto Area do not believe there is enough public accountability regarding spending by their municipal government. In fact, 42% strongly agree with this view, while a further 37% agree somewhat. Only one in five (19%) disagree with this proposition.

Two in three (67%) residents agree that their municipality does not have the tax and revenue base to meet its physical and social infrastructure needs for the future. Three in ten (30%) strongly agree with this view, while a further 37% somewhat agree. Twenty-eight percent disagree with this idea.

And with the GTA as the main destination of a large number of Canada's immigrants and many fellow Canadians, eight in ten (78%) of the region's residents say that the GTA does not have the social systems required to absorb the number of newcomers that arrive each year into the area. This compares to one in five (20%) who disagree with this view.

This poll is the second of two released on the eve and day of the Toronto City Summit, a gathering of 150 delegates convened to discuss the future of Toronto and its environs.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Globe and Mail/CFTO/CFRB poll conducted between June 19th and June 23rd, 2002. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 400 adult residents of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of the GTA been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual GTA population according to the 1996 Census data.

Eight in Ten (79%) GTA Residents Don't Believe There's Enough Public Accountability on Municipal Spending

With a backdrop of on-going scandals involving unapproved municipal spending by the City of Toronto, eight in ten (79%) Greater Toronto Area residents believe that `there is not enough public accountability regarding spending by their municipal government'. In fact, 42% strongly agree with this view, and a further 37% agree somewhat. Only one in five (19%) disagree with this statement.

• Not surprisingly, residents of the City of Toronto (85%) are more likely than their `905' municipalities (69%) counterparts to agree with this view.
• There are no statistical differences among age, gender or household income groups regarding this belief.

Two-Thirds (67%) Say Their Municipality Does Not Have Tax and Revenue Base To Meet Future Social and Physical Infrastructure Needs

Two-thirds (67%) residents agree that their `municipality does not have the tax and revenue base to meet its physical and social infrastructure needs for the future'. Three in ten (30%) strongly agree with this view, while a further 37% somewhat agree. Twenty-eight percent disagree with this idea.

• A higher proportion of City of Toronto (71%) residents agree with this view than do those in the `905' Belt municipalities (62%).
• Older (74%) residents are more likely to express agreement with this view than their middle aged (64%) counterparts.
• GTA residents from lower (74%) and middle (73%) income households are more likely than those in upper (64%) income households to believe this to be the case.

Also Three Quarters (78%) Believe GTA Does Not Have Social Systems Required to Accommodate Yearly Arrival of New Residents

With the GTA as the main destination of a large number of Canada's immigrants and many Canadians from other parts of the country, eight in ten (78%) of the area's current residents believe that `the GTA does not have the social systems required to absorb the number of newcomers that arrive each year into the region'. Just under half (46%) strongly agree with this viewpoint, while an additional 32% somewhat agree. This compares to one in five (20%) who disagree with this view.

• Middle aged (84%) GTA residents are the most likely to agree with this view. In comparison, only 72% of younger GTA residents express agreement with this proposition.
• Women (80%) are more likely than men (74%) to believe this to be the case.
• GTA residents from middle income households (80%) are more likely than those in lower income households (72%) to express agreement with this view.
• Residents of the City of Toronto (77%) are equally as likely as those in `905' municipalities (79%) to agree with this view.

To view the complete release and tables, please open the attached PDF files.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900