Toronto: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today is volunteering to join the new panel Toronto Mayor David Miller is reported to be establishing to help deal with the city's fiscal challenges. The CTF has been calling for such a panel for three months, first on July 19th and again on Sept. 14th, 2007. CTF Ontario Director, Kevin Gaudet, said, "The CTF would be pleased to work with government to help provide creative solutions to the complicated money problems Toronto faces. We are glad the Mayor appears ready to accept our recommendation to set up such a panel."

The panel's mandate could cover the following areas:
Expenditure savings:

1. Alternative revenue other than tax increases;
2. Priority allocation of revenue growth; and,
3. Province-city efficiencies and growth-based provincial funding.

The city of Winnipeg just completed such an undertaking with an eight member panel comprised of; current and former city councillors, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the President of the Chamber of Commerce (a tax accountant), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the city's tourism group (Destination Winnipeg), the Women's Enterprise Centre, and the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association.

There are a number of areas the panel could investigate including:

1. Public private partnerships;
2. Outsourcing;
3. Activity based costing and operational efficiencies;
4. Fee-based cost-recovery for some services
Commissioning a forensic accounting of provincial services funded by Toronto;
5. Use of municipal assets and the possible creation of an endowment fund; and,
6. Increased partnerships with not-for profits (the Casa Loma model).

Gaudet concluded, "the devil is in the details, and one can only hope that the composition of the panel, its mandate and resources will allow for creative solutions."

- 30 -

For further information please contact:
Kevin Gaudet 416-725-0501