City streetscapes latest target for Toronto’s cuts

The Toronto Star:

Programs to improve the appearance of city streets should be considered for cuts, says consulting firm KPMG.

In its latest report on city services, released Wednesday, KPMG says city council should consider eliminating public art programs.

The program uses art to beautify public spaces.

KPMG suggests scrapping the program would save $95,000 a year, but it doesn’t make the suggestion with a lot of enthusiasm.

“Program appears to generate substantial investments in public art at modest costs to the city,” the consultant says.

Council could also get rid of its public realm improvement program, which fixes up forgotten or neglected corners of the city such as traffic islands, boulevards and subway entrances.

And a program that provides grants and tax breaks to preserve heritage buildings could also be dropped, the consultant says.

In both cases, KPMG says there are downsides. Getting rid of public realm improvements “will impact the look and dynamism of the city,” while axing heritage protection “may make it more difficult to convince owners to retain heritage buildings.”

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