Rob Ford may cut 300 firefighting jobs to fight budget shortfall

Toronto mayor Rob Ford may make a 16 per cent service reduction to the Toronto fire department in an attempt to fight a $774 million budget shortfall facing the city next year. Chief Bill Stewart presented a report to Toronto’s budget committee recently, stating that roughly 300 firefighters (22 trucks) would have to be let go in order to satisfy Ford’s reduction target. Union leaders fear the reduction will put lives in danger—as fewer fire fighters would be on call—and would hike up insurance rates. Ford said in a news conference recently that the city’s workforce is too large, “and it’s eating up a huge chunk of our budget.”

The Toronto Star