June 26, 2002

I'd like to begin by thanking each and every one of you for your participation.

Our Toronto City Summit's goal was to educate the public about the issues facing major urban centres in Canada.

We set out to bring them up to speed on the challenges we face; to show them the difficulties we cope with and to highlight the inequities that must be addressed.

I believe we have accomplished those things, just as I believe that a new contract between the federal government, the provincial government and our urban centres is within grasp.

Support for a new urban agenda in this country is growing.

The business community is talking about it. The labour movement is talking about it. Educators are talking about it. The media are talking about it.

We, here, are talking about it.

Just as important, the senior levels of government are responding to all this talk.

In the past four months, we've received funding for transit, for culture and for affordable housing.

In the past 24 hours, we've heard federal Transport Minister David Collenette tell us that Ottawa is committed helping us find innovative and radical solutions to issues like traffic congestion and homelessness.

We've heard provincial Municipal Affairs Minister Chris Hodgeson tell us that his government agrees that there needs to be a new contract between provinces and our major cities.

The question facing us now, is what form those solutions should takeand what that contract should include.

Municipalities like Toronto need new, sustainable sources of revenue, like a hotel tax or a portion of the gas tax and exemption from paying P.S.T and G.S.T.

Everyone acknowledges that the property taxpayer can't continue to fund the incredible growth we're seeing in centres like Toronto.

We can't build a city on grants. We need broader, sustained funding to help fund our public transportation system; our roads and bridges, and our social services programs.

All three levels of government should be engaged in city building for the next 25 years.

We're not going to make progress if everyone's eye is on the next election. We need to leave a legacy that our children will be proud of.

City building is a long-term obligation; we need a long-term plan.

We need to ensure that we have the best transit system, the best roads and the best social services, not for the next few years, but for the next few decades.

We need the federal and provincial governments to renew their commitment to our educational institutions and the critical research that they do-research that fuels our growth at all levels.

We need to be recognized as an order of government with needs beyond those addressed in the British North America act.

By working together, we're going to be able to address each and every one of those needs.

I'm going to keep working with Minister Collenette and the Prime Minister to secure long-term, sustainable funding that will ensure Ottawa gets the healthy, secure cities it needs.

I'm going to keep working with Minister Hodgeson and the Premier on that new contract between the province and the City that will give us the tools we need to govern more effectively.

I'm going to keep working with Toronto City Council to deliver a good service to the taxpayer at a reasonable price - and in partnership with the United Way, the Canadian Urban Institute and the Board of Trade, I'm going to keep working with you.

Keep talking about the issues we've discussed here. Write letters to your MP's and MPP's asking them what they are doing to advance the urban agenda.

Lend your voice to the chorus demanding a new deal - a new contract - a secure future.

I'd like to close by thanking the Summit co-chairs Elyse Allen, David Crombie, Francis Lankin and John Tory.

A special thank you also goes to all of our speakers and pannelists, our corporate sponsors, the University of Toronto, our participating organizations and our terrific volunteers.

We couldn't have done it without you.

To quote Sir Winston Churchill, this isn't the end. It's not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning - and I believe we are one step closer to making a great city even greater.

Thank you.