HALIFAX -- Halifax council is grappling with some of the toughest decisions it's had to make in generations.
Staff are recommending tens of millions of dollars in cuts because of the economic impact of COVID-19.
Transit ridership alone is down 80 per cent from what it was -- and that's just the beginning.
When staff started adding up the projected losses for the year ahead, $44 million simply wasn't there anymore.
Add in the other expenses, including borrowed money, and the number nearly doubles.
Major capital projects have been shelved for now, and staff are recommending cuts to nearly every department.
A million from libraries, more than $5 million each from both fire and police -- even by not filling vacancies, the chief insists police will be there when they're needed.
"We will do everything we can to make sure of that," said Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella. "Some things won't get done, but there is, you know, it's self-evident, there is positions that are not filled, there is going to be some work that we can't do, but we're not going to let it affect public safety."
The debate continued Tuesday, with councillors looking for ways to minimize the cuts and avoid major job losses.
"How much would we save if we cut salaries right across the board by 10 per cent?" asked Coun. Richard Zurawski. "Would that meet our shortfall?"
Advocates acknowledge none of this is easy.
"These are tough decisions that have to be made and I don't think anybody is feeling joyous or happy about this," said Paige MacFarlane of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation."There are going to be taxpayers that are not going to be able to pay their taxes. There's going to be business owners who are not going to be able to pay their taxes, either. So right now, it's prudent for HRM to be constraining in any way that they can -- any sort of costs that are just not necessary."
Council will debate the changes again Wednesday, and next week if necessary.
