Chow says federal government will join city and province at talks on new deal to fix Toronto’s finances

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says the federal government has agreed to join the city and the province at the table for talks about a new financial deal for Toronto at a “critical” moment in the discussions. Speaking with reporters during a break from a meeting of her Executive Council, Chow told reporters that the city got a “sliver of hope” last night in terms of involving all levels of government. “There’s a sliver of hope, a glimmer of hope,” Chow said. “Last night we heard from the federal government, that they will join the working group that we have between the provincial and the city governments. So they will now be at a table discussing various issues. That's hopeful.” Chow and Ford convened the group to come up with a new financial plan for Canada’s biggest city following a meeting between the two leaders in September. Municipal officials have long said that the city has been starved of necessary ongoing funding in order to provide all the services it is tasked with. During the