Dear Premier McGuinty,

We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to extend City Council terms from three years to four years. The longer the term, the less democratic our system becomes.

In 1997 the citizens of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Toronto and York voted against the amalgamation of our cities, yet it was forced on us by the Harris government. Mr. McGuinty, please don't erode our democracy any further.

With voter turnout under 40\%, our local democracy has become dysfunctional. Toronto is in desperate need of new mechanisms to increase civic participation. Your plan to lengthen terms will only disengage the public even further.

We all want a healthy city with a functioning and vibrant democracy. At a minimum, we urge you to hold extensive public consultation meetings on this issue. The voters of Toronto deserve nothing less.