A Toronto city councillor involved in the revitalization of the city’s beleaguered Lawrence Heights neighbourhood is slamming Premier Doug Ford for refusing to commit millions in previously promised funding for a community centre in the neighbourhood.

The former provincial Liberal government vowed to provide $14 million for the project, which equates to one third of the cost: But the Ford government recently confirmed that it will not promise to provide any cash at this point.

“This is part of the Lawrence Heights revitalization program that’s gone on for eight years. We’ve been building new housing along with the private sector... The centerpiece of the new Lawrence Heights revitalization was the community hub that set up a partnership with the federal government,” Coun. Mike Colle, who represents the ward of Eglinton-Lawrence, told CP24 Friday.

“They (the federal government) said yes to the $14 million. I got the provincial government at the time to put it in their budget in 2018 and the city was on board for $14 million. This was a long process…Then all of a sudden the Ford government, they decide they are going pull their one-third share out of it.”

Commenting on the project on Thursday, Ford said that the former provincial government’s spending “put the province in bankruptcy” and joked that the Wynne government also committed to “giving everyone a new car.”

“I’m very disappointed that the premier would make a joke out of cutting $14 million out of a community centre that is needed in Lawrence Heights. It just shows that he doesn’t get it,” Colle said.

“I would like to see the premier stop joking about the situation and get serious to understand that there are more important things to the people of Toronto than a buck-a-beer.”

Colle said the community centre would offer young people in the neighbourhood, which has seen seven shootings within the past month, a safe place to play sports, take part in mentorship programs, and play music.

“We’ve got to deal with the gun violence and the police in 32 Division up there are doing an incredible job but the residents are going through hell. You can’t just deal with the gun violence with the police,” Colle said. “You got to have safe places for people to go to.”

Speaking to CP24 on Friday, Robin Martin, PC MPP for Eglinton-Lawrence, defended the province’s decision, saying the city is welcome to apply for the funding through the proper channels.

“We are talking about a project which is not shovel-ready, which is not in the near term. We are talking about a project that is going to start at the earliest in 2022. And all we’ve said is that it should be apply for through the regular process,” she said.

“What the Liberals did before the last election was essentially issue a press release saying they supported this idea and that isn’t a process. That is just a press release.”

Martin said the province is “committed to helping” the residents of Lawrence Heights.

“There are other programs going on in the community,” she said. “There is an existing community centre so we are not waiting to solve this problem.”