Mayor David Miller said talks are under way with the province to remind the new Liberal government of election promises intended to reduce pressure on the city's coffers by either offering new revenue sources like gas and hotel taxes or by taking back some of the responsibilities dumped on the city by the former Conservative government.

"Yes, the province has financial challenges but they made commitments and they're going to have to deliver on those commitments," Miller said.

"It was basically a doom and gloom picture with respect to the financial side," said Councillor Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough Agincourt). "They think all of a sudden people are going to live up to their commitments on other levels of government and give us all kinds of dough.

"What is it that we're going to do? We're going to have to look at everything and put all the cards on the table and some don't want to do that. I think you've got to."

Councillor Shelley Carroll (Ward 33, Don Valley East) said the city must move quickly to both secure new deals and get the facts out to city residents.

"We have to very quickly get to the community and tell them what the situation is," said Carroll, a new member of the city's budget committee. "We know what we have to do as a city, but I'm looking forward to talking to all the other bodies that can help us."

Councillor Peter Milczyn (Ward 5, Etobicoke Lakeshore) said he found the presentation disappointing.

"There was no new perspective for me," he said. "All I heard was that we're waiting to be rescued by other levels of government, which for three years I've been saying is the wrong tact to take.

"They do owe us money and they should be fulfilling obligations but there's still a lot we should be trying to do."