

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Mayor John Tory says that the budget that will be debated by executive committee today includes $191 million in savings that were found through the course of a “line-by-line” analysis of spending.

Last January, Tory ordered the heads of all city departments and agencies to come forward with a proposal on how they could reduce their budgets by 2.6 per cent in 2017.

Though not all of the suggestions were implemented, many were and Tory told reporters on Tuesday that the result is $191 million in savings when compared to the 2016 budget.

The savings will be outlined in a presentation that City Manager Peter Wallace will make to members of executive committee today.

“The bottom line on this budget is that in fact we are investing more in childcare and more in transit and that we have found substantial savings to help us make those investments,” Tory said. “We have achieved a budget that holds the line on taxes, that is prudent in how we spend money but at the same time makes much needed investments in areas where people need it the most like childcare, like transit and like housing.”

Some proposed cuts were rejected

Tory faced criticism from some councillors for ordering the budget cuts, however he always maintained that it was an exercise in finding savings and that they would not be implemented wholesale.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the mayor said that members of the budget committee have “rejected some proposed expenditure reductions that would have made life more difficult for our citizens” and have only implemented ones that will have no effect on services.

“Despite what you have heard it is important to note: this budget does not cut recreation programs, this budget does not cut funding for arts and culture, this budget does not cut security for Toronto Public Housing,” he said. “This budget leaves every shelter the city currently funds open and funds several new ones. The budget leaves every fire station open, all 83 of them, and this budget leaves all 100 of the city’s public library open and more of them with expanded hours.”

Some of the budgetary savings, which have already been publicized, include $600,000 from the Toronto Police Service converting its land line phone system to VOIP (Voice Over IP), $300,000 from the TTC giving staff in the field the choice between a land line and a cell phone but not both and $1 million over two years from the Toronto Public Library allowing users to pay their fines at self-checkout stations.

Meanwhile, the proposed budget includes an inflation-based property tax hike of two per cent, which Tory says is appropriate, despite the city’s longstanding revenue issues.

“As much as some councillors will say that they have people begging them to increase taxes by a greater margin than the rate of inflation I don’t have that experience,” he said on Tuesday. “There are some people who say that but the majority of Torontonians talk about the need for us to keep taxes low.”

The budget will be finalized during a Feb. 15-16 meeting of city council.