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TORONTO – Increased investment in the TTC and the Gardiner, a 1.95 per cent property tax increase and freezes to all city departments highlight the proposed 2013 budget introduced Thursday.

According to the city manager Joe Pannachetti, the proposed budget brings the city “very close to fiscal sustainability.”

The budget proposed to Toronto’s budget committee includes a $670 million investment into repairing the crumbling infrastructure of the Gardiner as well as other major road repairs.

Approximately $535 million is also included in the proposed budget to fund the TTC.

Apart from the TTC and Gardiner, there is little other spending in the budget which presumes no spending increases from all departments, including the Toronto Police.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has previously said though that freezing the police budget could have a negative effect on frontline operations.

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According to the budget documents, 85 per cent of the growth in the city’s net expenditure since 2003 is due to police, fire, EMS and the TTC.

Prior to Thursday’s presentation, Mayor Rob Ford had suggested the city increase property taxes by just 1.75 per cent.

The budget committee and council are able to make changes to the proposed budget prior to a final vote in the new year.