The City of Toronto’s rate and tax-supported 2023 operating and capital budgets were tabled at Budget Committee for consideration, review and recommendation.
The proposed budgets protect frontline services in the face of a challenging financial year and make much-needed investments in housing, transit, emergency services and public safety while managing affordability by keeping property tax and user fee increases below the rate of inflation.
As is required by new provincial legislation, Mayor John Tory will present the budgets by Wednesday, February 1 for consideration by City Council at a special meeting on Tuesday, February 14.
Toronto residents and businesses are encouraged to participate in the 2023 Budget process. Comments and feedback may be provided to Budget Committee in person, online or in writing, and to Members of Council in writing.
The 2023 Budget will invest in emergency services and public safety:
-Hire up to 200 firefighters in 2023 (including 52 new positions, part of a three-year plan to add 156 new firefighters to Toronto Fire Services’ complement).Invest $6.8 million in fire safety education.
-Invest $30.6 million in fire prevention, inspection and enforcement.
-Hire up to 250 paramedics in 2023 (including 66 new positions).Invest $10 million in community paramedicine and emergency call mitigation.
-Invest $35 million in emergency medical dispatch and preliminary care.
-Hire 200 more police officers (including 162 more police officers to priority response units – with 25 of those officers focused on downtown – 22 more officers for major case management as recommended in the EpsteinReport and 16 more officers for neighbourhood community policing).
-Hire 90 special constables to support frontline delivery and 20 additional 9-1-1 operators to improve service and response times.
-Invest an additional $2 million in anti-violence programming to support youth and families.
-Invest $17 million, a 22.7 per cent increase from the 2022 Budget, in crisis supports which includes the Toronto Community Crisis Service pilot launched last year that provides non-police responses to persons in crisis, and the Community Crisis Response Program which sends crisis supports to communities in the immediate aftermath of violence.
