Last week, City Council approved the 2015 City budget, demonstrating a clear focus on investment in the priorities I heard from Ward 18 residents; including transit, roads, poverty reduction and housing.

In 2015, we have set the tone for investment.



This budget makes important new investments in services and infrastructure, while keeping the residential budget tax increase at 2.25%

• $39 million in transit service improvements including the child fare elimination (two to 12 years of age), 50 new buses to implement new express routes and reduce overcrowding, improved subway services and expanded overnight bus and streetcar service 
• $25 million for poverty reduction including new shelter beds, increases to the student nutrition program, additional funding for childcare subsidies, enhanced shelter warming centres during weather events and expansion of priority centres 
• Capital funding to purchase 60 new subway cars, 810 new 40-foot diesel buses and 195 low-car accessible light rail vehicles for the TTC fleet 
• Creation of 181 new shelter spaces for our City's most vulnerable. 

Central to this budget process was the participation and constant communication with you, and fellow Ward 18 residents. Hundreds of active citizens invested time and care into this budget by attending my Ward 18 Budget Town Hall, calling my office, sending emails and giving deputations at committee meetings. I wish to re-iterate my thanks to everyone who participated and ask for your continued active engagement as the work to achieve the necessary levels of investment in key areas continues.

Our continued active engagement on these issues will be necessary to address the major challenges we still face, and the only way to continue this trend of investment is to promote a discussion about how to pay for it. While my message from this budget is that Toronto City Council is ready to make these necessary investments, we must not shy away from the challenging discussion and decisions in the months and years ahead. We will always continue to look for savings and smart efficiencies. This must go hand in hand with technological innovation, better customer service and community engagement. Similarly, we need to continue to look for opportunities to better manage our assets and be open to explore other revenue sources for the city.

With the 2015 budget passed, now is the time to grow this discussion and I look forward to engaging you through this process leading up to the 2016 budget. I encourage you to share your thoughts with me on the issues that matter most to you and your family. It is through our continued dialogue and shared participation in these important City processes that we will produce the best possible outcomes for our community and build the kind of city we want to live in, now and for generations to come.

Dear Neighbour,

Late last week, Council voted to approve the 2014 City Operating and Capital Budgets. I strongly believe that at the core of any successful budget process is community consultation and I was pleased to organize numerous engagement opportunities with neighbourhood residents to gain feedback on budget priorities.

Whether contacting me through the Feedback Form in my mailed newsletter, filling out my online budget survey, participating in the budget telephone townhall or attending the public budget meeting at Bloor Collegiate, I appreciate the hundreds of residents who took the time to participate and share their thoughts on how to improve both our neighbourhoods and our city.

This budget was also a chance to demonstrate the vision that we have for our city; as a city where every Toronto resident has the dignity and support to pursue opportunities and enjoy a high quality of life. We discussed not only how we should be moving forward, but the services and principles on which we want our City to be built.

During these consultations, you told me that transit and childcare were two major issues of concern. You highlighted the importance of social services such as libraries, recreation programming, tenant protection and the Student Nutrition Program. You shared concerns about keeping the City affordable, especially for our fixed-income neighbours, and the need to provide additional support to keep our small businesses healthy and vibrant. We spoke about Montreal and Vancouver in the context of per-capita arts funding and you reinforced the importance of additional arts support in Toronto – a sector on which many Ward 18 residents make their living. Overwhelmingly, residents felt that Toronto should receive additional support from Federal and Provincial governments to help with systematic challenges such as Transit, Childcare and Housing.

This community feedback was the bedrock of my deliberations at Council.

Despite the lack of leadership at City Hall by our Mayor, Council was able to work together on these important issues and address City challenges collaboratively. In particular, I was able to work with my Council colleagues to increase library hours, expand the Student Nutrition program to 27 new locations and secure funding to restore Toronto's tree canopy.

We also worked together to increase our City's per-capita funding for the arts, add new funding for the TTC to alleviate rush-hour crowding and increase the budget for community grants through the Community Partnership and Investment Program – a vitally important resource that supports many local Ward 18 community services.

Regarding the major concerns of Ward 18 residents I was also pleased to join Council in allocating $20 million in provincial funding for childcare, including 668 new subsidized spaces, a well-deserved portion of which will be in Ward 18. I likewise voted for additional funding to the Tenant Defense Fund, a program whose important work has directly benefited Ward 18 tenants and which protects the nearly 50% of Toronto residents who live in rental housing.

We also successfully passed a motion calling on the development of an intergovernmental campaign to advocate for a return to the Provincial operating subsidy for the TTC. As Toronto continues to receive the lowest transit subsidy of any major city in North America, it is critical we continue to make the case to Provincial and Federal partners about sustainable, long-term transit funding.

Also included in the 2014 City Budget is:

- 2 additional bylaw officers to deal with tenant repair issues in apartments

- Funds to restore Toronto's tree canopy

- Additional funding to hire new paramedics

- 16 recreation centres to get priority centre status (free recreation)

- Arts funding on track to get to $25 per capita

- $1 million Hardship Fund restored to budget

- Additional funding for recreation swim programs and Swim to Survive program

- Full funding for year 2 expansion of the student nutrition program

- $300,000 for new high priority community programs in underserved areas

- Brand new 30-bed women's shelter

- $1.98 million for fire services

- Expanded library hours

Residents also contacted me with concern about the Housing Stabilization Fund, an important program which offers assistance to low-income and vulnerable Torontonians. Through collaboration with other Councillors, we successful passed a motion that will require a report back on improvements to this program and supplementary funding as required.

Together, the tax increase for the 2014 city budget resulted in a residential property tax increase of 2.71%, which includes the 0.5% increase for the Scarborough Subway.

Since being elected in 2010, I have worked hard on Council to restore responsible budgeting practises and keep our City affordable. We have made tremendous progress to nearly eliminate our dependence on one-time surplus monies to balance our City budget. This has put our City onto a much stronger financial footing, enabling us to take on larger City-building projects with confidence. Likewise, critical programs, such as our community grants and library hours, no longer need to wonder whether reduced revenue projections will result in funding cuts.

Despite this significant advancement towards stabilizing our City finances, major pressures continue to exist for Toronto's 2015 budget. Especially in light of the extreme weather events of July's flooding and the ice storm in December, increasing TTC ridership, and growing cuts to affordable housing from other levels of government, we must continue the important work we have begun: finding innovative solutions locally, maximizing revenue opportunities, and encouraging additional support from our Provincial and Federal governments.

Thank you again to the hundreds of residents who participated in the budget consultations leading up to Council's budget meeting. Your support and feedback are extremely important to me and I invite you to contact me at anytime through my City Hall office ([email protected], 416-392-7012) or visit me in person every Saturday, from 10am-12pm, during my Community Office Hours at Dufferin Mall.

The purpose of the summit is to hear directly from parents their priorities, issues and challenges in accessing child care and other services for children and families. Findings will inform the City's Child Care Service Plan and the new funding model for child care that is currently under development.

I encourage you to join us at one of the Parent Summit events, which will take place on Thursday, November 21st and Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 at the following locations and times:

Thursday, November 21st, 2013: North and South Summits
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
North Summit Location: North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street
South Summit Location: Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St.

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013: East and West Summits
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
East Summit Location: Chinese Cultural Centre, 5183 Sheppard Ave. East
West Summit Location: Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall