Friends and neighbours,
As your Councillor, I'm building a Toronto that's safe, livable, affordable, and commutable - for all of us.
After hearing from you at the door, on the street, at community events, at our town halls, and from letters and emails you’ve sent to me, my team and I are working hard to deliver.
Here's how this year's City budget will work for all of us:
Overdue Investments to Improve Our City
For 12 years, Toronto’s property tax rates were kept artificially low: by being at or below the rate of inflation, it ate into our bottom line and tied our City’s hands financially. City services fell behind, and the state of our parks, transit, and infrastructure has slowly declined. We have a plan that makes real improvements to our parks, our transit, our streets, and our infrastructure over the next three years. It means there will be a modest property tax increase of 6.9% this year, which on average is an increase of $198 for households in our Ward – compared to an average of $268 city-wide. There are Property Tax Relief programs for Seniors and Persons Living with a Disability, Registered Charities, Small Business Property Tax Subclass, Ethnocultural Centres, and Heritage Properties. The income eligibility thresholds have been raised to a combined household income of $60,000 or less.
Addressing & Preventing Homelessness
The Provincial Government’s elimination of rent control has led to unprecedented levels of homelessness: more than 80,000 people in 2024, projected to reach 300,000 by 2035 if significant investments in affordable and supportive housing aren’t made immediately.
Our budget increases investments in the Rent Bank, Toronto Tenant Support, and the Eviction Prevention in Community (EPIC) program totalling over $19.8-million. We’re also creating the Rental Renoviction License Program to prevent renovictions, and I have secured a housing worker for St. James Town and have been hosting Housing Clinics to assist residents with affordable housing.
Improving Community Safety
In this budget, we’ve secured funds for The 519 to sustain their 24/7 security. We’re also hiring 25 new Traffic Wardens and deploying 75 new Automated Speed Enforcement cameras to enhance safety. The Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) Program, in partnership with Toronto Public Health Nurses and Toronto Police, continues to proactively support vulnerable people. Additionally, we’re investing in a new Homelessness and Addictions Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub, and have created a Downtown East Leadership Table, and are recalibrating our safety networks across the Ward.
