2012 City Budget: What’s at Stake for Toronto Communities

Winston Tinglin, Social Planning TorontoGlen Long Community CentreCommunity Budget ForumHosted by Councillor Josh ColleJanuary 11, 2012

Overview of the City of Toronto’s 2012 budget

Proposed cuts to our communities

Making choices about the Toronto we want

2012 Budget Process November 28: Staff-recommended 2012

operating and capital budgets released December 2, 5-9, 13: Budget Committee

meets to review budget January 9: Budget Committee makes final

recommendations on budget January 12: Executive Committee makes

final recommendations on budget January 17-19: City Council makes final

decisions on budget

The “Opening Pressure”

Choices that increased the opening pressure2011 Budget:City Council gave up $64 million in revenue by cancelling the vehicle registration taxCity Council froze property taxes – a 2% increase in 2011 would have generated about $47 million

Death by a Thousand CutsBudget Committee: recommends $85.2 million in proposed cuts plus increases to user fees including TTC and recreationTakes $2.8 million in proposed cuts off the table – 58 student nutrition programs, programs offered in 12 TDSB shared-use community centres, aquatics at 2 TDSB pools

Libraries and Recreationcuts to library hours, purchase of library materialselimination of priority recreation centres (end to free registered programs for children and youth in priority centres)cuts to arenas, increase in recreation facility permit costs, increases in user fees for recreationclosure of some wading pools, outdoor pools, elimination of programming at some school board pools

Community Programs9.8% cut to community grants for services delivered by nonprofit community organizations

Homeless Peopleclosure of three emergency shelters (Birchmount, Downsview Dells and Bellwoods)cuts to Affordable Housing Office and Shelter, Support and Housing Administration

Seniors, People with Disabilitieselimination of the Hardship Fund in June 2012 closure of visitor cafeterias in long term care homes

Child Careclosing 3 municipal child care centresrental costs for centres to be passed on to parents ($500-$600 per year)

TTC10 cent TTC fare increase cuts to 56 bus routes and 6 streetcar lines (TTC has taken some service reductions off the table, but bulk remain and specifics to be announced)cuts to streetcar and subway replacement purchasesend Wheel Trans service for dialysis patients (funding to June 2012)reduce service to pre-2004 levels

Environmentcuts to services that maintain a healthy tree canopycuts to sustainable energy and climate change policy development and implementation

Fire & Paramedicslonger waits for firefighters and paramedics

Good Jobselimination of over 2,300 City positions – service impacts

How are we doing?Unemployment over 9%

Source: City of Toronto, 2012

How Are We Doing …..?

City of Toronto anticipates tough economic times ahead in 2012 – projects an increase of 5,000 in the Ontario Works average monthly caseload from 101,000 to 106,000According to the 2006 Census, 24.5% of Toronto residents live in poverty – a figure based on good economic times compared to the current climateWomen, Aboriginal peoples, racialized groups, newcomers, people with disabilities, lone mothers, children and youth have much higher poverty rates than the city average

City Council has Choices – Budget Cuts are Not Inevitable

Engage and listen to communities – 13,000 residents took part in core service review identifying vital services they wanted protectedPromote equitable access to vital City programs and servicesThere are several was to balance the budget – let’s do it in a socially responsible wayLet’s not be penny-wise and pound-foolish

Making Choices about the Toronto We Want - Considerations Proposed service cuts - $85.2 million plus

increases in user fees for recreation and TTC 2011 surplus - $154 million $6 million left from unanticipated assessment

growth Proposed uses for the surplus: capital reserves

(for capital projects) and tax rate stabilization fund (rainy day fund)

Isn’t it raining now?

What City Council Can Do

City Council can:use the $6 million left from unanticipated assessment growth to take more cuts off the tableuse the 2011 surplus to balance the budget without damaging service cuts, while also saving money for capital projects and the rainy day funduse revenue options – e.g. a modest addition to the 2.5% property tax increase or re-instating the vehicle registration tax

Continue working to address the structural deficit - Get Federal and Provincial Governments

to play their part; develop viable long-term, revenue-generating strategies, esp. re:

TTC operating and capital costs Child care Social housing

Our Communities - A vital part of our city’s social and

economic infrastructure Budget should sustain them, not

damage them further Recession has compounded the effects

of poverty – already at very high levels Budget represents choices – for better

or worse

Contact Winston TinglinDirector of Community EngagementSocial Planning Torontowww.socialplanningtoronto.orgwtinglin@socialplanningtoronto.org(416) 351-0095 x250