New city budget not perfect, but goes a long way

By Kristyn Wong-Tam –

City Council passed Toronto’s 2013 budget. It was not a perfect budget, but I am tremendously proud of what Council accomplished with a number of important amendments that reflected the values of Torontonians. Several important programs were saved and early plans were laid to prepare for the 2014 budget with a number of early reports and additional consultation.

I brought forward three budget amendments:

Council passed my amendment (5B) to increase the budget for the Community Partnerships and Investment Program by $894,450 which offsets the inflationary pressures not addressed in the 2011 or 2012 budgets. This means that important programs, including community safety, access to services for the vulnerable, HIV/AIDS prevention, and youth community investments will be maintained and improved over the next year. I am very happy that this amendment passed.

My motions for the city to reinstate its $104,000 contribution to the Global AIDS fund (5C), as well as a separate motion (5A) to contribute a much needed $60,000 to the Toronto Botanical Gardens’ operating funds, did not pass.

Council also adopted the following budget amendments:

Student Nutrition Programs will be expanded to reach more children in need with an investment of $1.163 million. The requirement that families demonstrate their eligibility of poverty has been removed.

Toronto Building and City Planning were requested to report back on their staffing requirements and human resource strategies, respectively, in advance of the 2014 budget. This will help ensure that we plan and prepare carefully for the city’s growth.

The budget process is to be reviewed for 2014 to look at ways of making it more transparent. The timeline will also be extended to allow for additional briefings and information-sharing. The administration’s desire to conclude the city budget before knowing what may be contained in the provincial or federal budget in the spring has never made sense.

City Council recommitted to achieving 40% coverage for the tree canopy by 2050. A one-time grant of $250,000 for the Parks and Trees Foundation was also approved, in order to leverage private investment in parks and trees.

Toronto Public Library will review its hours of operation, in order to assess its ability to provide service for the broader community.

Toronto Fire Service has been provided the $3.1 million in funds to hire 63 additional firefighters. It will review its response times for high-rise buildings and establish a budget that would allow it to make those response times comparable to low-rise housing.

Social Housing and Support received an additional $3 million towards the Housing Stabilization Fund. These funds help those receiving Ontario Works and ODSP to prevent and avoid eviction, as well as obtaining accommodation. This still falls short of addressing the brewing housing crisis caused by the high reductions in provincial funding.

The Ombudsman’s Office will be getting requested support with approval for a half-position in additional funding to hire an additional investigator.

Toronto’s Sustainable Energy program will now be able to finance private household improvements more effectively, while making back its investment over the long-term. This will improve home energy efficiencies and help the City reach its environmental targets.

Subsidized Childcare Spaces in Toronto will be expanded to accommodate 264 more children. The waiting list today is over 20,000.

Community mobilization and the feedback I heard on this budget was excellent. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to inform themselves, advocate, and communicate their thoughts. My special thanks to Ward 27 residents, Together Toronto, Social Planning Toronto, the Toronto Arts Council, Friends of the Arts, Toronto HIV/AIDS Network, Commitment to Community, Tenants for Social Housing, and Senator Art Eggleton for all of your advocacy and communication.