Toronto City Council passes Mayor Olivia Chow's inaugural budget

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s first budget was approved by the Toronto City Council Wednesday, including the restoration of the police budget approved by the Toronto Police Services Board.

 

It also includes the largest tax hike in a quarter century, with the approval of a 9.5 percent property tax increase.

 

Calling it the first step in reserving the city deterioration, Mayor Olivia Chow’s $17-billion budget also includes money to save a windrow-clearing program.

 

Her first budget builds on social programs and housing. Simultaneously, it also aimed at plugging the $1.8 billion budget deficit with the tax hike for homeowners.

 

According to CTV News, after the budget was finalised, Chow expressed that “it feels great” and also “historic” because it reflected that the city of Toronto is “back on track.”

 

"When the residents, businesses, all the councillors work together, we have a budget that really helps build a city that's more caring, more affordable and safer where everyone belongs,” Olivia Chow said while also describing the budget as a good step towards her initial pledge to bring the city on track.

She had said, “Can we do it in one year? No. It is a journey, but at least we are starting. We are halting the decline of services. We’re changing direction.”

 

Council members unanimously agreed to allocate $4.1 million to continue a program that removes the piles of snow left at the ends of driveways by city snow plows.

 

Additionally, they approved funding for various initiatives at the last minute. These include supporting Black Creek Pioneer Village; initiatives for planting, trimming, and watering trees; programs aimed at enhancing community safety, preventing violence, and promoting wellbeing; and funds for hiring additional officers to enforce local laws related to noise, business licenses, and managing responses to dangerous dog incidents.