Toronto touts $185M in anti-poverty spending, but activists say more needs to be done

A noisy group of protesters warned Mayor John Tory's budget would hit the poor hard, on the same day the city's deputy mayor touted some of the city's anti-poverty measures.

Protesters with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) tried to block Tory from getting into the C.D. Howe Institute, near Yonge and King Streets, where he delivered a lunchtime speech.

• Toronto's budget is balanced, and the city can thank the housing market

OCAP's Yogi Acharya said his group wants the mayor to consider raising property taxes to better support those living in poverty. He also wants the mayor to back away from a proposed $1 million cut that will see the city lose 10 shelter workers.

"That's just not acceptable to us," he told CBC Toronto.

Inside, Tory blamed the provincial and federal governments for the city's inability to do more to help its poor.

"We have seen other responsibilities related to homelessness, to mental health, and to child care downloaded to us by the province for decades," Tory said, according to a transcript of his speech released by his staff.

City opening 200 more shelter beds

Earlier Thursday, Coun. Pam McConnell held a city hall news conference to outline the anti-poverty measures in this year's budget, and said the $185 million in funding is an improvement over last year.

"Today is not a bad news day," McConnell told reporters.

The biggest investment is for Toronto Community Housing, but the city is also spending money to expand its student nutrition program, provide more child-care subsidies and expand library hours.  

The city is also opening a new priority shelter, and creating 200 more shelter beds. But despite the improvements, McConnell said there are still worrisome cuts, including a suggestion that the city layoff 10 frontline workers to save about $1 million.

"I do think there are some things… that we're moving a bit backward on," she said, adding she plans to fight that particular cut at council.

City staff told councillors earlier this week that the cut would negatively affect services in some city shelters, but that problem will ease when some shelters, like Seaton House, close.

"Until we don't need these people, then I think we keep them employed and on staff," McConnell said.

Cuts to be debated

She said she'd also oppose the city's move to nix some emergency cooling centres, and a mentoring program for youth struggling with mental health issues. McConnell said the program only costs $36,000 to run and she believes it may have saved thousands of lives. Cutting it, she said, "never should have been put on the chopping block."

McConnell also called on the city to keep better track of its anti-poverty work by creating a chart that gets updated.

And she said she's hoping a job quality assessment tool will provide councillors with a better sense of what constitutes a living wage in this city.

The anti-poverty investments are part of the city's 20-year TO Prosperity plan. City council is set to debate the budget on Feb. 15-16.