Toronto police budget request sails through committee meeting largely unchallenged
Mayor Olivia Chow signals she will likely approve $46.2M police budget hike
Toronto police's $46.2 million proposed budget increase was left largely unchallenged at the city's budget committee meeting as councillors asked little of police officials to justify the 3.9 per cent hike from last year.
Speaking to the committee after less than an hour of questioning, Shelley Carroll, the new chair of the Toronto Police Service Board, said the board budget was levelled very responsibly.
"So that's probably why there are no questions," she told the room.
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw was asked by reporters after the meeting what could have changed between this year and last, when a budget increase less than half as large faced much debate.
Demkiw said the mayor, the budget chief and city council directed him to develop the hiring plan that makes up the "backbone" of this year's budget ask.
"I'm very much appreciative of last year's process, the way it ended," he said.
The five-year hiring plan will see 109 additional new uniformed officers recruited next year.
While councillors asked questions about the force's hiring goals and response times, none asked to justify the increasing dollar figures allotted to improve them.
Noting the fewer number of people in the room than last year's budget proceedings, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McElvie asked whether the city could see a financial impact from police wage increases that will go beyond what's already in the budget.
"Anytime during labour negotiations, we'll set aside a provision within our corporate accounts. Upon settlement of that, we would then transfer the funds over to the budget," said Stephen Conforti, chief financial officer and treasurer with the city.
A five per cent retroactive pay increase recently given to police officers and civilian staff for 2024 could inflate police expenses by $53 million, according to an estimate by the policing committee of the Law Union of Ontario.
Coun. Chris Moise asked why premium pay to support congestion management is included in the budget despite it being funded by transportation services revenue. Police Chief Administrative Officer Svina Dhaliwal said the pay will have a net zero impact on the budget.
Moise also asked about the service's progress recovering money from the province for Project Resolute, an effort to increase police visibility in targeted communities set up in the aftermath of Oct. 7, which he noted led to $40 million in overspending for the city last year.
Demkiw said police previously wrote a letter to the provincial government about the high costs and he hopes to discuss them further in the coming year.
While police officials previously flagged they are closing fewer cases when presenting the budget request to the police board in December, those figures were left out of Thursday's presentation to city council.
Chow likely to approve budget ask
In 2024, the city approved a 1.7 per cent budget increase of $20 million after tense discussions. In the end, Mayor Olivia Chow approved the budget police asked for despite city staff recommending a lower increase of $7.4 million.
This year, Chow has signaled she will also support the increase police requested, saying in a pre-budget announcement that police, TTC and housing "are the three big buckets" that will be prioritized.
The current version of this year's budget calls for a 6.9 per cent tax hike for homeowners.
Asked about an alleged "campaign" by Toronto police to get Chow to approve last year's budget increase, Demkiw said that's not how he would characterize his work.
"Providing the information to decision makers as they make their decisions is what I did last year," he told reporters.
Critics say inflated budget won't address safety concerns
As the city debates the police budget increase, critics say a better way to make Toronto safer is to spend the money elsewhere.
At a news conference by the policing committee of the Law Union of Ontario Wednesday, criminal defence lawyer and member Jack Gemmell said the city should instead spend the money to address root causes of crime and disorder, including poverty and a shortage in housing.
"The money goes more towards policing, it will inevitably mean less of the pie will go towards these services," he said.
City council is set to vote on the finalized budget in February.
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