Public library, park washrooms, housing to get more money in 2023 Toronto budget

Mayor John Tory on Thursday pledged more money for “nuts and bolts” city services.

Thestar.com
Jan. 6, 2023
May Warren

After being criticized over the state of city services such as park bathrooms, Mayor John Tory is promising improvements as he releases selective parts of Toronto’s proposed 2023 budget.

Tory’s announcement Thursday, one of a series ahead of Tuesday’s official budget launch, also revealed a 2.4-per-cent increase to the Toronto Public Library budget, and “significant” housing investments.

The mayor said his spending plan, which will go to city council for debate, ensures “seasonal washrooms and fountains in city parks are open earlier in the spring and later in the fall,” with an investment of $2.86 million.

He made no pledge, however, to boost the planned number of washrooms open through the winter, one of many complaints about the state of city services from residents that intensified during the pandemic and were chronicled in the Star’s “Can’t We Do Better?” series.

Most of Tory’s other pledges Thursday for “nuts and bolts” services were to maintain the status quo for outdoor pools, wading pools, rinks and more.

Toronto Public Library, among the world’s busiest systems with almost 1.2 million cardholders, is set to see funding rise by 2.4 per cent, or $5 million, plus $3.6 million in “COVID-related support.”

The 100-branch system was earlier instructed to prepare a budget that froze spending. Library staff warned that would have triggered service cuts due to inflationary pressures.

Even with a 2.4-per-cent rise, library officials have to cut $3.7 million. As of Thursday, staff had identified savings from temporary staff vacancies, an equipment replacement reserve and more, with $900,000 still to find.

“In a nutshell, there will be no service cuts in 2023,” chief librarian Vickery Bowles assured the library board in a special meeting Thursday.

Tory also unveiled plans for almost $2 billion in gross spending to combat the city’s housing crisis. The 2023 budget proposes $616 million from the city’s tax base to support housing, excluding ongoing pandemic expenses.

“This is needed funding to help our most vulnerable residents and to help people find a pathway out of homelessness,” Tory said Thursday.

The “significant investments” include almost $300 million for the city’s subsidy to the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (an increase from $275 million last year), and $10.8 million more to deal with the impacts of the pandemic; $7.08 million for a program to prevent eviction; and almost $19 million for an initiative that supports non-profits to purchase and operate rental housing, “to help preserve the city’s rental housing stock.”

It also includes $3.5 million in new funding to fully support the implementation of multi-tenant housing -- council voted to legalize rooming houses across the city last month -- and $146 million for the city’s Housing Secretariat (formerly the Affordable Housing Office).

“These investments will help protect renters from eviction, save affordable housing that might be lost to the private market, build more supportive housing and ensure our parks, rinks and youth spaces are fully operational and welcoming,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie.

Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, said in an email the organization appreciates the “renewed focus on affordable housing.”

But, he noted the budget so far doesn’t have a revenue line to replace development charges lost with the introduction of Ontario’s Bill 23, which was a “major blow to the funding available to Toronto.” Kwan said this shortfall will likely result in eventual increases in property taxes, and “renters will have to bear the burden” through rent hikes.

“This may seriously undermine efforts by the city to address the affordable housing crisis,” he added. There’s also nothing yet in the budget on a “use it or lose it” policy to make developers build now instead of sitting on vacant land and waiting for it to appreciate, he added.

Tory has said the Ontario government has promised to “make the city whole” on development charge revenues, and he will push Premier Doug Ford to ensure that means no revenue loss at all.

Tory also commented on the city’s new vacant home tax, saying it’s not about a revenue generating scheme for the city, but freeing up empty units.

“You’re denying some person in Toronto who needs a home the opportunity to live in that home,” he said, of owners of vacant units. “Houses are meant to be lived in by people.”

The 2023 city of Toronto budget, the first prepared under Tory’s new “strong mayor” powers, is slated to go to council on Feb 14.

Earlier this week Tory announced plans for a $48.3 million increase in the police budget, as well as 10 cent hike in TTC fares and hiring 50 more special constables for the transit service.