Seven new councillors want money spent on root causes of crime

Article content

Seven new Toronto councillors have teamed up to jointly demand more funding for programs that address the roots of crime.

The councillors released their message on the same day that the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) approved a new operating budget with a $48.3 million increase over 2022, in part to pay for 200 new police officers.

“For too long, governments have prioritized enforcement over addressing the root causes of crime and violence: poverty, discrimination, lack of opportunities, underinvestment and inequality,” says a statement signed by Councillors Amber Morley, Alejandra Bravo, Ausma Malik, Dianne Saxe, Chris Moise, Lily Cheng and Jamaal Myers.

All seven councillors were elected for the first time to Toronto Council in last October’s municipal vote.

Decades of research have shown that increasing police spending without simultaneous investments in social and community infrastructure does not make people safer, the statement says.]

Investments in community-led crisis response programs, like the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS), has shown great success often without police enforcement, the group of councillors say.

“This is where further investments in community safety should be prioritized,” the statement says.

Five of the seven councillors, all but Saxe and Cheng, were backed during the campaign by Progress Toronto.

Recommended video

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

“Together, these new voices are tilting the balance of power on city council,” the advocacy group said in a statement shortly after the election. “Mayor John Tory used his $1.5-plus million campaign budget to prop up some of city council’s most conservative city councillors and to work to get his friends elected in open races.”

Tory is presenting a proposed budget which includes funding for more police officers and TTC special constables following a number of high-profile crimes.

aartuso@postmedia.com