CRISANTI: Toronto’s 2025 budget shook the city

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On Jan. 13, the City of Toronto launched the 2025 budget.

Taxpayers are still recovering from the record tax hike of 2024. Last year’s record 9.5% tax hike, coupled with another 6.9% proposed this year, will result in Toronto taxpayers facing a total increase of 16.4% in just two years under this current administration.

This 16.4% property tax increase over the past two years, poses significant affordability consequences for Torontonians.

We need to create a fiscally responsible budget that doesn’t seek refuge in the taxpayer. We must find efficiencies internally, without putting the burden on the backs of Torontonians. I truly believe this is possible.

The federal government promised to increase funding to the tune of $108.5 million for the National School Food Program over the next three years. The City of Toronto’s budget includes an additional $6 million to support this program. Taxpayers should not be footing this bill.

It is crucial that students receive proper nutrition, ensuring they learn, develop, and grow to their greatest potential. So, while I support the Student Nutrition Program, I call on other levels of government to continue to fund this important program in its entirety.

While this administration struggles to resolve gridlock, the TTC continues to grapple with issues like public safety and fare evasion. Fare evasion alone costs the city and taxpayers $140 million annually and climbing. This is a chronic problem that has spun out of control, and frankly there isn’t enough being done to address it. While the implementation of plainclothes enforcement officers issuing tickets and fines will help, it’s simply not enough to resolve this issue. We can do more. We cannot accept the status quo while the annual cost of fare evasion continues to rise.

As a city with an aging population, we promote seniors aging-in-place. And to do so, they need sustainable support services. This budget doesn’t address the affordability challenges that seniors on a fixed income face, including the threat of being priced out of their own homes. Toronto residents shouldn’t be paying more in taxes while also feeling less supported, especially when the lack of certain support systems puts a burden too heavy to bear on our seniors.

The budget increase doesn’t reflect the tangible change that Torontonians are clamoring for. Many residents still feel unsafe on our streets, vulnerable on our transit system and are at their wits’ end with trying to make ends meet.

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I stay committed to advocating and ensuring the voices of Etobicoke North residents are heard at City Hall during this budget process.

If we’ve really been listening to taxpayers and Torontonians, this budget missed the mark. I continuously hear from residents about the issues that are important to them, which are safety, traffic congestion, affordability and sustainable delivery of core services.

This budget does not address the priorities the people have been asking for. The last two budgets under this administration have increased the operating budget by $2.8 billion and grown the size of government.

Who is paying for all of this? We know the answer – you, the taxpayer.

What happened to respect for taxpayers?

– Vincent Crisanti is the City Councillor for Ward 1, Etobicoke North