Budget Wins, Meaningful Investments, and Affordability for 2026

Today, we capped off a multi-week Budget Committee journey by presenting a set of recommendations to the Mayor, who will release her version of the Budget on February 1. I am grateful to all Willowdale residents who stayed engaged—from the initial consultation at Memorial Hall, to the Willowdale Youth Council information session with deputation training, to our Virtual Budget Town Hall (see photo below) and this week’s Budget Deputation Meetings, where we heard a wide range of perspectives.

Before sharing some of our key takeaways, it’s important to understand the city’s unique fiscal constraints:

• The City lacks revenue tools that keep pace with inflation, making it difficult to freeze budgets without cutting services.

• Our revenue tools do not grow with population or economic growth.

• We cannot incur an operational deficit; the budget must balance each year.

• This lack of a sustainable fiscal framework means we regularly face difficult decisions.

Investing in Community Well-Being

This budget continues to support those who need it most:

• Housing & Homelessness: MURA (multi-unit affordable housing acquisition), EPIC (eviction prevention), and Rent Bank programs focus on prevention.

• Seniors’ Health: Doubling air-conditioning units for low-income seniors during extreme heat events.

• Transit Relief: TTC fare freeze, fare capping, expanded Wheel-Trans, and increased service hours.

• Refugee Support: Expanded base shelter capacity by converting refugee-dedicated beds due to reduced demand.

• Student Nutrition: Ensuring children can focus on learning rather than hunger.

Safety & Public Services

• Police & Emergency Services: 143 new officers in 2026; Priority 1 response times improved 23 → 13 minutes.

• 94 new paramedics, supervisors, and dispatchers, plus a pilot of crisis workers on transit.

• Additional staff ensure timely removal of animal cadavers, highlighting attention to quality of life.

I am grateful for the current Interdivisional Intimate Partner Violence working group, but without a dedicated unit in the City, it is hard to achieve a workplan with deliverables. That is why I have requested consideration of establishing an IPV Secretariat to help accelerate the city’s efforts towards the prevention and eradication of Intimate Partner Violence and Gender Based Violence.

Willowdale Updates:

• George Weston Hall at the Meridian Arts Centre is getting a great upgrade thanks to a generous donation of $2.275 million from the Weston Group of Companies.

• Willowdale Park & Silverview Park refreshes begin this year.

• John Mackenzie Parkette expansion and Wedgewood Park Playground Improvement are also set to start.

• Participatory Budget projects continue at Goulding, Moore Park, and Edithvale.

Mel Lastman Square refresh remains unfunded—a concern with 100,000 new residents proposed in the North York Centre Secondary Plan to add to the 145% growth we’ve seen the last 20 years.

I continue to advocate for restored staffing that allows greater use of the North York Civic Centre. Pre-pandemic bookings were 1,200+, and current levels fall far short—representing a direct loss of much-needed community space in a growing ward.

“North York deserves visionary investment as we look with envy at Biidaasige Park, Love Park, and Leslie Lookout Park.”

These are things we should fight for together at the upcoming planning meeting for the North York Centre Secondary Plan.

Smart Fiscal Management with Some Concerns

With a focus on affordability, the 2026 proposed operating budget includes a modest 0.7% property tax increase, below the 2.2% inflation rate. The 1.5% City Building levy increase funds capital projects, not day-to-day operations. Achieving this required careful collaboration, with some divisions revising proposals up to nine times to find efficiencies while protecting services.

It is important to note that $1.565 billion of our $18.9 billion budget reduces the financial burdens of other levels of government, including housing, social services, and health services. This represents 27% of property tax funding, which further dilutes the 9 cents of every tax dollar that comes back directly to the City.

I am concerned that this very low property tax increase may set expectations that we can continue to achieve much with very little. We leaned heavily on reserves and one-time efficiencies, which will not be available next year. There is also a significant Development Charge Reserve Fund cliff that will put us in the red by 2028, leading to more project deferrals and potential cancellations in the city’s Facilities Master Plan. Many residents and councillors will rightly ask whether we should be bracing for 2027 and what kind of New Deal we can expect from the province to alleviate many of these pressures.

Sustainable City Partnerships

Our partnership with the Provincial and Federal governments is critical to Toronto’s long-term sustainability. We need the Province to increase OW and ODSP, improve mental health and addiction care, and close the infrastructure funding gap left by the loss of Section 37 and reduced development charges. 

“When people fall through the cracks, they end up on our streets—losing dignity and placing enormous strain on city services never designed to replace health care.”

At the same time, the Federal $10 million clawback linked to the sixplex policy undermines councillors who have approved thousands of housing units without adequate funding for parks, community centres, and services. We cannot only focus on adding housing without the funding to build the necessary infrastructure to support growth.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to property taxpayers, who have stretched over the past few years to support city services. Appreciation also goes to the Province for uploading DVP and Gardiner maintenance, improving the state of good repair across Toronto. These combined efforts help keep our city moving and safe while we continue to advocate for more support from all levels of government. 

Conclusion

The 2026 budget makes difficult but responsible choices, protecting the most vulnerable, funding essential services, and positioning Toronto for growth and stability while we await much-needed investments and partnerships with our higher orders of government. My concerns about North York Civic Centre, Mel Lastman Square and the lack of a dedicated unit working on Intimate Partner Violence were included in motions submitted to the Mayor during the Budget Wrap-Up meeting. The mayor will present her budget based on our recommendations on February 1, and the budget will be finalized at a special Council meeting on February 10.