The big problem with John Tory’s budget? It’s short one John Tory and $1.5 billion

Toronto city council will meet tomorrow to consider John Tory’s budget for the City of Toronto. The budget has got Tory’s fingerprints all over it. Tory campaigned for this budget. He gladly accepted the strong mayor powers from Premier Doug Ford that let him architect it — a change from the process in past years. He even elaborately previewed parts of it before it was unveiled, trying to build as much hype as is possible to build for a municipal spending plan. (Which, admittedly, is not that much hype.)

The problem, of course, with John Tory’s budget is that we now know Toronto won’t have John Tory.

The mayor, after announcing his intention to resign over revelations of a relationship with a staffer, will be gone soon. The 25 members of city council, on the other hand, will need to live with the civic consequences of this budget.

Councillors should keep that in mind as they kick off their special meeting to consider the budget. The idea that Tory’s departure shouldn’t motivate changes to Tory’s plan is ridiculous.

Consider, for example, the matter of the giant hole in the budget. Toronto is short about $1.1 billion needed to balance this year’s operating budget. Most of that is due to $933 million in impacts city hall has chalked up to a prolonged pandemic hangover, but there’s also $97 million in missing federal funds to support refugees in municipal shelters and $48 million in needed money from Queen’s Park to fund supportive housing.

The city is also still in a $484 million deficit position from last year’s budget. The situation has already caused cuts to critical repair and infrastructure budgets. It could cause a lot more.

Tory’s rationale for passing a budget with missing funds has hinged on the idea that his experience and diplomatic approach make him a very good negotiator. In a speech to council kicking off his third term late last year, Tory spoke of how he was “continuing to advocate relentlessly” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford.

“One of the reasons I wanted to seek and have received a mandate to be in this office again, is because I think people understand that I know how these partnerships can work for the benefit of the people of the city of Toronto. And I hope that my track record can allow people to support me as I go about this work as mayor,” Tory said.

Well, so much for that. Council is now looking at a months-long stretch where there won’t be an elected mayor to lead these time-sensitive intergovernmental negotiations.

Council must take steps to mitigate the city’s risk. Ditch Tory’s diplomatic approach and signal a plan to play hardball.

Toronto, for example, should announce plans to pause all repair work on the $1.9 billion Gardiner Expressway project unless the provincial government commits to a cost-sharing arrangement, taking some of the huge costs related to the highway — used each day by thousands of commuters who don’t pay taxes in Toronto — off the city’s books.

Making the case to Trudeau’s federal government will be harder, but must be done. A public campaign highlighting the abject federal failure to properly fund shelter spaces — and housing and other municipal services — for those seeking asylum in Canada from war-torn and oppressive countries seems like an overdue move.

Meanwhile, there’s also an opportunity to rebalance the priorities within the budget. Tory, for example, has been a huge proponent of Toronto hosting soccer matches as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Council may want to consider whether spending $20.4 million preparing for FIFA this year makes sense in a city that can’t provide enough warm spaces for those without housing.

Council could also contend with Tory’s emphasis on increased police funding. The cops are set to get an additional $48 million budgetary increase this year. On top of that, at Tory’s urging the city is now spending another $1.7 million per month paying police officers overtime to patrol the TTC. Instead of shouldering these costs, council could direct more of those funds to Toronto’s nonpolice Toronto’s Community Crisis Service — an initiative that has seen very promising early results.

And speaking of the TTC, Tory’s support of a plan to reduce service this year — while raising fares — never made much sense. It’s time for the real transit advocates on council to speak up, and push for better.

The details behind any changes to the spending plan will be important, of course, but the critical thing is that councillors understand that changes to this budget aren’t just possible — they’re downright necessary. Tory’s budget was written for a city where Tory would be around to take responsibility for the choices it makes and the priorities it sets. The weight of that responsibility now falls to council.

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