.png)
It's time to make evidence-based spending decisions
No More Waste
Taxes are the fee we pay for a safe, livable city. We deserve to know that our investment is being spent wisely. The 2024 budget must reflect evidence-based decision making - starting with the biggest line item, Toronto Police Services. No more waste.
Sign our open letter calling on Mayor Olivia Chow and City Council to redirect funding from the biggest programs that aren't delivering, and towards programs with proven results.
Toronto Police Service is the single largest line item in the city budget
Every year, Toronto spends more than a billion dollars on policing.
That includes over 1,000 TPS employees with salaries over $100,000.
The police budget has increased steadily, with no commensurate reduction in crime rates. And police officers are often deployed on tasks that are outside the scope of their services - for example, policing is not an effective solution to homelessness.
It's time for TPS to focus on core competencies so they can reduce wait times.
Toronto Police Service is NOT facing a budget cut - but maybe they should
Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) is being offered $59.7 million in increased funding with the 2024 budget currently on proposal - a 5.2% increase.
TPSB is nonsensically claiming this increase is a cut. There's even a slick fearmongering campaign to bolster their case.
But facts are facts. An increase is not a cut - and frankly, it's concerning that the police board is asking us to trust them with more money while distorting the truth.
Spending more on police has *no impact* on crime rates
A recently concluded and extremely thorough 10 year study of policing in 20 Canadian cities - including Toronto - carefully analyzed the impact of police spending on crime rates.
The result? No correlation whatsoever.
Previous studies have found similar results, and also demonstrated that reductions in crime are more closely related to increased employment rates and increased spending on social assistance, especially EI. It makes sense to spend our money on programs proven to work.
