John Tory calls for $48M in new spending as part of 2023 Toronto police budget

Mayor John Tory is calling for more than $48 million in new spending as part of the Toronto Police Service’s 2023 budget, arguing the funding is needed to address public safety concerns.

“I know that people are extremely anxious about recent acts of violence that we’ve seen in our city and across the GTA, including on our transit system,” he said during a news conference on Tuesday, adding further details on TTC safety will be forthcoming.

“One of our principal responsibilities is to keep our community safe and to keep Torontonians safe. This will show itself in a proposed 4.3 per cent increase in the police budget.”

Tory said the request from the Toronto Police Service would see 200 new uniformed officer positions created (162 for priority response units, 22 for major case management, 16 for the service’s neighbourhood policing program in priority neighbourhoods) as well as 90 new special constable and 20 911 operator positions created.

He said his push for funding, which if approved would bring the overall Toronto police budget to just over $1.1 billion, correlates with the growth Toronto is seeing.

“It is an investment that is both responsible and necessary to keep Toronto safe,” he said.

During the news conference, Tory also took aim at those who have called for defunding the Toronto Police Service and reinvesting money into community and mental health supports.

“These are investments which, in my best judgement, we must make now. I will strongly resist the continuing efforts of those who would reduce the police budget. During the election campaign, I clearly indicated my opposition to what they call defunding the police,” he said.

Tory, who served on the police services board during the last term of council but chose not to this term, said he’s in favour of modernization and in favour of finding “more effective ways” to support people in crisis.

Distrust in policing in parts of the community has also been issue for the service, one that was acknowledged during Chief Myron Demkiw’s swearing-in ceremony in December and by Tory during his comments on Tuesday.

For example, Tory wasn’t able to point to specific, substantial reforms since a June report by the Toronto Police Service found Black people faced a disproportionate use of force. In 2021, former judge Gloria Epstein found systemic discrimination was a contributing factor in multiple missing persons investigations.

RELATED: Toronto police seek 2.3% operating funding increase as part of 2022 budget

Desmond Cole, a community advocate who has been involved with the No Pride in Policing Coalition, called the announcement “disappointing.”

“The police board has to meet and discuss their own budget so the fact that the mayor is coming up ahead of the board that he’s no longer a part of shows you that Mayor Tory has always been dictating the funding of the police and is continuing to do so now even though he’s not on the board anymore,” he told reporters shortly after Tory spoke.

“Nine years of him supporting the police in this way hasn’t increased safety in the City of Toronto. It hasn’t stopped violence in the City of Toronto.”

Cole said there are many other uses the extra money could go towards.

“We’re not seeing $50 million invested in the mental health care supports for Torontonians. We’re not seeing a $50 million increase in housing. We’re not seeing $50 million go to child care, or food programs or student nutrition. All we’re being told is that for your own good, you will be policed whether you feel safe or not, whether it provides you with more safety or not,” said Cole.

“I think it’s unfortunate. I think Torontonians really need to mobilize and get involved in this budget process to say no to this because if the mayor can find $50 million out of nowhere for the cops, he can sure as hell find it for the things that we actually need.”

When asked about comments Tory made about people he’s speaking with asking for more officers to combat violence, Cole questioned the approach and its efficacy.

“This is the most policed city in Canada, is it not? So then it should be the safest city in Canada because it has the most cops running around with the most guns, the most body armour, the most Tasers. If policing bred safety, this would be the safest city in the world,” he said.

“It’s not about Mayor Tory going into communities where people by the way are being victimized by violence and then saying to those people, ‘What do you want?’ and they say, ‘Well, we want more policing.’ If that’s not the answer that is going to actually address the issue, it doesn’t matter how many people are telling that to Mayor Tory in their grief and in their desperation for a real solution,” explained Cole.

“I understand why some people suggest that there should be more policing. He’s been on council for eight years advocating for that exact remedy and it hasn’t done anything.”

Meanwhile, the 2023 budget request will go to the Toronto Police Services Board on Jan. 9. If approved, it will go to Toronto city council during its budget process. The City of Toronto’s begins budget deliberations.

With files from Caryn Ceolin