- Dates of City Hall budget meetings where you can have your say
- How to sign up to speak at, or submit a letter to, a Budget Committee meeting
- City Hall 2012 Budget meeting dates (Councillors may hold other meetings)
The City of Toronto’s budget is responsible for many of the programs and public services we love and depend on. The 2012 Budget will be of particular importance to us. In March 2011, our mayor and council started a review of city services, called the Core Service Review, with the goal of finding cost savings for this budget. The results of that exercise mean that throughout the 2012 Budget, Councillors will be faced with numerous proposals to drastically cut funding for vital city services. These cuts will affect you, your family and our community.
The Core Service Review recommended the elimination and reduction of many of our public services. It is likely that this 2012 Budget, being made public on November 28, 2011, will propose cuts to affordable housing, child care, long-term care homes, libraries, museums, animal services, snow clearing and grass cutting in city parks, funding for priority neighbourhoods, environmental programs, street sweeping, community grants, arts funding, EMS and fire services, and much more. This budget could result in enormous cuts to all city departments and programs, putting our local economy, public health, social services, and our environment at risk.
Given how important the budget process is, I wanted to provide you with more information on how the budget process works and how you can participate. I will post more as information becomes available.
The 2012 Capital and Operating Budget will be released on Monday November 28. The meeting schedule for the Budget Committee has been released and I’ve posted it below. The Budget Committee allows the public to speak (depute) at only some of these meetings. Details about those opportunities are also below, along with information about how to sign up to speak/give a deputation. We will be holding our own Ward 19 budget town hall on December 15, 2011 from 7pm-9pm at Trinity Community Recreation Centre, second floor.
At the moment, the public has only two opportunities to voice their opinion in the formal 2012 Budget process at City Hal, although Councillors will likely be holding their own consultations. It does not look like there will be city-wide budget consultations, as there were last year.
Public Hearings – where you can have your say
2012 Rate Support Budgets – Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management – Public Hearings
Thursday November 10, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
2012 Tax Supported Capital and Operating Budgets – Public Hearings
Wednesday, December 7, 2011*
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1
Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
*Note this was rescheduled from December 8, 2011. See the notice here.
The Budget Committee meets publicly many more times (included below), but November 10 and December 7, 2011 are the only dates the public can depute. The Capital and Operating Budgets will go to Executive Committee on January 12, 2012 and then to Council on January 17,18,& 19, 2012. I’ve been informed by clerks at City Hall that the public will unfortunately not be able to speak at Executive Committee on January 12, since it is the same item as is before Budget Committee on December 7. This means that December 7 is a key date to have your say.
How to Have Your Say
When the 2012 Capital and Operating Budgets come out on November 28, many organizations throughout the City will likely ask you take action to stop public service cuts that may be proposed. I will do my best to include links to those campaigns on my site.
To have your say at the Budget Committee you can sign up to speak or you can submit communications to the committee. The City has tips on how to do this here.
Signing up to Speak at Budget Committee
Email buc@toronto.ca or phone (416) 392-7340.
That is the City Clerk’s staff contact for the Budget Committee.
You can appear before Budget Committee and share your comments on the City’s budget with committee members directly. The City Clerk’s office asks (as a courtesy) that you register to speak by 4:30 p.m. on the day before the meeting, but you can usually register in the meeting room before the meeting starts. If there is more than one item before the committee (e.g. the November 10 meeting has Waste and Water as separate items), you should specify what you would like to speak to. Note that you are limited to 5 minutes for your presentation, although sometimes committee members decide to reduce your speaking time, as was done at the Executive Committee Core Service Review meetings. Members of the Committee will have a chance to ask you questions following your presentation. See this step-by-step guide on how to make a deputation created by Commitment-2-Community here.
Submitting Your Comments to Budget Committee
Email buc@toronto.ca or fax: (416) 392-1879
The City Clerks office asks that you clearly indicate the following:
- That you are submitting comments for distribution to a committee or to Council.
- The name of the item and the item number (e.g. Item BU16.1 2012 Water and Wastewater Rates and Service Fees).
- The name of the Committee and the date of the meeting.
The Full List of Budget Committee Meetings
In June 2011 the city published a list of dates for the 2012 Budget process found here.
2012 Rate Supported Budgets Process
Public Hearings – 2012 Rate Supported Budgets – Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management
Thursday November 10, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall 100 Queen Street West (map) (agenda) The public can speak at this meeting.
Executive Committee
Monday November 21, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Note: The public cannot depute at this meeting according to City Clerks, since the public’s opportunity to speak to the item was at Budget Committee on November 10, 2011.
City Council
November 29 & 30, 2011
9:30 a.m. Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
2012 Tax Supported Capital and Operating Budgets
Introduction – Capital and Operating Budgets
Monday November 28, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Review of 2012 Capital and Operating Budgets and Councillor Hearings
December 2, 5 and 6, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Public Hearings – Capital and Operating Budgets
Wednesday December 7, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
The public can speak at this meeting.
*Note this was rescheduled from December 8, 2011. See the notice here. This meeting will recess at 9:30 p.m. and, if necessary, will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. December 8, 2011. The public hearing session of the Budget Committee will recess at 9:30 p.m. December 8, 2011 and no additional time will be provided.
Budget Wrap-Up – Capital and Operating Budgets
December 9 and 13, 2011
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Final Budget Wrap-Up – Capital and Operating Budgets
Monday January 9, 2012
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Executive Committee
Thursday January 12, 2012
9:30 a.m. Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
Note: The public cannot depute at this meeting according to City Clerks, since the public’s opportunity to speak to the item was at Budget Committee on December 7, 2011.
City Council
January 17-19, 2012
9:30 a.m. Council Chambers, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West (map)(agenda)
