More than a third of Toronto residents who took part in a prebudget online survey want to boost funding for affordable housing and shelters and cut funding for police, according to a partial copy of the survey obtained by the Star.
The survey was part of a new prebudget consultation process introduced by Mayor Olivia Chow and led by budget chief Shelley Carroll. According to the city, a total of 16 in-person and virtual public meetings were held and an online survey conducted during November 2023.
Of the 10,160 people who participated in the online survey, 37 per cent picked funding for affordable housing and shelters as the one service they’d want to increase the budget for, followed by 13 per cent who want to increase funding for TTC and Wheel trans. Ten per cent of respondents wanted to increase the police budget, with the presentation noting that “this selection increased in the final weeks of the survey.”
What Torontonians want Olivia Chow to spend more on — and cut — in the city’s budget – Toronto Star, January 10, 2024
