A $46.2-million budget increase requested by the Toronto Police Service was approved by its board Thursday, meaning the police budget for next year could be over $1.2 billion.
Pending approval from city council, the new potential budget will be a 3.9 per cent increase from the past year, part of which will help hire new officers to tackle what police describe as rising demands, as well as a growing population and increasing retirements.
“This budget will allow us to keep building on the progress of the last year,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw in a news release.
In 2024, the police board approved a 1.7 per cent increase for the police budget.
At the meeting, Toronto police members said the extra resources are needed to help the force grow and modernize technologically as officers face an increasing workload.
The increase will also help support a five-year hiring plan, paying to recruit 109 additional new uniformed officers next year. Seventy of them will be allocated to front-line duties while others will be part of the force’s expansion of its neighbourhood officer program or assigned to other investigative or specialized areas, according to figures presented at the meeting.
A breakdown of the budget by service areas indicates the majority of the money will go toward 911 responses and patrol (41 per cent) along with investigation and victim support (35 per cent).
While the volume of 911 calls was lower this year compared to last, the number of high priority calls has increased, according to Toronto Police Director of Information Management Ian Williams.
“This trend continues to increase and the resources required are substantial,” he told the board.
He added that since this time last year, the city has seen an increase in crimes like gun violence, homicides, hate crimes, and fraud, while rates of case closures for most crimes have decreased from 2015 to 2023.
With roughly ninety per cent of the police’s operating budget going toward salaries and benefits, the budget increase doesn’t factor in the potential outcome of ongoing collective bargaining with the police association.
Critics say money could be better spent
Ahead of the board’s vote, critics said the extra money the force is asking for should be spent on community support meant to reduce crime rather than policing it.
John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and the coordinator for the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, a community group meant to spark debate around police policy, raised concerns the budget increase could balloon to over $100 million when factoring in potential salary increases currently being negotiated.
He estimates raises could reach roughly three per cent for this year and the next, adding that could mean an extra $60 million being spent.
“If we had $100 million to spend, I think people would say let’s spend it on community services,” said Sewell, adding the money should go to addressing the causes of public disorder that police often deal with, like homelessness and addiction.
“I think that’s the challenge the board has to face. Do we really want to take all of the extra money we got and spend it on policing, or do we want to spend it addressing the problems Toronto faces?” he said.
Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, says the budget increase police are asking for is modest compared to other jurisdictions like Peel, where the proposed police budget for next year includes a 21.3 per cent increase.
“Is there anybody that disagrees that a Toronto police officer should be the highest paid in Ontario?” he said in an interview.
“If you’re looking at the oversight, the burnout, the work, the cost of living, we should be the highest paid and we’re currently not.”
With the proposed budget now approved by the police board, city council is expected to vote on it Feb. 11, 2025 as part of the city’s budget process.
That’s after last year’s controversial budget process, when Mayor Olivia Chow approved the $20-million increase the force requested, backtracking from the $7.4 million increase that was recommended by city staff.