Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

[picard102]

I’m wondering when I’ll see the benefits of the approx 20% increase in my property taxes. I’m fine with it, as long as we can get the infrastructure working, reliable transit, squats out of our parks and underpasses, etc.

I'd guess you'll see improvements in the same amount of time we've put off increasing property taxes.

 

[Northern Light]

I’m wondering when I’ll see the benefits of the approx 20% increase in my property taxes. I’m fine with it, as long as we can get the infrastructure working, reliable transit, squats out of our parks and underpasses, etc.

There isn't currently enough affordable housing in the pipeline to keep up with population /demand growth, it will take years to rectify that, if a serious effort is made.

Well managed transit doesn't require more money, more service does, some more will be added this September, probably the largest increase of the year, but we will still be below pre-pandemic levels.

Crudely the TTC needs in/around 12M to achieve a 1% service increase in hours. To get us back to where we were, with an appropriate population adjustment would be get to about 110% of pre-pandemic service and require something like 120M in additional subsidy (but it would be more initially until ridership growth caught up).

That's do-able, but it will require another above-inflation increase of taxes in the range of Inflation + 3%. Or alternative equivalent in revenues.

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For most people the most tangible things this year will be the September TTC service improvement and the expanded Library hours the same month.

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In respect of the infrastructure backlog on the capital side, its actually currently forecast to continue growing, we will need a parking tax, a storm water levy, much higher permit parking fees, and an increase to the City building fund of at least 3% to get the municipal side caught up.

That, however, would presume additional Federal and Provincial contributions in matching funds on major projects.