FEBRUARY 8  2024 - BUDGET ACTION ALERT

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We usually send newsletters monthly.  You are receiving an extra action alert because it is urgent to take action on the budget.  If you are not living in Toronto, scroll down to the Federal Budget Action and consider what you can do for your own municipal budget.  

On February 14th, Council will vote on the Mayor’s Budget. We have done a lot, but we need a final push to get this budget over the line!

Thanks to so many of you, the Mayor and Councillors know that there is public support for the property tax increase and investment in City services and infrastructure. But not all Councillors are on board, and City services could be cut if the budget increase doesn’t pass.

Also, thanks to so many of you, we have scored some wins – the funding of the Scarborough busway is fantastic news!  But we need Councillors’ support to strengthen the implementation of the Net-Zero Strategy – currently we are not on track to meet our targets.

$8 million in the Mayor’s Budget will be decided on by Councillors in the final vote. Some are pushing for more to go toward the police. We need this money to go toward services for people and climate initiatives.

Your call matters.  We are not certain of winning this budget. Let's make it happen.

Call (or write) your Councillor, using this draft script.

 Hello, my name is --- and I’m a constituent of yours in ward ---

 I am calling to let you know that I support the proposed property tax increase of 9.5% in the Mayor’s budget and I want to know that I can count on your support for this too. The City needs these funds for critical city services and infrastructure. 

I am also very worried that the City is badly behind on its climate targets. I would like to see funding for measures to strengthen our Net-Zero strategy – in particular

-   5 additional staff positions to accelerate the emissions performance standards program to help reduce carbon emissions from buildings starting in 2024

-   A staff position to help middle income residents access retrofitting grants and programs.

-   Funds for tree planting and sustained 3-year watering programs across the City.

These measures would cost approximately $2 million of the $8 million available and would be a welcome boost to get our climate plan back on track.

I hope I can count on your support in this. 

Thank you.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO DEPUTED ON THE CITY BUDGET!  We made the list of top 5 concerns in this Toronto Star article.  

Thank you for raising your voice in all the ways you have - by attending town halls, sending letters or giving deputations.  We are making a difference. 

The federal government budget consultation is open until Friday Feb 9th. 

If you just have 2 minutes you can click and send the David Suzuki action letter at this link

 AND FILL IN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IF YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES

Fill in the Questionnaire at this link

Fill in climate priorities in the tick boxes or use ‘other’ to make comments

Suggestion for Question 6 

What is one idea you have for how the federal government can support you or your community?

We need financial support for our municipal climate action plan, and we need new revenue tools (such as a percentage of income tax) so we can fully implement our climate action plan. We specifically need federal funds to purchase new subway cars for line 2 (⅓ of cost, shared with the province & city)

You can also send a submission by email to Budget2024@fin.gc.ca