We have a duty to keep our communities safe, and the planned increase in the 2023 budget to Toronto Police Services of $48.3 million announced by the Mayor on Tuesday will not necessarily make people safer, but there are concrete investments we can make right now to increase community safety.
Racialized people, and those with low incomes are overpoliced in Toronto. The Ontario Human Rights Commission's 2021 report states “the current model of policing is not sustainable.” In 2022, Toronto’s Auditor General found that 40% of the calls for police service could be handled by an alternative response. This makes up 85,000 hours over five years, and created longer response times for officers in emergency situations like life in danger. Investing in alternative responses are investments in our public safety.
The Toronto Community Crisis Service has been successful in taking a community-based approach in responding to mental health crises without involving the police. This program must be expanded to every neighbourhood to create a safer Toronto.
As a City, we must treat investments in affordable housing, education and employment as investments in our safety and well-being, and we have an opportunity to prioritize these in the upcoming budget.
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Reference:
https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/framework-change-address-systemic-racism-policing
https://www.torontoauditor.ca/report/review-of-toronto-police-service-opportunities-to-support-more-effective-responses-to-calls-for-service/
June is here and there is lots to celebrate - the good weather and communities across the city.
Toronto is feeling busy with some of our big markers of spring coming back. All this good weather means that construction season is underway, but we are seeing the important work we’ve done at the City to better coordinate construction and speed up projects pay off.Just this week, construction at Bathurst St and Lake Shore Blvd wrapped up two months ahead of schedule.
As the sun stays out longer and the temperature (finally!) rises, I’m excited to share a few ways to enjoy our parks this spring. This weekend, we have our first Community Environment Day on Sunday, April 27, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Stanley Park South (700 Wellington St). Two neighbours are joining us to run workshops!
Early on Wednesday April 2, Toronto Fire Services responded to a fire at Canoe Landing Park, and unfortunately, the beloved public sculpture – the red canoe – by Canadian artist Douglas Coupland, called Tom Thomson’s Canoe, was destroyed by a fire. Share your favourite memories of it with me and commit to it's legacy.
We’ve protected vital arts, culture and community space at Youngplace! Working together, we helped 5 organizations purchase their units that were put at risk by the Artscape receivership process and completed the first acquisition by a cultural land trust in Canada for 2 units, through partnership between Inspirit Foundation and the Community & Cultural Spaces Trust. I was proud to move over $1.2 million dollars of local Section 37 money to contribute to these purchases.
