2025 Budget Update
2025 BUDGET
The City of Toronto's proposed 2025 Budget is here, marking one of the most ambitious financial plans in our city's history. As your City Councillor, I’m proud to share what this means for Scarborough North and highlight the work that’s been done in Ward 23 using budget resources.
From the record-setting 10-year $59.6 billion capital plan to freezing TTC fares for the second year in a row, this budget reflects our shared priorities of affordability, transit improvements, community services, public safety, and sustainability.
2025 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
Affordability:
● Freezing TTC fares while increasing service hours for buses, streetcars, and subways by 5.8%.
● Expanding school food programs to support 8,000 more students.
● Providing rent support to 300 additional households.
Transit and Mobility:
● Investing $4.9 billion in long-term transit enhancements including purchasing 55 new trains for Line 2.
● Reducing the TTC’s state-of-good-repair backlog by 50%.
● Fixing six TTC stations, including Kennedy and Scarborough Town, to ensure our stations are safe, clean, and orderly.
Community Services:
● Extending Sunday hours at 67 libraries and increasing recreation facility operating hours.
● Supporting local festivals and arts initiatives to celebrate Scarborough’s vibrant culture.
Public Safety:
● Adding 276 new emergency services positions and expanding the Neighbourhood Officer Program.
● Filling over 254,000 potholes in 2024 with continued road safety initiatives planned for 2025.
Climate Action:
● Allocating $2.9 billion toward flood protection and net-zero initiatives, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 160,725 tonnes.
WHAT I'M ADVOCATING FOR SCARBOROUGH NORTH
As your City Councillor, I’ve been committed to ensuring that budget investments translate into tangible improvements for our community. Here are some of the initiatives I’ve championed:
● Youth Spaces: Advocating for more safe and inclusive youth hubs in Woodside and Agincourt.
● Public Safety: Expanding community policing in Morningside Heights and Milliken.
● Recreation Facilities: Creating partnerships for basketball courts at Goldhawk Park, pickleball facilities at Muirlands Park, and cricket facilities at Milliken Park—all with innovative funding solutions.
● Community Use of Public Spaces: Reopening the Scarborough Civic Centre for free community events and activities.
WARD 23: PROGRESS AND INVESTMENTS IN 2024
Park and Recreation Improvements:
● Chartland Park Playground: Completed enhancement of playground facilities.
● Goldhawk Park South Playground: New and improved amenities delivered in 2024.
● Agincourt Community Recreation Centre: Initiated a major state-of-good-repair project, addressing long-standing issues like negative pressure in the boiler room, pool water loss, and parking lot lighting.
New Facilities:
● Farquharson Park: Conversion of an old baseball diamond into a cricket facility, reflecting the growing popularity of cricket in our community.
Infrastructure Upgrades and Repairs:
● Pothole Repairs: In 2024, 467 potholes were repaired during a Ward 23-specific blitz, alongside 442 additional roadway repair service requests.
● Road Resurfacing and Sidewalk Repairs: Numerous critical interim repairs were completed in 2024 to address urgent road and sidewalk needs, ensuring safety and accessibility.
ACKNOWLEDGING CHALLENGES
While this budget makes historic strides in investing in our infrastructure, I recognize the challenges posed by this year’s property tax increase. A 5.4% residential property tax hike, combined with a 1.5% increase in the City Building Fund, translates to 6.9% or an additional $19.83 per month for the average Toronto homeowner.
I acknowledge that after years of underinvestment in our assets and services, this budget makes concrete strides toward repairing aging infrastructure, maintaining essential services, and preparing for the future. However, I also acknowledge, having grown up in Scarborough in a single-parent household, that every dollar counts for a lot of us and that many families, including those that own homes, are struggling.
As your City Councillor, I’ve focused on reducing inefficiencies and waste in the city’s bureaucracy, particularly in the TTC budget as Chair. I’m proud that this year’s TTC budget identified over $37 million in spending efficiencies that don’t affect services and established a concrete target to reduce fare evasion by $12 million. Taken together these measures represent 1% of a property tax increase.
For those of you that are struggling, relief programs are available to support low-income seniors and residents with disabilities. Details can be found on the City’s website or you can contact my office.
GET INVOLVED
I encourage you to stay engaged in this process. Whether through consultations, town halls, or direct feedback, your input shapes our priorities. Together, we can ensure this budget works for Scarborough North and builds a better future for all.
● You can continue sharing your feedback on the 2025 Budget by directly contacting the Budget Committee by clicking below -
● You can also take part in my budget survey and contact my office by clicking below -
Thank you for trusting me to serve as your Councillor. Let’s continue building a stronger, safer, and more inclusive Scarborough North.
Warm regards,
Jamaal Myers