BIA Requests Your Support On The Toronto Police Service Budget

BIA request your support and presents this opportunity to share input and feedback relating to the City of Toronto budget.

Safety and security is a priority to all of us and the BIA wants to ensure the budget allocations support a balance of needs including the need for greater policing and police response times.

Please support the BIA’s request for increasing the police budget to be inline with the population growth in downtown Toronto. Here are some basic statistics:

• The Toronto Police Service is the most under staffed police service in North America per capita.
• Since 2010, Toronto has grown by 13% while the number of police officers has declined 11%, that’s 600 fewer officers for 460,000 more people.
• As of September, emergency calls to police are up over 18% this year.
• It takes us over 22 minutes, on average, to respond to the highest priority emergency call.
• 60% of the time, there are no units immediately available to respond to an emergency.
• As of September, major crimes are up 21%.

Here’s how you can participate in this important process.

1. City Budget Survey: Mayor/City of Toronto survey and input: this link includes a survey link and a link to sign up to depute or attend in-person or virtually at a number of city consultations sessions before the end of November. Best impact is attending or submitting written submissions/letters/deputations.

2. Toronto Police Services Board Public Sessions: Budget 2024: People can register to depute virtually, in-person, or submit a written deputation via this link. Please fill out the sign-up form to make a deputation. @TorontoPolice post on X .

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the BIA’s Director of Safety & Security, Mike Josifovic.