Toronto’s civic leaders will be paying close attention today as the new Liberal government tables its first budget in Ottawa.
The budget is expected to include billions of dollars in stimulus intended to boost the ailing economy and that could be good news for Toronto as it looks to make major investments in its derelict social housing stock and aging public transit network, among other things.
Here is a list of three things that top Toronto’s wish list for budget day:
Social housing money
Three years ago city council approved a 10-year, $2.6-billion plan split among the three levels of government to repair crumbling Toronto Community Housing units. The problem is that neither the federal or provincial governments came forward with any money, forcing Toronto to accelerate the awarding of its one-third share. Now, that money is about to run out and TCHC officials are warning that some units will have to be boarded up in 2017 if neither government comes to the table. Asked about potential money for TCHC repairs during a visit to Toronto City Hall in January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered an olive branch, telling reporters that the “investments that the mayor is counting on are not a problem” and are in fact “part of the solution to the challenges that Canada has been facing.” In 2016, the city is spending about $250 million on TCHC capital repairs, so any federal investment would have to be in the hundreds of millions.
Transit
During the election campaign, Trudeau said that his party was “fully committed” to following through on the Harper government’s pledge to provide $2.6 billion in funding for SmartTrack, so it seems that Mayor Tory’s transit plan will get the federal dollars it has been promised. The question is whether other investments will be made in Toronto transit. Projects such as the Harbourfront LRT, the much-discussed downtown relief line and the Sheppard LRT are all unfunded and in need of billions if they are going to become anything other than a pipe dream. There is also the small matter of the TTC’s $9-billion capital repair plan, which calls for the replacement of the subway signaling system and significant improvements to existing stations and other infrastructure over the next 10 years. Speaking with reporters last week in New York City, Trudeau did say that the Liberals will fund some “unsexy things that governments hate to announce,” suggesting that some maintenance dollars could be forthcoming for the red rocket.
Retrofitting buildings
When Mayor John Tory attended the Paris climate talks in December he told CP24 that he would return to Toronto with a renewed desire to retrofit many of the city’s least energy efficient buildings, noting that TCHC properties are “probably the leakiest buildings in town when it comes to energy.” With Trudeau’s government promising to invest $5.65 million in green infrastructure over a four-year period, the hope is that some of that money could be made available to Toronto. Other investments in green infrastructure locally are also possible, with money for waste-water treatment plants and improved storm drain systems possible.
