In the wake of a budget shortfall totalling nearly one billion dollars, the City of Toronto is calling on its residents and businesses to urge the Canadian government to honour previous funding commitments to the city.

In a press release, representatives for the City of Toronto said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “personally committed” to help Toronto through the pandemic.The city said that the federal government should, therefore, commit to coming to the table with $235 million in funding to offset Toronto’s 2022 COVID-19 losses.

The federal government, however, has given no indication that the money is forthcoming.

A new page on the City of Toronto website offers Toronto residents an automated email for Toronto residents to contact their MP, information about Toronto property tax bills and statistics about Toronto’s budget and the services it covers.

“We are standing up for Toronto – Canada’s economic engine – and asking residents to join us in this fight,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie in a press release. “The City of Toronto does not have the resources or revenue tools to address the unprecedented financial pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. We need the Government of Canada to keep Prime Minister Trudeau’s election campaign promise.”

The advocacy campaign was approved by city council on Dec. 14. If the 2022 budget shortfall is not addressed, major construction projects, along with other vital city services, will need to be scaled back. The city is also facing a  $933 million shortfall in its 2023 budget due to ongoing COVID-19 costs.