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Your opinion is important & by sharing your thoughts you have an impact on neighbourhood and city-wide decisions.

One of the great things about your local government is that councillors and the mayor are accessible to the public.

Your Councillor is there to talk to about things going on in your community. If you have a question or want to share your opinion, your Councillor is a good place to start.

Call or email your Councillor, or visit their website to:

  • share your views on issues affecting the city or your neighbourhood
  • get help accessing City services
  • join their mailing list
  • invite them to a community event or meeting

Find out who your Councillor is by visiting or you can call 311.

Community council and standing committee meetings are an opportunity to voice your opinion directly to the members of City Council.

You can have your say in the meeting room, via video conference or in writing. Only community councils and standing committees hear from public presenters. The public cannot speak at City Council. Contact a committee clerk for more information.

Speak about an issue at committee

You can speak to a committee for up to five minutes. In order to speak at a meeting, register in advance with the committee clerk. Councillors might ask you questions after you speak and your name will be listed online in the public record of the meeting. You will appear in the live broadcast and video archive of the meeting.

Write to City Council or committee

You can submit your comments to a committee clerk on anything listed on its agenda by email, fax or mail to the committee clerk. Your name will be listed on the public record of the meeting and your email, fax or letter will be made available for anyone to read.

Petitions can be submitted to the City Clerk or a member of City Council about an item on the agenda of a Committee or City Council meeting.

The petition, including all the names of those who have signed it become part of the public record.

By reviewing page 20 of the procedure by-law you will find rules about:

  • submitting a public petition
  • who to submit the petition to, based on the agenda
  • how to introduce a new matter to a Council or Committee agenda
  • the actions taken on a public petition

The City’s budget is a financial plan that describes how much money the City will bring in and spend within a year. There are two types of budget: operating and capital.

Operating Budget

The operating budget covers day-to-day spending on services such as recreation programs, parks maintenance, public health, city roads, transit, police and other emergency services.

Capital Budget

The capital budget funds the City’s infrastructure that supports service delivery. It pays for the construction and repair of transit, roads, bridges, parks and public buildings such as libraries, community centres and fire stations.

Rate-supported Programs

The City also has three rate supported programs: Toronto Water, Solid Waste Management Services and the Toronto Parking Authority. These programs are funded almost entirely by the user in the form of fees.

How to Get Involved

Give a deputation, which is a short five-minute speech where you can share your comments directly with Budget Committee members. To register to speak, call 416-392-4666 or email buc@toronto.ca.

If you cannot attend in person to make a deputation, you can submit a written deputation to the Budget Committee by email to buc@toronto.ca, fax 416-392-2980 or mail to Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., 10th floor, West Tower, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2.

City staff consult the public in a variety of ways to gather input about local or city-wide issues through meetings, open houses, online forums and more. You can find out what is happening and make sure your opinions are considered by participating in a consultation. Consultations could be held on topics such as setting priorities for spending money, how the subway system should be expanded or a new garbage strategy.

Find out if there are any consultations or meetings happening in your community:

Households or businesses may receive information by mail from the City about a local poll. The City conducts polls to gather opinions about a possible change in your community. You can take part in a poll if you are 18 years old on or before the final day of polling and if you are an owner, resident or tenant of property in the polling area.

Possible poll topics include:

  • opening a boulevard café
  • allowing front-yard parking for a specific address
  • permit parking changes
  • installing traffic calming measures such as speed bumps
  • setting up a business improvement area (BIA)

Find poll information and results online.

Municipal elections happen every four years on the fourth Monday of October.

The next general municipal election will be held on October 26, 2026. Eligible voters can vote for mayor, councillor and school board trustee.

The City is responsible for running elections on behalf of the four school boards in Toronto. The role of the school board trustee is to develop and monitor school policies, approve budgets and represent education interests of residents. The four school boards are:

A by-election can happen between general elections if a City Council or school board seat becomes vacant.

You can vote in Toronto’s municipal election or a by-election if you are:

  • a Canadian citizen; and
  • at least 18 years old; and
  • a resident in the city of Toronto; or
  • a non-resident of the city of Toronto, but you or your spouse own or rent property in the city; and
  • not prohibited from voting under any law.

School Board Designation

View and update your school support designation if you are a residential property owner or a tenant registered with Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) at  mpac.ca/schoolsupport.

Voters’ list

Elections Ontario is responsible for maintaining the Permanent Register of Electors for Ontario, commonly known as the Register or Voters’ List. The Voters’ List, is a list of individuals eligible to vote in provincial and local municipal elections in Ontario.

You can use Elections Ontario’s Voter Registration application to confirm, update or add your information if you:

  • have changed your name or address
  • own or rent a new property
  • no longer own or rent a property
  • want to remove your information

If you or your spouse own or rent property other than your home address in Ontario, you may be eligible to vote in more than one municipal election.

Visit Elections Ontario’s website to learn more about voter information, and other options including:

  • removing yourself from the Register
  • removing a deceased person from the Register
  • adding yourself to the list of Future Voters (if you’re under 18 years of age)

Work in a voting place

For every general election and some by-elections the City of Toronto hires people to work in voting places across the city. This is a great way to participate in the democratic process. You do not have to be a Canadian citizen to work an election. There are many roles available and everyone is encouraged to apply.

Accessible elections

The City Clerk is committed to ensuring persons with disabilities have full and equal access to elections and the ability to vote privately and independently. Learn more about the Election Accessibility Plan.

For information about upcoming elections: