At its meeting today, Toronto City Council approved the 2022 rate-supported operating and capital budgets for Toronto Water, Solid Waste Management Services and Toronto Parking Authority (TPA). The approved budgets maintain current service levels and make critical investments in infrastructure while approving planned rate increases of three per cent for Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management Services.
The 2022 operating and capital budgets were developed with the guiding principles of addressing the ongoing financial challenges that have been created by the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing initiatives that support economic recovery efforts, and finding opportunities to make environmentally and socially responsible investments to make Toronto a more equitable and sustainable place to live, work and do business.
The Toronto Water 2022 rate-supported operating and capital budget ensures that the City continues to provide safe drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management services, while investing in the construction of new assets and the renewal of existing infrastructure to deal with the impacts of significant city growth and aging infrastructure, and implement the Basement Flooding Protection Program. The budget consists of:
The Solid Waste Management Services 2022 rate-supported operating and capital budget provides funding to support the delivery of solid waste management programs and services, as well as safety enhancements to trucks, state-of-good-repair projects for solid waste infrastructure and the continued development of renewable energy infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The budget also enables the continued implementation of the Long Term Waste Management Strategy, which supports waste reduction, reuse and the move towards a circular economy, as well as preparation for the transition of the City’s blue bin recycling program to Extended Producer Responsibility. The budget consists of:
The 2022 operating and capital budget for the TPA ensures the continued availability of more than 18,000 on-street and 40,000 off-street parking spaces across 307 locations throughout the city. TPA also manages the Bike Share Toronto program, which includes 6,850 bikes and 625 bike stations, spanning 200 square kilometers. The budget freezes parking rates to encourage the return of customers and to support local Business Improvement Areas.
The budget consists of:
The approved rate increases for Toronto Water and Solid Waste Management Services are effective as of Saturday, January 1, 2022.
The approval process for the City’s 2022 operating and capital budget for all other services and programs will begin at Budget Committee on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
More information about the 2022 rate-supported budget is available on the City’s website.
Quotes:
“For the third year in a row, we have approved highest amount ever invested in capital infrastructure in the history of Toronto Water. This is the right thing to do. The approved 2022 Toronto Water budget will invest $1.4 billion in basement flooding protection programs, watermain replacement and rehabilitation, and stormwater management. For three years now, the City has invested more than $1 billion in our water, wastewater and stormwater system. This is part of a more than $15 billion in infrastructure being delivered over the next 10 years. These approved budgets and the critical capital investments they make will ensure we continue to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain high-quality services for Toronto residents and businesses.”
– Mayor John Tory
“This year’s rate-supported budgets support our economic recovery efforts coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, while making environmentally and socially responsible investments to ensure Toronto is an equitable and sustainable place for residents and businesses.”
– Councillor Gary Crawford (Scarborough-Southwest), Budget Committee Chair
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.