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City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release

February 11, 2025

City of Toronto's 2025 Budget now final – prioritizes affordability, transportation, safety and community services

Today, Toronto City Council considered the 2025 rate and tax-supported operating and capital budgets proposed by Mayor Olivia Chow. The 2025 Budget will improve affordability and safety, keep Toronto moving and enhance community services.

Mayor Chow has issued a Mayoral Decision (https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mayoraldecisions/2025/mayor0003.pdf) indicating she will not exercise her veto and has shortened the 10-day period for the Mayor to veto any amendments. As a result, the 2025 Budget is now deemed adopted.

The 2025 Budget is comprised of an $18.8 billion operating budget ($16.6 billion tax-supported; $2.2 billion rate-supported) and an historic $59.6 billion 10-year capital budget and plan (2025-2034). The operating budget includes $680 million in reductions and offsets and is the second City Budget in a multi-year approach that sets the City up to achieve financial stability and sustainability.

Shaped by input from thousands of residents through an online survey, in-person and virtual consultations, telephone town halls, budget presentations, emails and letters, the 2025 Budget reflects community priorities and ensures investments align with what the City heard from Toronto residents.

Key investments in the 2025 Budget
The City’s $18.8 billion operating budget makes the following investments:

Making life more affordable
- Expands school food programs to reach 257,210 students during the 2024/25 school year – 21,500 more students than in 2023/24 – providing 48.4 million meals.
- Provides daily nutritious snacks to 31,000 campers at 45 CampTO locations.
- Allocates $1 million to the Rent Bank to assist up to 2,700 households in financial need.
- Invests an additional $800,000 in eviction prevention programs and $712,800 for tenant support services.
- Enforces a new bylaw to protect tenants from unfair evictions.
- Launches a pilot program to provide 400 air conditioners to low-income and vulnerable residents in multi-family buildings.
- Waives development charges to unlock 8,000 affordable homes and accelerate the construction of 6,000 rental units.

Keeping Toronto moving
- Freezes TTC fares while improving service across the transit network, adding about 500,000 more service hours (an increase of 5.8 per cent).
- Purchases 55 new subway cars to modernize Line 2 and improve service reliability.
- Implements six-minute or better streetcar service on Dundas, St. Clair and Bathurst routes.
- Launches a pilot on 11 high-ridership bus routes to reduce “bus bunching” and make travel more efficient for riders.
- Deploys 100 traffic agents by the end of 2025 to help reduce congestion.

Keeping people safe
- Adds 263 new front-line emergency services positions (fire, police and paramedics).
- Expands youth violence prevention programs.
- Strengthens road safety initiatives.

Enhancing community services
- Extends Sunday service hours at all 100 Toronto Public Library branches.
- Enhances cleaning at recreational facilities.
- Expands outdoor pool hours by two hours daily.
- Increases access to local arts, festivals and cultural events.

City Council also approved the following enhancements to the operating budget, allocating a total of $3 million to:
- Host the Strong Cities Network’s 2025 Global Summit.
- Support pruning and watering of young street trees.
- Bolster volunteer engagement and stewardship programs focused on restoration and invasive species management in Toronto’s ravines.
- Enhance drop-in services for people experiencing homelessness, including an extension of the Creating Health Plus program.
- Support community programs that help seniors, youth, families, resident groups and local food security.
- Help food security programs and food banks.
- Expand the pickleball program, first aid certification program, High Five training program, seniors programming and rehabilitate Sherwood Park’s dogs off-leash area.
- Implement the Little Jamaica Cultural District Plan.
- Support the City’s local procurement efforts.

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Chow expressed her support for the investments made by City Council and confirmed that she will not be using her veto. A Mayoral Decision outlining this has been issued and is now available on the City’s Mayoral Decision webpage: www.toronto.ca/city-government/council/council-committee-meetings/mayoral-decisions.

Historic capital investment
The City’s 10-year capital budget and plan (2025-2034) is a historic $59.6 billion investment, reflecting a $9.8 billion increase from the previous plan. It prioritizes state of good repair, with $32.4 billion (54 per cent) allocated to maintain and improve infrastructure, while also supporting initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 160,725 tonnes.

Key investments include:
- $4.9 billion for transit and mobility
- $2 billion for housing and community improvements
- $2.9 billion for other initiatives, including flood protection and net-zero efforts.

Property taxes
The operating budget is supported by a property tax increase of 5.4 per cent for residential properties. This will result in an increase of $210 annually for the average assessed value of a Toronto home ($692,031) or approximately $17.50 per month.

The operating budget also includes base property tax increases of 2.7 per cent for multi-residential and commercial properties and 5.4 per cent for industrial properties, while continuing the 15 per cent reduction in property tax rates for more than 28,000 small businesses. The 2025 Budget also introduces a 15 per cent reduction in property tax rates for new multi-residential properties to incentivize new rental housing supply.

A 1.5 per cent levy increase for the City Building Fund – dedicated to transit and housing investments – will result in an additional $58.37 for the average assessed value of a Toronto residential property (approximately $4.86 more per month). The City Building Fund will increase 0.75 per cent for multi-residential and commercial properties and 1.5 per cent for industrial properties.

Solid Waste Management and Toronto Water
To support essential services such as waste management, water treatment and long-term infrastructure projects, a 3.75 per cent rate increase for Solid Waste Management Services and Toronto Water was also approved by Toronto City Council today.

For single-family households, the annual solid waste rates will be:
- Small bin: $306.36 (an increase of $11.07)
- Medium bin: $371.91 (an increase of $13.44)
- Large bin: $505.12 (an increase of $18.26)
- Extra-large bin: $585.89 (an increase of $21.18)

Toronto Water rates will increase by 3.75 per cent, adding approximately $39 per year for the average household using 230 cubic metres of water annually, bringing the estimated total yearly cost to around $1,078 in 2025.

Relief programs
The City’s Property Tax, Water and Solid Waste Relief programs provide financial support to eligible low-income seniors and people with disabilities. This support includes property tax deferrals and cancellations and utility rate rebates.

The 2025 Budget increases the income threshold to $60,000 to assist an anticipated 2,300 additional households this year. More information is available on the Property Tax and Utility Relief Program webpage: www.toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/property-tax/property-tax-water-solid-waste-relief-and-rebate-programs/property-tax-and-utility-relief-program.

A recording of today’s meeting is available on the Toronto City Council YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@TorontoCityCouncilLive/streams.

Today’s meeting agenda is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2462/25761.

A Backgrounder on the City’s 2025 Budget process is available on the City’s Media Room webpage: www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-2025-budget-process.

More information including Budget Notes, Briefing Notes and presentations is available on the City’s 2025 Budget webpage: www.toronto.ca/budget.

Quotes:

“We are building a more affordable, caring and safer city together. The 2025 Budget invests in what matters most: building more homes faster, feeding more kids and getting Toronto moving. After a decade of neglect, now is the time to work together and rebuild a stronger city for everyone.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow

“The 2025 Budget is a responsible, forward-looking plan that delivers real results for Torontonians. It reflects what we heard from residents—investing in the services people rely on most, like housing, transit and community safety—while ensuring the City remains on a stable financial path. With this budget, we’re making progress on the challenges we face today and laying the groundwork for a stronger, more resilient Toronto in the years ahead.”
– Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North), Budget Committee Chair

Toronto is home to more than three 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, innovation and climate action and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information, visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on X at x.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto.

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Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca

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