Mayor's Note: January 8, 2026

When the new Junction Triangle Public Library opened last year, there was a crowd outside waiting to be let through the doors.

Talia, a mother of two, was there. She wrote to tell me how much her kids loved the play zone — and how she plans to visit often.

Community spaces like this offer people somewhere to gather, to play, to learn —where you don’t have to pay to get through the front door.

This budget comes down to one question: how do we make life more affordable for you?

I heard you: for too many, after paying rent or a mortgage, there’s not much left at the end of the month.

And I think of Natasha, mother of teenage twins and a pre-teen daughter. She told me she’s feeling the pressure of how expensive life has become. Her grocery bill that used to be $100 bucks now costs $200.

Some families face even harder choices. Food bank visits are at a record high. One in four people using the food bank is a child.

Across Canada, cities continue to feel the effects of tariffs and global inflation. In uncertain times like these, every dollar matters.

I think of Maria, in east Scarborough, she works long shifts as a Personal Support Worker. Then takes the bus home to take care of her elderly mom. Life is stressful for her.

I heard you.

My 2026 budget is focused on one thing: Making your life more affordable.

This budget adjusts property tax only by the rate of inflation: 2.2%.

Getting here wasn’t easy. When I took office, I inherited a $1.8 billion dollar budget hole. We tackled the hardest problem first: Toronto’s finances.

I didn’t create the fiscal crisis, but I took responsibility for fixing it.

I partnered with the Province and secured a historic New Deal, our credit rating was upgraded to AA+. That saves us money. That saves you money.

We’ve made the budget more fair by shifting the burden from families like yours to speculators and luxury property buyers.

The wealthiest 2% of property buyers contribute $150 million dollars more, and empty home speculators chip in another $100 million dollars. That’s a quarter billion dollars shifted from everyday families to those who can afford it.

If you’re a mom of two whose grocery bill keeps climbing, our universal school food program saves you $900 dollars by providing free healthy meals to every kid in school.

TTC fares will stay at $3.35 cents—the same price since 2023. That saves a working couple $300 a year, and we’re still improving service.

Just on school food and frozen fares alone, we’re saving families $1,200 dollars this year.

Later this year, we’re changing how you pay for transit. The more you ride, the less you pay. After 47 rides in a month, every ride is free.

By 2027 we’ll make TTC fares even cheaper —giving you a break after 40 trips, not 47.

So after you commute all week, your evening and weekend rides will be free.

This budget continues our investment in rental housing that nurses, PSWs, construction workers, and teachers can afford.

If you work here, you should afford to live here.

In this market downturn, 7 out of 10 housing projects are ones we’re leading or supporting.

Shovels are in the ground now for thousands of affordable units. And the price of rent is coming down.

We’re increasing funding to the Rent Bank to help working people pay rent if they fall behind and prevent evictions. We’re doubling funding for the free air conditioner program to help vulnerable seniors and young families during heat waves.

And homeowners can access free programs to prevent basement flooding and replace furnaces with heat pumps—investments that will keep your costs down for years to come.

We’re building safer neighbourhoods by investing in frontline staff.

911 wait times are down 75%.

We’re hiring hundreds more police, firefighters, paramedics and mental health workers. Including more Neighbourhood Community Officers. And more frontline safety workers on transit.

And by investing in community programs, we’re helping at-risk youth choose a better path.

We’re seeing real results.

In 2025, Toronto had fewer murders than in any year in the last fifty years.

All major crimes are down. Shootings are down 43%. Car thefts down 25%. Robberies are down 20%.

We’re making Toronto safer.

A city is more than buildings and balance sheets.

A city is a promise we make to one another.

The belief that if you work hard here, you should be able to build a good life.

Together, we are building a more affordable, caring and safer city for you.

Yours,

Mayor Olivia Chow

Telephone Town Halls

You’re invited to join me, Mayor Olivia Chow, and Budget Committee Chair Shelley Carroll at telephone town halls on January 14 and 15 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Learn more about the 2026 Budget, ask questions and share your feedback.

Speak to the Budget Committee

Speak to Budget Committee on January 20 and 21, 2026 in person or by video conference.