OPERATING BUDGET CHANGES

A 10-year look at previous attempts to rein in the city police budget

2007 Approved budget: $786.2 million Increase over previous year:

$33.8 million (4.5 per cent) After plundering its reserves, council passed a $7.8-million operating budget that included a 3.8-per-cent hike in property taxes “Sometimes they say Ontario, sometimes they say Canada. So far I don’t think they’ve gone on to the world.”

THEN MAYOR DAVID MILLER ON THE UNION “LEAPFROGGING” ITS DEMANDS OVER OTHER POLICE CONTRACTS TO ENSURE TORONTO POLICE REMAIN THE BEST PAID

2008 Approved budget: $822 million Increase over previous year: $35.8

million (4.6 per cent) To balance the books, council cut $7 million from snow removal and emergency storm repairs and passed an $8.2-billion operating budget “The provincial and federal governments seem to be afflicted by the same disease as city council. If there’s a concern about community safety, then throw money at the police.” TORONTO POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY COALITION

2009 Approved budget: $854.8 Increase over previous year:

$32.8 million (4 per cent) Council passed an $8.7-billion budget with a 4-per-cent property tax increase to help pay for the largest single item, policing costs “The city of Toronto’s finances are in crisis, our property taxes are going up, everyone is worried about jobs, yet the police budget rolls merrily along, unthreatened by criticism or serious scrutiny.” TORONTO POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY COALITION

2010 Approved budget: $888.2 million Increase over previous year:

$33.4 million (3.9 per cent) Toronto police request an almost 4-per-cent budget increase, while every other city department was ordered to cut back by 5 percent

“We can’t have enough police.” MAYOR-ELECT ROB FORD

2011 Approved budget: $930.4 million Increase over previous year:

$42.2 million (4.7 per cent) The police board signed a four-year contract with Toronto police that included an 11.5-per-cent pay hike over four years, proudly supported by penny-pinching Mayor Rob Ford “If we had signed a better collective agreement in terms of how we manage the police force, we may have been able to find some of the savings.”

COUNCILLOR ADAM VAUGHAN

2012 Approved budget: $935.7 million Increase over previous year:

$5.3 million (0.6 per cent) Mayor Rob Ford asked all departments to cut 10 per cent from their budgets, but the police, on the hook for salary increases he supported, sidestep the request, but freeze officer hiring

“It’s a huge reduction.” COUNCILLOR AND POLICE BOARD MEMBER FRANCES NUNZIATA DESPITE AN ACTUAL INCREASE IN THE POLICE BUDGET

2013 Approved budget: $936.4 million Increase over previous year:

$0.8 million (0.1 per cent) Council passes a $9.4-billion budget with a 2-per-cent property tax increase while the police budget closes in on $1 billion “It can’t be done.”

THEN CHIEF BILL BLAIR RESPONDING TO COUNCIL’S REQUEST TO CUT COSTS

2014 Approved budget: $965.5 million Increase over previous year:

$29.1 million (3.1 per cent) Council approves a $9.6-billion operating budget with a 2.7-per-cent property tax increase “They have very strong unions, and nobody wants to take on the police or take on the firefighters.” CITY COUNCILLOR AND POLICE BOARD MEMBER MIKE DEL GRANDE

2015 Approved budget: $979.7 million Increase over previous year:

$14.2 million (1.5 per cent) After relatively quick negotiations, the police union and board, including the mayor, agreed to a contract that boosts officer salaries by more than 8 per cent over four years “We can’t continue to see significant increases in the police budget indefinitely.”

MAYOR JOHN TORY

2016 Approved budget: $1.01 billion requested Increase over previous year:

$36.1 million (3.7 per cent) Toronto police originally asked for an almost 6-per-cent budget increase to cover this year’s salary hike, but pared it back under pressure from the city “If the City of Toronto gives 1 per cent to the police, there’s nothing left for anyone else.”

COUNCILLOR JOE MIHEVC