Real Budget Campaign Completed

Humanize Toronto has finished its third annual Real Budget Survey. After the two-month campaign one thing is very clear: Not only do people care about the City budget, they also want a real say in the budget process.

During this year's campaign, HTO volunteers braved arctic temperatures, going door-to-door to over 200 residents to ask what their top three budget priorities were. The survey was also posted on our website. Over 300 people responded.

This year, as in previous years, TTC, Social Housing and Waste Disposal/Recycling were the most important budget priorities. The top five results were as follows:

  • 60% chose TTC as one of their top three priorities
  • 35% social housing
  • 29% waste disposal and recycling
  • 25% public health
  • 23% environmental programs

Over 200 respondents also filled out "I DEMAND A SAY IN THE CITY BUDGET" postcard, later mailed to City Hall.

Will our Councillors and Mayor listen to this feedback?

This year, like every year, the City complains of budget shortfalls. And this year, like every year, City Hall complains that it has no power, that it suffers under Provincial and Federal restrictions. While this may be true, if the City really believed in democracy it would begin to treat its citizens with the same respect it demands for itself. That is, it would fully democratize the budget process and open it up to the people.

In a Real Democracy, people would have a real and direct say in the design of the City budget. Cities like Brazil's Porto Alegre have proven that this is more than possible, drawing up its annual budget with the input of tens of thousands of people at the neighbourhood level.

Humanize Toronto feels that, although small, our Real Budget Campaign serves as an example of what City Hall should be doing itself.

We look forward to this election year, when we will present HTO candidates under our Real Democracy, Environment and Human Rights platform - candidates who will speak from experience about the need for Real Democracy at City Hall.

And many thanks to everyone who helped out this year.