CRISANTI: Toronto needs a course correction, taxpayers deserve better

I still remember the good old days when the taxpayers were in charge, and all Torontonians could rely on the consistent delivery of core services.

Back then, people were confident that their local government was working for them. As Torontonians grapple with the thought of another property tax hike, they have simply lost faith in how it will benefit them.

This year was especially tough for the City, marked by inadequate snow removal, pools closed on the hottest days of the year, unprecedented traffic congestion, and skyrocketing unaffordability. As we grow the size of government to deal with these issues, disappointment in council’s inability to manage taxpayers’ dollars lingers.

Solutions seem to rely on adding more layers of bureaucracy, as reflected in the recent decisions to hire a czar to end traffic congestion, a czar to fight Toronto’s rat infestation, and a chief resiliency officer to manage extreme weather events, accompanied by new staff to oversee the existing teams that already lead this work.

It’s enough to make taxpayers’ heads spin.

Clean streets, safe communities

The city has steered way off course. We are spending too much time changing names, removing lanes of traffic, and spending taxpayers’ dollars to increase red tape when we should be focused on ensuring that there is a visible return on investment for every dollar we spend. People want clean streets, safe communities, and the guarantee of clean water when they turn the tap on.

Even Toronto’s longest contributors, the seniors who worked their backs off to build our city, see little to no return from their tax dollars. At this point in their lives, they should not have to carry the burden of council decisions that are not aligned with providing better services.

Every time I advocate for free transit for seniors, I am met with little appetite to change the status quo due to budget constraints. However, on the other side of the coin, we continue to face a loss of over $140 million to fare evasion annually.

Lack of respect for taxpayers

What’s been missing over the past several years is basic respect for taxpayers. Squeezing them for every dollar does not solve any problems or deliver better services.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we need to readjust our focus back to the taxpayers.

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Under no circumstances should safe and clean communities, reliable transit, and affordability be ploys for another property tax increase on the backs of hard-working people. We must find real long-term efficiencies in our system. Cut the distractions and redirect the savings to the frontlines so Torontonians can stop feeling underserved.

Tough choices

I’ve been hearing from my constituents, and they demand better.

As council heads into the 2026 budget process, it is crucial that we ensure our decisions deliver real value-for-money. This begins with making the difficult choices that we have not been prepared to do.

Continuing to reach into people’s pockets is the easy way out. The real work is in the responsible management of taxpayers’ dollars.

It’s tough, but that’s how things get done.

— Vincent Crisanti is the city councillor for Ward 1, Etobicoke North