Chow said he supports full funding for Toronto police in the budget

Mayor Olivia Chow said she supports a proposal to give Toronto police the full funding increase expected this year, after her originally proposed budget cut the increase by $12.1 million.

The Toronto Police Services Board approved a budget in December that called for a $20 million (1.7 per cent) increase in police spending this year.

Chow's proposed budget a few weeks ago still included a police increase, but cut it to about $8 million.

The move prompted a strong public campaign to reverse the move, with Toronto police and police unions warning it would affect service levels.

On Tuesday afternoon, a day before the budget goes before council, Chow said he has had “a lot of forward-looking conversations” with other levels of government over the past few weeks about the cost of police services in Toronto.

“These conversations are ongoing and very promising,” Chow said in a statement. “This allows me to support the motion to recommend an additional allocation to the Toronto Police Service budget that is consistent with the Toronto Police Services Board's request.”

Chief Myron Demkiw said the reduced growth threatens the force's ability to match service levels and creates staffing shortages down the road.

“In our discussions with Chief Demkiw, we mutually recognized the need to reduce response times, develop a staffing plan, and we will continue to actively seek support from other orders of government,” Chow said in a statement.

A number of councilors said they would challenge the budget allocation for police.

Chow has previously said he will not use his powerful mayoral powers to waste the budget and will seek consensus from the council.

In the future…