Public Health report on mental health and substance use challenges

Friends,

The City officially launched the 2026 Budget today with a staff-prepared budget presented to the Budget Committee. The City’s budget process is an important time for us to come together as Toronto residents to envision the equitable and compassionate city we want to live in and shape the budget that will enable us to create it.

The Budget Committee was presented with an operating budget of $18.9 billion and a 2026-2035 capital budget and plan of $63.1 billion, the largest 10-year capital plan in the City’s history, to address aging infrastructure and invest in housing, transit and water. Key highlights from the 2026 staff-prepared budget include expanding the school nutrition program to all public schools, freezing TTC fares for a third year in a row, opening all library branches seven days a week, and additional support for renters and homeowners. The staff presentation from today’s 2026 Budget launch can be reviewed here: BU10.1 - 2026 Capital and Operating Budget Launch.

The next step in this process is for Toronto residents to share feedback to the Budget Committee in person or online at public meetings, by phone at Telephone Town Halls, or in writing, over the next two weeks. I encourage you learn about the various opportunities to get involved in the budget here: Get Involved in the Budget – City of Toronto.

I will also be hosting a 2026 Budget Virtual Town Hall on Monday, January 19 at 6pm for our Ward 4 community to discuss our vision for the city together. I would love to see your there. Please RSVP at gordperks.ca/2026budget

Following the public consultation period, the Mayor’s Proposed Budget will be released on February 1 and the Council-approved 2026 Budget will be determined at a Special City Council meeting on February 10.

I look forward to hearing and learning from you through this process, so that together we can build a more capable and caring Toronto. 

Sincerely,

Friends,

As we celebrate the holiday season and the start of a new year ahead, I want to share my gratitude for everyone that calls Toronto home. Each of us plays a role, year-round, in spreading cheer, building one another up, and contributing to the many communities we are fortunate to have in our city.  

I hope you take pride in the tremendous progress we have made together in 2025. Thanks to your participation and advocacy in shaping our City’s 2025 Budget and priorities, we have made significant investments in accelerating housing development, improving public transit, increasing access to free public space and delivering affordability relief for families.

Key successes in 2025 include expanding permissions for housing options (multiplexes up to six dwelling units) and small-scale retail in neighbourhoods to create more complete communities, installing dedicated bus lanes on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street, opening Sunday service at all 100 Toronto Public Library branches, launching a Furnace Upgrade Program to help residents save on energy bills, and broadening the reach of the School Food Program and extending the nutrition program to CampTO locations.  

In my role as Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, I have been deeply moved by the tireless work of City staff to successfully establish our City as a public builder. Whereas projects that rely on the private market alone have stalled, the City’s Public Developer housing projects are moving forward to deliver rent-controlled homes. As a result, in the first eight months of 2025, City-led and City-supported projects account for 65% of all housing starts achieved this year.

I look forward to continuing to work together in 2026, alongside community, civic society, and our civil service to build a more capable and caring Toronto.  

Sincerely,

Friends,

I am delighted by the announcement this week that Mayor Chow will be introducing farecapping through the 2026 City Budget process. Starting September 2026, TTC riders will ride for free after taking 47 trips in a calendar month, with no upfront costs.

The new farecapping program works automatically for all riders using PRESTO, debit or credit, and no sign-up or extra steps from the rider will be required. The system will track the number of trips taken each calendar month, and once a rider reaches 47 trips (equivalent to the cost of a monthly adult transit pass), all additional rides that month are free. Fare capping benefits all fare types (adults, seniors, and youth) and resets at the start of each calendar month.

This is a fundamental shift in how Torontonians pay for transit. It takes the pressure off someone having to pay upfront for a monthly transit pass (on top of paying rent on the 1st of the month). After successful implementation in September 2026, the goal is to deepen the affordability benefits of this program. Mayor Chow has asked the TTC to begin financial planning for a 40-ride fare cap in the 2027 budget. If a rider commutes to and from work each weekday, this would effectively make transit free on weekends for that rider.

Farecapping, in combination with the investments our City is making in increasing subway, bus and streetcar service and maintenance, without raising TTC fares for the third straight year, makes life more affordable for working families who rely on public transit to live in our city.

I want to thank the community members that have been advocating for this change. With your continued support and involvement, we can build a transit system that works for all Torontonians. I look forward to seeing the farecapping program advance through the 2026 Budget, and encourage you to get involved in the public consultations process.

Sincerely,