'Real change' in police budget next year

"We're going to bring about reform. There's going to be real change. Even the police chief, himself, has said next year's budget will look very different from this year's. I agree with him. That's what we're setting out to do," Tory told reporters.

However, the mayor said he would not accept "an arbitrary, meat cleaver approach that would result, make no mistake, in the reduction of hundreds of police officers on the street."

"Do we have a responsible plan to make sure next year's police budget looks significantly different than this year's? Yes, we do."

On Tuesday, Thompson criticized the force for what he said were runaway costs, particularly in overtime and other initiatives, and said he is "unwilling to accept the concept that simply this year's not possible, next year it is, maybe."

But Coun. Shelley Carroll said reining in the police budget could take more than a year.

"I know Coun. Thompson would like to see a savings of $25 million right now," Carroll told reporters at city hall Wednesday afternoon. "I think it's going to take a couple of years to get there."

Police Chief Mark Saunders, who spoke to reporters at police headquarters earlier Wednesday, said slashing the police budget by $24 million would result in close to 400 jobs lost.

Police Chief Mark Saunders
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders says slashing the police budget by $25 million would result in close to 400 jobs lost. (CBC)

"If you want serious, drastic cuts, then we have to remodel," he said. "It has to be done properly."

But Thompson noted that both Saunders and Toronto Police Services Board chair Andy Pringle are on the new task force.

"I have great reservations with respect to both of their abilities," Thompson said Wednesday afternoon.

His motions weren't aimed at allowing crime rates to explode across the city, he said.

"What we do know is that we have to arrest the police budget, and it's my particular view that at this point, it's out of control," he said.

Here it is: Ontario’s net debt*, starting when the Liberals came to power in 2003:

2003-4: $138.8 billion

2004-5: $140.9 billion

2005-6: $152.7 billion

2006-7: $153.7 billion

2007-8: $156.6 billion

2008-9: $169.5 billion

2009-10: $193.5 billion

2010-11: $214.5 billion

2011-12: $235.5 billion

2012-13: $252.1 billion

2013-14: $267.2 billion

2014-15: $287.3 billion

2015-16: $300.3 billion

Note how, in 2003, Ontario’s debt was just 28% the size of the federal debt. After 12 years of Liberal government, the figure is 50%. That means Ontario’s borrowing is now equal to half the amount Ottawa has borrowed for the entire country.