City’s first set of scheduled community consultations on 2025 budget do not include East York Civic Centre meeting

Toronto has announced six community consultation dates for the 2025 Budget that will take place across the city.  

The meetings, which begin at the North York Memorial Hall on Oct. 19, aim to gain perspective on what residents believe to be of importance during the city’s budget planning procedure.   

Although four dates have been confirmed for in-person consultations, none of these meetings will take place in the East Toronto area as the East York Civic Centre is not on the list of locations hosting a meeting. 

“I’m disappointed to see that Mayor (Olivia) Chow chose not to include East York in her locations for budget consultations this month,” said Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford in an email statement to Beach Metro Community News.  

In order to participate in the discussions, East Toronto residents will have to attend consultation meetings in other parts of the city.  

In-person consultation locations that local residents can attend include North York Memorial Hall (5110 Yonge St.) on Saturday, Oct. 19 from noon to 2 p.m.; Scarborough Civic Centre (150 Borough Dr) on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m.; Rose Avenue Junior Public School (675 Ontario St.) on Sunday, Oct. 27 from noon to 2 p.m.; and Etobicoke Olympium (590 Rathburn Rd.) on Monday, Oct. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. 

“I encourage residents to have their say by attending one of the other in-person sessions or providing (online feedback),” said Bradford. 

Residents who are unable to commute to these locations for in-person meetings, can participate online during one of the two scheduled virtual consultations. 

The virtual consultation meetings are set to take place on Wednesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

With many Torontonians expressing their preference of in-person consultations, it is expected some local residents will be dissatisfied with the 2025 Budget Consultation schedule. 

However, Bradford said that he will ensure that his Beaches-East York constituents have an opportunity to discuss the community’s needs.  

“As usual, I’m looking forward to providing residents with the chance to provide their feedback in the Budget Town Hall I intend to host early in the new year,” he said.  

A date for the Beaches-East York Budget Town Jall has not been determined, but it is expected that it will happen prior to the results of the consultations being presented to the city’s Budget Committee at its first meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.  

According to the City of Toronto, following the budget launch, residents will get more opportunities to express their concerns through various avenues.  

These include three telephone town halls with Mayor Chow and Budget Committee Chair Councillor Shelley Carroll as well as an opportunity to speak to members of the Budget Committee on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, 2025. 

In the meantime, community members are encouraged to participate in an online survey which will be available until Thursday, Oct. 31, in order to share their opinions about the upcoming budget.  

Mayor Chow’s official proposed budget will be released by Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025.   

For more information on how to participate at one of the 2025 Budget Consultation meetings, please visit this link.