In the socialist world of Toronto mayor Olivia Chow, it seems to be quite acceptable to cut the police budget — while crime and violent protests plague the city — and give herself a nice 3.5% pay hike.
That’s only the half of it.
She is slated to take her pay hike, as is the entire council, while handing Toronto taxpayers as much as a 16.5% tax hike.
One has to wonder how many tax-paying residents are even making Chow’s mayoralty salary of $216,160, let alone getting a 3.5% raise this year.
Her 3.5% raise will take her salary to $223,725.
All 25 councillors are slated to also receive a 3.5% pay hike taking their salary to $124,719 — not including their benefits and a separate travel budget.
Meanwhile, the police budget, as proposed, is $12,615,000 lower than 2023. In other words, they won’t even be getting the same inflationary increase Chow is giving herself.
This is in a climate in which auto thefts were up 33.1% in 2023, assaults up 17.1% and break and enters up 19.8% compared to the year before.
As the police budget note says, hate crimes are also way up.
It is interesting to note that the $12-million taken away from the police appears to be going to Chow’s Community Service Response team pet project — a group of social workers who will not and cannot deal with the violent assaults, break-ins, auto thefts and vitriolic protests.
But none of this is surprising.
Chow’s disdain towards the police goes back to the Year 2000 when she was kicked off the Toronto Police Services Board for participating (foolishly) in an Ontario Coalition Against Poverty anti-police riot at Queen’s Park.
Let’s not forget that she has a number of defund the police types on council including her own deputy mayor Ausma Malik (the same Malik who participated in an anti-Israel protest beside a Hezbollah flag prior to her foray into politics.)
These politicians operate in a surreal fantasy world in which the crime is far, far away from their sphere of influence and they believe hugging and coddling thugs will bring crime down.
Clearly that is not the case, considering the stats are skyrocketing.
They will continue to have these harmful beliefs until something happens to them or a member of their inner circle.
I don’t wish that for them at all but something needs to make them wake up from their woke slumber.
I haven’t even touched on the threatening anti-Israel protests which have required considerable extra policing.
That costs money and the extra $10-million stuck in their budget for event coverage will be eaten up very quickly.
Perhaps if Chow and her cabal of defund the police councillors allowed police to do their jobs and arrest those who repeatedly try to block roads and stalk the Jewish community, we might see less of this toxic activism.
So far they’ve been emboldened by our weak city politicians.
That comes with a tremendous price.
People who are being asked to fork an extra 16.5% in property tax payments quite naturally don’t feel they’re getting their money’s worth.
Never mind that bad optics of taking a 3.5% pay hike in a year in which Chow insists we all have to do our part.
Perhaps she should look in the mirror and start with herself.
