Budget

The ��ϲ��’s budget for the 2023-2024 academic year features investments in research, infrastructure, student experience and initiatives promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.

The $3.36 billion balanced budget, recently approved by Governing Council, represents a 3.9 per cent increase over last year and includes $19.3 million in priority investments on initiatives that include:

Extending the Diversity in Academic Hiring Fund to support the hiring of 30 more Black and Indigenous faculty members, bringing the total number of new positions created under the program to 190.
Implementing the recommendations of the student mental health and campus safety reviews.
Investing in classroom renewal and staffing a new student advising initiative.
Supporting interdisciplinary research projects carried out through Institutional Strategic Initiatives.
Supporting divisions facing budgetary challenges and cushioning the impacts of the province’s continued freeze on domestic tuition.

Demand for ��ϲ��’s programs remains strong as more than 90,000 students returned in-person to the three campuses in September 2022 – many of whom set foot on university grounds for the first time – and residences returned to full occupancy.

“It brings me great joy to see ��ϲ��’s vibrant community reunited after showing such resilience through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic – and we are committed to expanding access to this world-class academic experience,” says Cheryl Regehr, ��ϲ�� vice-president and provost.

“Our campuses are bustling with energy and the exchange of ideas – and we are deepening our investments to support student success, inclusive excellence and innovative research. Still, we need to be strategic to make the most of our available resources as we navigate a new financial landscape.”

Other priorities in this year’s budget include a substantial increase in funding for information security and support for ��ϲ��’s Defy Gravity fundraising campaign.

“The ��ϲ�� is a leading hub of innovation, sustainable growth and inclusive community-building in Ontario and beyond,” says Jeff Lennon, ��ϲ��’s assistant vice-president, planning and budget.

“We will continue to work toward these goals but expect to face some tough decisions about how to help divisions meet their highest priorities.”

When combined with a 10 per cent cut in 2019-2020, the cumulative impact of the Ontario government’s four-year freeze on tuition fees means ��ϲ�� saw a reduction of $195 million in annual operating revenue this fiscal year compared to projections under the prior framework. As it stands, ��ϲ��’s tuition fees for Ontario residents remain lower than they were in 2018-2019. Adjusting for inflation, tuition for Arts & Science programs is lower than it was in 1999.

The province’s tuition fee framework is among the areas that will be examined by a recently launched blue-ribbon panel of experts tasked with providing recommendations on securing the financial future of the wider post-secondary sector.

Meanwhile, undergraduate tuition for Canadians from other provinces will increase by five per cent, while international fees will rise by 2.1 per cent on average.

The university is scaling up its investment in merit-based scholarships for international students in the year ahead. The International Scholars program will reach full implementation in 2023-2024 at $75 million, with plans to boost the budget to $89 million in 2027-2028. This comes in addition to the prestigious Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarships, as well as an expansion of bursary supports for international students.

Total spending on student aid is projected to be $365 million in 2023-2024, excluding external funding and internal employment income for doctoral stream graduate students.

The budget also highlights a total of 28 capital projects taking place across the three campuses worth $5.2 billion.

Twenty-four of those projects are academic in focus. They include: the James and Louise Temerty Building on the St. George campus; a new computation, robotics and new media building at ��ϲ�� Mississauga; and a literature, arts, media and performance building at ��ϲ�� Scarborough, as well as the Scarborough Academy of Medicine & Integrated Health.

“We recognize the transformative power of education, research and innovation to build a better, more sustainable tomorrow,” says Scott Mabury, ��ϲ��’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships.

“That same bold thinking is reflected in the way we’re planning – and building – the physical spaces across the three campuses to help drive that important work.”

With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, ��ϲ�� looks beyond the pandemic in 2022-23 budget

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 19:02:05 +0000

With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, ��ϲ�� looks beyond the pandemic in 2022-23 budget

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/04/2022 - 14:02

Cutline

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Diversity and Inclusion

Research & Innovation

As pandemic-related health measures are relaxed across Canada, the ��ϲ�� envisions a steady return to more normal operations in its 2022-23 budget amid high vaccination rates and strong demand for its programs.

The $3.23-billion balanced budget, an increase of 3.5 per cent over the previous period, makes significant investments in teaching, research and the student experience – all while taking concrete steps to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment.

It is scheduled to go before Governing Council for approval on March 31.

“The ��ϲ�� is pleased to be welcoming members of its community back to campus for more in-person learning, research and other activities – particularly its students,” says Cheryl Regehr, ��ϲ��’s vice-president and provost.

“The investments made in this year’s operating budget reflect ��ϲ��’s continued dedication to enriching the learning experience and supporting success across all divisions.

“We are committed to providing a world class experience for everyone, regardless of background or financial means.”

Many priorities shared by students – expanding mental health services, enriching the academic experience, expanding experiential learning opportunities, committing to a climate positive campus and investing in student financial support – are reflected in this year’s budget.

Through its University Fund, ��ϲ�� plans to spend $22 million across five categories: building inclusive cities and societies, reimagining the undergraduate experience, the Defy Gravity campaign, investing in divisional priorities and driving scientific discovery.

As in previous years, ��ϲ�� is making a significant investment to uphold its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. ��ϲ�� plans to spend $2.3 million in the upcoming academic year to hire 30 additional Black and Indigenous faculty, bringing the total number hired through the Diversity in Academic Hiring fund to 160.

“These efforts are critical to achieve ��ϲ��’s goal of inclusive excellence, which is all about drawing on a diversity of perspectives and lived experiences to generate world-leading scholarship and research,” said Regehr.

“We want our university to reflect the many communities that it serves.”

In addition, a $1-million investment will be made to support innovations and best practices in embedding equity, diversity and inclusion principles in education and divisions across ��ϲ��.

There are also budget allocations for the creation of a new residency program to support Black and Indigenous librarians who are at an early stage in their careers.

Nearly $1 million is being committed to support the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre (SVPSC). The funding will go towards providing support to individuals who disclose or report incidences of sexual assault and expand capacity for prevention education across the three campuses.

��ϲ�� is continuing to prioritize mental health and wellness services, investing half a million dollars in the Stepped Care 2.0 model. There are plans to support programs to eliminate waitlists for same-day access and one-at-a-time counselling appointments, a new acute care service in partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a renovation to the St. George Health & Wellness Centre.

“Mental health and wellness continue to be a priority for the university,” says Regehr, who is also a professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “We want to make sure that every student has the support they need on and off campus.”

The University Fund will also invest $5.2 million in the Defy Gravity campaign, including matching funds for donations, $1.9 million to support divisional priorities and $9.2 million for driving scientific discovery.

Many universities across the country, including ��ϲ��, have faced challenges due to the ongoing global pandemic. Ancillary services have been impacted because of the decrease of on-campus activity, with food service outlets and parking being hit the hardest. Such services are normally self-sustaining and not funded by the operating budget.

“Over the last two years, we have not had the normal level of activity of students, staff and faculty commuting to our campuses, using parking services or purchasing items at food services,” says Jeff Lennon, executive director of institutional planning and budget administration at ��ϲ��.

“With the increase of on-campus activity, we’re anticipating those services will be in better shape by next year.”

Student residences are showing faster signs of recovery with high occupancy rates for the fall 2021 semester, according to the budget documents.

Despite some of the challenges COVID-19 poses, domestic and international student enrolment remains robust. In addition, enrolment in the summer semester is significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, with students increasingly interested in spreading courses across the three semesters.

To ensure that no domestic student who is accepted to a ��ϲ�� program is prevented from pursuing their studies because of a lack of financial means, the university is budgeting $331 million in regular financial aid for 2022-23. The amount is expected to grow to $388 million over the next five years.

��ϲ�� assumes that Ontario’s tuition framework will be extended for another year, which, due to a freeze for Ontario resident domestic students, amounts to total annual shortfall of $167 million next year compared to the university’s plan from prior to the 10 per cent reduction and freeze that went into effect in 2019-20.

International students, who are on track to reach 31 per cent of the undergraduate body in five years, will continue to receive support from the university through programs such as the Pearsons Scholarships and a $53-million investment in the International Scholars program. An average tuition fee increase of two per cent, with variations by program, is planned for international students in 2022-23.

To generate additional revenue and support ��ϲ��’s academic mission, the university’s Four Corners development strategy aims to take advantage of the university’s real-estate assets. The goal is to generate $50 million in operating funding per year by 2033 through the development of new space devoted to campus services, amenities, office and retail spaces.

Several projects are in various stages of planning, design and construction. They include new student residences and the first building in the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus on the St. George campus.

Several academic projects are also in the works, including the development of the James and Louise Temerty Building on the site of the west wing of the current Medical Sciences Building; a new interdisciplinary building at ��ϲ�� Mississauga; renovations in several Faculty of Arts & Science buildings on the St. George campus and a multi-use timber parking structure at ��ϲ�� Scarborough.

In total, there are 31 projects in various stages of planning, design and construction at ��ϲ��, worth a total of $4.6 billion.

“For the past two years, the ��ϲ�� community has safely and successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and is now looking forward to a sustained return to more in-person activities,” says Scott Mabury, ��ϲ��’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships.

“That’s why we’ve continued to move forward with these critical projects on all three campuses, which will give ��ϲ�� the necessary space to continue to grow and fulfil its important academic and research missions.”

��ϲ��'s 2021-2022 budget to focus on students, provide more supports for equity-deserving groups

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 22:00:39 +0000

��ϲ��'s 2021-2022 budget to focus on students, provide more supports for equity-deserving groups

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 02/24/2021 - 17:00

Cutline

(photo by Daria Perevezentsev)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

The ��ϲ�� plans to make additional investments in student learning, supports and financial aid, as well as boost access for equity-deserving groups and hire more Black and Indigenous faculty members – all while continuing to respond to the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19.

These are among the many priorities to be funded through ��ϲ��’s 2021-2022 budget, which is scheduled to go before Governing Council on April 6. In total, the balanced budget plans for $3.12 billion in spending in 2021-2022, an increase of 4.4 per cent over the previous period.

“The overall priority for this budget is our students,” says Cheryl Regehr, ��ϲ��’s vice-president and provost. “Across the university, there are plans to invest in teaching, in enriching students’ experiential and online learning, research opportunities, support services and financial aid.

“Students are the lifeblood of this institution and we want to see them thrive at every step of their academic journey.”

That includes supporting equity, diversity and inclusion at every stage of students’ academic life – from encouraging high school students from diverse backgrounds to apply to undergraduate programs, and then making sure the faculty they interact with reflect their experiences – all while providing students, faculty, staff and librarians with the supports they need to succeed.

Through its University Fund, ��ϲ�� plans to spend $4.5 million in the upcoming academic year on specific initiatives aimed at supporting underrepresented groups and addressing systemic barriers. They include: $1.5 million to hire 20 additional Black and Indigenous faculty, bringing the total number hired through four phases of the Diversity in Academic Hiring fund to 100; $1 million to make permanent a program of two-year post-doctoral fellowships for Indigenous and Black scholars, and $1 million to establish an Institutional Access Office to acknowledge and address the historic exclusion of equity-deserving groups from the university community.

There is also money to hire additional staff to support both graduate and undergraduate students and advance ��ϲ��’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, among other initiatives.

“��ϲ�� is at our best when brilliant, talented and creative people from many different backgrounds know the university is somewhere they can succeed and thrive,” says Regehr, who is also a professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

“We want people to see there is a place for them here.”

The University Fund will also be used to invest $4.2 million in enriched learning opportunities for all students, $7.6 million in research support and $9.1 million in various divisional priorities, including support for those divisions that have been disproportionately impacted by Ontario’s 10 per cent cut to tuition fees, which took effect in the 2019-2020 academic year and was followed by a tuition freeze in 2020-2021.

��ϲ�� is continuing to make investments in mental health and wellness with the support of the province, which recently announced $7 million in additional funding for mental health supports for post-secondary students. That’s on top of $19 million earmarked by the province in 2020-21, an increase of $3 million over the prior year.

“In a continuation of previous budgets, we’re also making new investments in mental health reform and new spaces for the delivery of our mental health services,” Regehr says.

Like many other universities, ��ϲ�� continues to face unprecedented challenges associated with COVID-19. But the 2020-2021 budget nevertheless paints a cautiously optimistic picture for the year ahead and is built on the assumption that ��ϲ�� will gradually resume in-person operations as COVID-19 vaccines are administered across Canada and around the world.

One thing is clear: ��ϲ�� continues to attract the best and brightest students. Despite uncertainties around travel and shifting public health guidelines, ��ϲ��’s undergraduate enrolment increased for both domestic and international undergraduates last fall, with the latter group forming the largest cohort in ��ϲ��’s history.

As a result, international enrolment remains on track to reach 30 per cent of the undergraduate population by 2025.

To ensure that no domestic student who is accepted to a ��ϲ�� program is prevented from pursuing their studies because of a lack of financial means, ��ϲ�� is budgeting $291 million in regular financial aid for 2021-2022. That’s translates into about 58 per cent more financial aid per student than is offered by other Ontario universities.

“With the pandemic, we were anticipating some pretty severe budgetary implications, as has happened to universities around the world,” Regehr says.

“At the same time, people stepped up in wonderful ways across the university. Our residence staff and facilities staff went to extraordinary measures to keep everyone safe. Our faculty and staff in registrar offices and student life worked hard to make sure students were engaged and supported, finding new ways of teaching, moving services online, investing in IT and technology-enhanced learning.

“The tremendous effort that went into making sure people were kept safe, that our academic priorities were met and that our research continued – all that came together into a much stronger-than-expected student enrolment and student retention.”

��ϲ�� also managed to partially offset many unforeseen pandemic-related expenses – delivering thousands of courses online, supporting critical COVID-19 research, providing additional financial aid and implementing health and safety measures for all students, faculty and staff – by saving money on travel and building occupancy costs, as well as through the salary restraint agreements negotiated with employee groups.

There are, however, several ��ϲ�� operations that continue to struggle under the weight of COVID-19. That includes the university’s various ancillary services, which include food and beverage offerings, parking and student residences. Such services are normally self-sustaining and not funded by the operating budget.

“Despite cost containment measures, these units will likely require deficit spending over the next several years as they develop a path to recovery in a post-COVID world,” says Trevor Rodgers, ��ϲ��’s assistant vice-president, planning and budget.

“The university is committed to working with each ancillary unit and will provide support in cases where long-term sustainability or critical infrastructure is at risk.”

Another challenge stems from the current tuition fee framework, which translated into a $113-million reduction in annual tuition fee revenue for the university as compared to previous long-range budget planning that assumed annual average increases of three per cent. For 2021-2022, ��ϲ��’s budget assumes Ontario’s freeze will remain in place for another year. That amounts to an additional $26 million shortfall compared to the long-range plan, or a total annual shortfall of $139 million since the changes first went into effect.

In recent years, the university has also seen a shift in the balance of funding between tuition and provincial operating grants. Just 21 per cent of the operating budget is now supported by the provincial government, down from 22 per cent last year. By the end of the current five-year plan, ��ϲ�� anticipates that just 18 per cent of its budget will be funded by operating grants.

The university plans to undertake several major capital projects over the next five years, including a second Instructional Centre at ��ϲ�� Scarborough, a new Arts, Culture and Technology building at ��ϲ�� Mississauga, renovations of several Faculty of Arts & Sciences buildings on the St. George campus, as well as a new Data Sciences Centre and the Academic Wood Tower, a 14-storey tower expected to be the tallest mass timber and concrete hybrid building in North America.

��ϲ��’s Four Corners strategy – which aims to take advantage of the university’s real-estate holdings to support ��ϲ��’s academic mission and generate additional revenue – also has several projects that are in various stages of planning, design and construction. They include faculty and student housing on all three campuses and the second phase of the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre on the St. George campus, which will house efforts to advance innovation and the commercialization of research.

“Many members of our community are staying at home right now as we work together to overcome COVID-19,” says Scott Mabury, ��ϲ��’s vice-president, operations and real estate partnerships.

“But the pandemic won’t last forever. That’s why the ��ϲ�� is preparing for a gradual and safe return to campus, while actively taking steps to build the spaces and amenities that we’re going to need in the future.”

��ϲ��’s Governing Council passes budget for 2019-2020

noreen.rasbach — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 18:53:06 +0000

��ϲ��’s Governing Council passes budget for 2019-2020

noreen.rasbach Thu, 04/04/2019 - 14:53

Cutline

(photo by Laura Pedersen)

Chris Sorensen

Topic

Our Community

OSAP

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre

Research & Innovation

��ϲ�� Mississauga

��ϲ�� Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

The ��ϲ�� plans to invest in several key initiatives and priorities next year – from expanding students’ experiential learning opportunities to hiring more Black and Indigenous faculty members – despite less than expected revenue following the Ontario government’s 10-per-cent tuition fee cut.

The balanced budget for 2019-2020, approved by Governing Council today, includes $2.77 billion in spending during the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of 3.5 per cent over the previous year.

That’s notably less than earlier projections that had the budget growing by 5.2 per cent, based on assumptions the former tuition framework would remain in place.

“The ��ϲ�� will continue to invest in the people, programs and physical infrastructure necessary to support a world-leading academic and research experience,” said Cheryl Regehr, ��ϲ��’s vice-president and provost.

“But the financial constraints we are facing mean we won’t be able to accomplish everything we had originally planned.”

The Ontario government’s tuition cut, announced in late January alongside changes to the Ontario Student Assistant Program (OSAP) and a new opt-out program for ancillary student fees, resulted in a revenue reduction of about $65 million for the university compared to the current fiscal year, according to ��ϲ��’s latest budget report. However, since the previous tuition framework allowed for annual three-per-cent increases, the university was expecting $88 million more in revenue than it will now receive.

That said, overall enrolment-related revenue, including student fees and operating grants, is projected to increase 2.9 per cent to $2.4 billion in the upcoming year.

The university relies on tuition and other fees to make up 63 per cent of its funding. Only about 24 per cent of its funding comes from provincial operating grants, which are also tied to enrolment. The rest, about 13 per cent, comes from income related to investments or ��ϲ��’s endowment, sales of various services and other sources.

��ϲ�� has committed $7.1 million in the upcoming budget – money that might have otherwise been invested in new strategic initiatives – to help academic divisions most deeply affected by the tuition fee changes.

“We’re using this structural budget support to level everyone out so no division has to take more than a three-per-cent cut this year,” Regehr said.

Despite the challenges, ��ϲ�� will nevertheless continue to fund a number of its academic and other strategic priorities at the downtown Toronto, Scarborough and Mississauga campuses.

They include adding new degree programs, taking further steps to diversify ��ϲ��’s international student population and transferring $6.7 million from the university’s operating reserves into a donation-matching endowed fund that will be used to support students participating in international experiences.

Many university divisions will continue to grow. There are plans to hire 51 additional faculty members in 2019-2020, although the budget report suggested some of those new hires may be delayed due to the changes in the domestic tuition fees framework.

Thanks to $1.5 million in support though the third phase of the Diversity in Academic Hiring Fund, as many as 20 Black and Indigenous faculty are expected to be hired across the university. They will join 60 other faculty members from underrepresented groups who were added through the first two phases of the same initiative.

There are also plans to spend, via the University Fund, $4 million to renovate student-focused facilities across ��ϲ��’s three campuses, $750,000 to upgrade the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing’s nursing simulation lab and another $750,000 to make space improvements to First Nations House.

When it comes to research, ��ϲ�� plans to spend $2.75 million to “support research excellence in areas of strategic importance.”

Trevor Rodgers, ��ϲ��’s assistant vice-president of planning and budget, said one area that’s facing budget reductions is the university’s shared services.

“We were not able to make as many shared service investments as we would have otherwise done,” Rodgers said.

Instead, the university has focused spending on services that help generate new revenue or cost efficiencies. Examples include: staffing, programs and IT infrastructure aimed at expanding future fundraising efforts; efforts to build a comprehensive talent management strategy; and a plan to modernize the university’s aging administrative management system.

Several major capital projects are planned over the next five years, according to the budget report.

They include academic projects – from a second instructional centre at ��ϲ�� Scarborough to a proposed new building at 90 Queen’s Park that will house ��ϲ��’s new School of Cities alongside other academic units – and projects that provide campus amenities for students, faculty and staff.

The latter category is covered under ��ϲ��’s four corners strategy, which aims to leverage the university’s real estate holdings to generate as much as $50 million a year in operating revenue by 2033 through the development of 3.5 million square feet of campus services, amenities, office and retail space.

One example of such a project is the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre on College Street. Scheduled to begin construction later this year, the centre will eventually comprise 750,000 square feet of space to house ��ϲ�� startups, innovation partners and researchers focused on fields like artificial intelligence and regenerative medicine. The project is being supported by a recent $100 million gift by Onex founder and CEO Gerry Schwartz and Indigo founder and CEO Heather Reisman – the largest-ever donation in ��ϲ��’s history.

“We are building for the future,” said Scott Mabury, the university’s vice-president of operations and real estate partnerships.

“The investments we’re making today will pay off many times over in the decades to come – not just for ��ϲ��, but for the broader Ontario and Canadian economies.”

As for student enrolment, the university is in its third year of a strategic mandate agreement with the province. The agreement specifies that domestic undergraduate enrolment at ��ϲ�� Mississauga and ��ϲ�� Scarborough will be held constant in the upcoming academic year and reduced at the downtown Toronto campus. Overall, total domestic undergraduate enrolment is scheduled to decrease by just over two per cent by 2023-2024 to 45,884 students.

Making good on its promise to ensure student access despite the recent OSAP changes, the university is planning to spend $247 million on student aid in the upcoming academic year, according to the budget report.

“We have a strong commitment to student aid and ensuring that all qualified domestic students at the university can complete their studies,” Regehr said.

��ϲ�� seeks to clarify recent report about its financial position

noreen.rasbach — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 13:56:15 +0000

��ϲ�� seeks to clarify recent report about its financial position

noreen.rasbach Tue, 03/05/2019 - 08:56

Cutline

(photo by Laura Pedersen)

Topic

Our Community

Budget

Operations

The ��ϲ�� is fortunate to have $5.9 billion in assets – and is a careful steward of the funds entrusted to it by students, their families, government and donors – but that does not mean it’s sitting on a budgetary surplus.

Scott Mabury, the university’s vice-president of operations and real-estate partnerships, said it was important for ��ϲ�� to clear the air following a recent, erroneous media report about its financial statements.

“The $5.9 billion includes the value of our property on all three campuses and the money entrusted to us in perpetuity by our donors to fund specific needs such as student aid and research,” Mabury said.

“To characterize this as a surplus is a gross misrepresentation.”

Mabury said there were also incorrect reports that ��ϲ�� is specifically sitting on $465 million in surplus revenue from the prior year. Instead, he said the figure reflects a number of sizable investments that ��ϲ�� is required by accounting rules to expense over a period of several years.

The investments in question include projects like the Myhal Centre for Engineering, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Highland Hall at the ��ϲ�� Scarborough and ��ϲ�� Mississauga’s North Building B.

“We know how hard our students and their families work to get a university education,” Mabury said, adding that ��ϲ�� takes its obligation to provide that education – both now and in the future – seriously.

“It’s disheartening to see such inaccurate information about our efforts reported in the media, especially when it’s clearly laid out in public documents.”

��ϲ�� shares its budget for 2018-2019

lanthierj — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 13:52:55 +0000

��ϲ�� shares its budget for 2018-2019

lanthierj Thu, 03/08/2018 - 08:52

Topic

International Students

Research & Innovation

��ϲ�� Mississauga

��ϲ�� Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

Diversity and equity initiatives, improving the undergraduate experience, recruiting a diverse range of international students, and expanding partnerships and opportunities around the world – those are some of the priorities in ��ϲ��’s proposed spending plan for next year.

Governing Council will vote on the $2.68 billion proposed operating budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year on April 5.

The balanced budget, which is expected to increase by 8.2 per cent from this year, follows months of consultations with academic divisions and departments, as well as offices responsible for university-wide services.

“This is a collaborative effort to understand and support the priorities of each of our 20 academic divisions,” says Provost and Vice President Cheryl Regehr. “We’ve worked together to determine the best approach to students’ educational experiences, long-term enrolment, faculty hiring and future capital projects.”

The proposed budget would create an additional 78 new faculty positions and increase investments in IT infrastructure and services. Capital projects will include classroom retrofits and money-saving green initiatives, as well as large scale building projects at all three campuses. Student aid will continue to increase, with a large share funded by endowments, which have crossed the $1 billion mark this year.

A priority for this year is making a university education financially attainable for students, especially those from under-represented communities, the provost says.

“This is about making a ��ϲ�� education accessible,” Regehr says.

The university is now in its second year of a new Strategic Mandate Agreement with the province. The agreement moves provincial grant funding to a differentiation model that will be based partly on enrolment and partly on ��ϲ��’s performance in priority areas such as: student experience; innovation; research excellence and impact; access and equity; economic development and community engagement; teaching and learning excellence; and international rankings.

As part of the agreement, ��ϲ�� has also been asked to trim domestic undergraduate enrolment by 1,800 students and increase the number of master’s and doctoral spots by 631 and 198 positions respectively, by the fall of 2019.

While the university will still receive per-student funding from the province for both undergraduate and graduate programs next year, some funding will be moved into a performance-based differentiation envelope. Differentiation funding is to be held constant until 2020 when the province finalizes the new funding mechanism and refines the list of key performance metrics.

“The Strategic Mandate Agreement presents an opportunity for ��ϲ�� to be recognized as one of the top universities in the world, with funding that will support our excellence in research, innovation, and teaching – and the outstanding global reputation of our scholars,” Regehr says.

The university will continue to build on its international reputation in the coming year, Regehr says, with a priority on global partnerships and international engagement. The budget also sets aside funds for more robust recruiting of international students from around the world, including in the United States, India and the Middle East. This will include seeking international students in fields such as music, kinesiology and physical education, as well as traditional areas of interest such as engineering, architecture and arts and science.

The budget also includes construction spending. Upgraded facilities, new buildings and designs for new projects are in full swing, says Scott Mabury, ��ϲ��’s vice-president of operations.

The new Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship will be ready for occupancy soon, as will the new Highland Hall building at ��ϲ�� Scarborough. The Student Commons, a centre funded by and designed for students at 230 College St., and a $190 million lab retrofit project are almost finished too. Renovation work has begun on the iconic University College building and an addition for Robarts Library. Other projects include pedestrianizing King’s College Circle, building a new Centre for Civilizations and Cultures, and planning and design for two new buildings at ��ϲ�� Mississauga.

The majority of the university’s revenue – 62 per cent – comes from student fees, with operating grants making up 25 per cent, and 13 per cent coming from other sources. On the spending side, 62 per cent goes to salaries and compensation, with 8 per cent going to student aid, six per cent to capital and equipment, six per cent for occupancy costs, and 18 per cent to other expenses.

Under the provincial framework, tuition will increase by three per cent for students in the Faculty of Arts & Science and selected other undergraduate programs, and by five per cent for students in many professional and graduate programs. The average tuition fee increase for international students for the coming year is six per cent. Earlier this year, ��ϲ�� announced that international PhD students will be paying domestic student rates, starting in the fall.

Trevor Rodgers, the executive director of planning and budget, noted that 55 per cent of ��ϲ��’s undergraduate students are eligible for OSAP, the province’s needs-based aid program. This year, OSAP has consolidated many smaller grant programs, a move that allows the university to bill students upfront on a net basis.

“Instead of charging students the full sticker price at the beginning of the year, the province will flow OSAP funds to the university, and we will only charge students for the difference,” Rodgers says.

This year, a total of $22.5 million will be available from the University Fund, which Regehr has stated will provide support for new initiatives and institutional priorities. They include access and diversity, reimagining undergraduate education and supporting research and innovation. Spending from the University Fund will go toward:

Supporting faculty and student-led outreach in high schools and communities to recruit students from under-represented groups
Increasing diversity in academic hiring, as well as recruiting Black and Indigenous postdocs to build the pool of future faculty
Reimagining undergraduate education by extending an existing fund for innovations in the classroom
Creating a new fund for students to support international student experiences
Supporting divisions teaching classes for students in other divisions
Continuing a fund for academic program innovations
Supporting nine campus-linked entrepreneurship accelerators
Supporting enhanced research at ��ϲ�� Mississauga and ��ϲ�� Scarborough

Federal budget supports digital literacy and work-integrated learning: ��ϲ�� engineering has had success with these programs

ullahnor — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:30:05 +0000

Federal budget supports digital literacy and work-integrated learning: ��ϲ�� engineering has had success with these programs

ullahnor Thu, 03/23/2017 - 15:30

Cutline

Teachers from the Toronto District School Board attend a robotics and computer coding workshop hosted by ��ϲ�� Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in February 2016 (photo by Tyler Irving)

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

The 2017 federal budget earmarks $50 million over two years for Teaching Kids to Code, a fund that supports teaching initiatives in coding and digital literacy across the country, and includes new investments in work-integrated learning. Both are areas where ��ϲ��'s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering has a track record of success.

Teaching Kids to Code

“To give our young people the best possible start, we will promote hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, and math, especially for young women, girls, and Indigenous youth,” said Finance Minister Bill Morneau in his speech to Parliament.

Learn more about coding workshops at ��ϲ�� Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Teaching Kids to Code will enhance activities such as coding workshops from ��ϲ�� engineering’s outreach programs. Aimed at providing both students and teachers with new tools to integrate programming, robotics and digital literacy into their classrooms, these workshops reach hundreds each year.

“Demand for talent in science and technology will only continue to grow in the coming decades,” said Dawn Britton, associate director of engineering outreach at ��ϲ��. “Outreach activities are critical in ensuring that the STEM fields attract talent that reflects the full diversity of Canada.”

Britton was on Parliament Hill for the announcement along with Jennifer Flanagan, CEO of Actua, Canada’s leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) youth outreach network. ��ϲ�� engineering and Actua have partnered with Google to deliver Codemakers, which aims to transform the way youth engage with computers and build digital literacy through hands-on learning.

“For 25 years we have focused on engaging the hardest to reach youth, including girls and Indigenous youth, and we are thrilled that the government’s innovation agenda is focused on skills development and inclusivity,” said Flanagan in a statement.

In 2015–2016, ��ϲ�� engineering engaged more than 9,000 pre-university students through pioneering programs, including:

Innovate U – Canada’s largest STEM event for children in Grades 3 to 8. This one-day workshop, held last May, was run in partnership with Google Canada and Actua, and attracted more than 1,400 students and teachers from across the GTA.
Coding Workshops – Delivered in partnership with Google and Actua, coding workshops will provide students in Grades 3 to 6 with the opportunity to develop their own set of codemaking abilities through a variety of in class activities.
Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP) Summer Academy – Since 2003, DEEP has provided highly motivated high school students with an aptitude for science and math with opportunities for advanced study in a variety of engineering, technology, business and science disciplines.
Jr. DEEP and Girls' Jr. DEEP – Modelled on DEEP Summer Academy school students, Jr. DEEP offers courses on cutting-edge topics in science, technology and engineering with an emphasis on hands-on learning.

Innovative programming, combined with strategic recruitment initiatives, has contributed to continued enriched diversity at ��ϲ�� engineering among both students and faculty. This year, the first-year undergraduate class included more than 40 per cent women, the highest proportion in Ontario. This increased the overall proportion of women across all ��ϲ�� engineering undergraduate programs to more than 30 per cent.

In the past 10 years, the number of female faculty members has more than doubled, from 21 to 55. ��ϲ�� engineering is a key partner in advancing Engineers Canada’s ‘30 by 30’ objective: 30 per cent female representation among newly licensed engineers by 2030.

��ϲ�� shares its 2017-2018 budget plans

lanthierj — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:51:31 +0000

��ϲ�� shares its 2017-2018 budget plans

lanthierj Fri, 03/03/2017 - 15:51

Cutline

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

Improving the undergraduate experience, encouraging more students to study abroad, increasing diversity, and outreach to Indigenous communities – those are some of the key priorities outlined in ��ϲ��’s spending plans for the coming academic year.

The proposed operating budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year is in its final stages, with a Governing Council vote set for early April. The $2.47-billion spending plan is the result of several months of consultations and reflects the decisions of many academic divisions and departments, as well as university-wide services and needs.

“Budget planning at the ��ϲ�� is a highly collaborative process aimed at supporting local aspirations as well as important university-wide priorities, while considering the many external and internal factors that influence the resources we have available,” said ��ϲ�� Provost and Vice-President Cheryl Regehr, who meets with leaders of each academic division every fall to discuss multi-year spending plans.

Regehr described this year’s budget as a hold-steady plan, reflecting the fact that negotiations continue with the province on new Strategic Mandate Agreements with all Ontario universities. The province also has extended the existing tuition framework for two more years.

Tuition and grant revenue for next year, expected to be $2.165 billion, and total operating revenue of $2.47 billion are both within 1 per cent of the previous year’s projection for 2017-18.

President Meric Gertler held similar meetings with vice-presidents to discuss central university-wide costs such as enrolment services, research services, and alumni relations.

Scott Mabury, ��ϲ��’s vice-president of operations, stressed that the university has worked to reduce the percentage of the budget used for university-wide costs and non-discretionary expenses. “We are working to allocate additional revenue into the academy and into the classroom,” he said.

Efforts to reduce the space costs of individual departments and divisions and money-saving green initiatives, for example, have freed up funds for teaching and for the indirect costs of research, he said.

Next year, university-wide costs, which include services provided by the vice-presidential portfolios and the library, will account for 22.3 per cent of revenue, down from 25.4 per cent in 2013.

The majority of the university’s revenue – 61 per cent – comes from student fees, with operating grants making up 27 per cent and 12 per cent coming from other sources. On the spending side, 62 per cent goes to compensation, with 8 per cent to student aid, 7 per cent each to capital equipment and occupancy costs and 16 per cent to other expenses.

For the first time next year, the total amount of financial aid available to ��ϲ�� students will hit $200-million, up from just $7.7-million in 1992. “This is a milestone we should celebrate,” Regehr said.

Under Ontario’s tuition framework, tuition for students in Arts and Science and selected other undergraduate programs may increase by 3 per cent and tuition for professional and graduate students may increase by 5 per cent. The average tuition increase for all domestic students may not exceed 3 per cent. To meet this cap, tuition for doctoral students will fall by $70 next year.

Undergraduate enrolment is expected to inch up over the next five years across the university, with a slight decline at the St. George campus.

Attracting high-calibre international students is also a priority. Tuition fees for international students are set at a level that takes into consideration both the fee levels at peer Canadian and US universities and also the full cost to the University of providing a program. The average tuition increase for international students for the coming year is 5.9 per cent. In 2015-16 the university provided $10.3-million in merit and need-based grants to 2,075 undergraduate and graduate international students in addition to graduate fellowships.

��ϲ��’s budget is built from the bottom up for the most part, but a central account called the University Fund is used to provide financial support to new initiatives and institutional priorities in academic divisions.

A total of $18-million is available for distribution from the fund next year and it will be used to support work in three priority areas: undergraduate and international experience, diversity and actions responding to ��ϲ��’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Steering Committee, and cities initiatives. In addition, the fund will support academic divisions facing budget challenges, contribute to a province-wide high-performance computing network and provide matching funds for capital projects.

Details of that spending include:

$1.3-million to increase the number of wellness counsellors and to help staff the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre on all three campuses.
$1.5-million to enhance study abroad and exchange opportunities and international student recruitment.
$1-million to initiatives that enhance undergraduate research and career development, including experiential learning.
$2.5-million for faculty and staff positions to respond to the actions recommended by the Final Report of the Steering Committee for the ��ϲ�� Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
$1.5-million to be used as matching funds for the conversion of existing space to space welcoming to members of our Indigenous community
$750,000 to build on an initiative started last year to increase diversity among faculty on all three campuses.
$1.5-million for initiatives in the area of cities research, including exploring opportunities for a new School of Cities.

Other budget priorities over the next few years include continuing improvements to the student information system, funding to sustain the services and collections of the library system, a multi-year project to upgrade classrooms on the St. George campus, and continuation of the Boundless fundraising campaign.

The operating budget is one of four funds included in the university’s financial statements, although it accounts for three-quarters of all spending. The three others are the restricted fund, the capital fund and the ancillary operations fund.

Governing Council is expected to vote on the proposed budget on April 4.

Professor Scott Mabury reappointed as ��ϲ��'s vice-president, university operations and vice-provost, academic operations

lanthierj — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 15:20:10 +0000

Professor Scott Mabury reappointed as ��ϲ��'s vice-president, university operations and vice-provost, academic operations

lanthierj Wed, 01/04/2017 - 10:20

Cutline

Scott Mabury: “I’m quite proud that we as an institution have adopted the most energy efficiency standards of any universities of which we are aware” (photo by Steve Frost)

Noreen Ahmed-Ullah

Author legacy

Noreen Ahmed-Ullah

Topic

As a professor of environmental chemistry, Scott Mabury is one of the most highly cited scholars in his field.

And, as the ��ϲ��’s vice-president of university operations and vice-provost, academic operations, Professor Mabury is also one of ��ϲ��’s most highly sought decision-makers.

Mabury was already serving as vice-provost, academic operations when the University created the position of vice-president, university operations and appointed Mabury to the role on Jan. 1, 2012. On Dec. 15, Governing Council reappointed Mabury as vice-president and vice-provost for another five-year term.

“Under Professor Mabury’s leadership, the University Operations portfolio has executed on an impressive number of initiatives across a wide spectrum of activity,” President Meric Gertler said in a statement. “His mantra has been ‘out-of-the-box thinking with off-the-shelf practicality.’”

Mabury’s achievements include:

• Creating the Utilities Reduction Revolving Fund, which has seen many divisions save money by reducing energy use

• Saving $54 million last year – a year ahead of schedule – through retrofits to improve operations and maximize efficiency

• Creating entrepreneurial space in the Banting & Best buildings for ��ϲ��-affiliated startups

• Receiving $84 million in federal strategic investment funding for rehabilitation of almost half of our research space including major projects at ��ϲ�� Mississauga and ��ϲ�� Scarborough

• Negotiating a 20-per-cent equity stake at MaRS, recruiting JLABS to occupy part of the space and overseeing construction of the new Law building – on schedule and on time.

“Professor Mabury has demonstrated a tremendous capacity to improve the work of the University while at the same time exercising prudent management of our limited resources,” President Gertler said.

Mabury is the only academic in this role at a Canadian university.

And he says it’s the scholarly part of his brain – specifically, chemistry – that helps the administrative side find efficiencies in day-to-day operations at ��ϲ��.

“In chemistry, from a scholarship perspective, we think about the architecture of molecules and how the different atoms fitting together will alter their properties,” Mabury said. “To do that, we need to understand how things work, and usually in chemistry, we want to improve the efficiency of a reaction with higher yields.

“So optimizing how things work is a theme that exports out of chemistry into this job. I find it an engaging exercise to optimize how things work with a clear mind to what the overall goal is.”

The overall goal is returning saved dollars to the classroom.

One project that touches every student, and most faculty and administrative staff, is the multi-year Next Generation Student Information Services (NGSIS). For the past six years, Mabury has co-sponsored NGSIS with the Vice-Provost Students.

“This program has dramatically enhanced student experience,” said Robert Cook, the University’s former chief information officer. “Scott drove us to first stabilize the performance of existing services and then introduce dozens of innovations such as the integrated ACORN interface, and tools like Degree Explorer and a Financial Planning Calculator.

“Scott has championed ��ϲ��'s collaboration with other universities to explore new ways of doing things and to save costs. His commitment to value has driven NGSIS and everything done across his portfolio.”

Those who work under Mabury are amazed at everything he can get done in a given day.

“He has this magical additional 24 hours that none of us have,” said Elizabeth Cragg, who is the director of the office of the vice-president of university operations. “And he trusts us to do our best job, which is empowering. If he wasn’t a professor, he would have made an amazing preacher.

“You just want to follow him. He’s the Pied Piper.”

Mabury’s work schedule now begins at 7 a.m., to cram in meetings that no longer fit into a schedule that once began at 8. His portfolio oversees 1,650 employees across three campuses, departments that range from food services to IT, facilities, capital projects and campus planning.

Supporting the provost, he helps to put together the University’s annual operating budget and multi-year budget plans.

And his academic life includes regular meetings with graduate students, a graduate-level course he partially teaches and PhD dissertations to review.

On a personal note, he and his Riverdale neighbours recently sponsored a Syrian refugee family who lived in his home for a month.

If that wasn’t enough, he also has a farm 1½ hours east of the city where he goes every weekend to plant seeds, practice no-till farming and get his hands dirty.

“It’s part of the work-life balance,” he said in a recent interview with ��ϲ�� News. “Lots of brain work here, and then lots of physical work there.”

From his office tucked into a loft-like corner in Simcoe Hall, surrounded by his daughter’s paintings, Mabury talked about his vision and what’s ahead for the University.

“I’m quite proud that we as an institution have adopted the most energy efficiency standards of any universities of which we are aware,” he said. “That was something we did in the spring after the presidential response to the divestment report. It will demonstratively make a difference. We will change how we design and build buildings to make them more energy efficient.”

Sally Garner, executive director of planning and budget at ��ϲ��, said Mabury brings a “creative and forward-thinking approach” to the budget process.

“He has contributed enormously to the University’s ability to grapple with the many financial challenges currently being faced by all public universities,” Garner said. “He has a particular ability to strategically connect the academic and financial dots and to articulate critical budget messages to the broader University community.

“Rarely a week goes by when Professor Mabury doesn’t bring a new idea to the table.”

For the future, Mabury will be focused on development of the University’s real estate. At Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street, ��ϲ�� is exploring developing retail, office, residential and academic space. In the Huron Sussex community to the west of Robarts Library, the University is working with its neighbours and planning residences for undergrads, grads and townhouses – hoping to contribute to affordable housing in the city.

“We’re going to build 10 to 12 faculty townhouses there because we hear the challenges of deans and recruiting faculty,” he said. “New faculty would love to be close to where they’re kick-starting their careers.”

Mabury hopes by developing real estate assets, the University can produce annual revenues that match the endowment payout of about $60 million – money that would be channelled back to the classroom.

Perhaps one of the most prominent initiatives Mabury will spearhead – one that will touch many Torontonians – will be the transformation of ��ϲ��’s downtown Toronto campus,

“The most important project that we’re involved with is pedestrianizing the historic core and returning it to people as opposed to cars,” Mabury said. “Our heritage assets that you see – Convocation Hall, Hart House, the grand stately University College and Croft Chapter House – the view and connection with those buildings for faculty, staff and students is obstructed by cars and roads.

“We want to remove that obstruction and prioritize pedestrians and bicyclists.”

Toronto budget 2017: ��ϲ�� experts say the city needs new ways to make money

Romi Levine — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 20:22:15 +0000

Toronto budget 2017: ��ϲ�� experts say the city needs new ways to make money

Romi Levine Tue, 12/06/2016 - 15:22

Cutline

Toronto City Council is set to vote on the budget in February (photo by Sam Javanrouh/Flickr)

Romi Levine

Author legacy

Romi Levine

Topic

Geography and Planning

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Arts & Science

Torontonians are not expected to see big tax hikes in 2017 as the city tries to close its $91-million budget gap, while grappling with $33 billion in unfunded capital projects.

Toronto City Manager Peter Wallace presented the preliminary operating and capital budgets today at a City Hall committee meeting. The proposed 2017 budget includes a two-per-cent increase in property tax and a 10-cent hike for TTC fares.

Read the full budget proposal here

The city is on the lookout for alternate forms of revenue with Mayor John Tory proposing a road toll for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway – a move that could bring in more than $200 million annually, but may not be fully implemented until 2024.

There are also some short-term revenue recommendations in the proposed budget including reinstating the personal vehicle tax and introducing a hotel tax.

Enid Slack weighs in on Tory’s toll proposal

As City Council begins debating the proposed budget, ��ϲ�� News spoke with city experts Matti Siemiatycki and Enid Slack about how Toronto should handle its financial and operational woes.

Enid Slack is director of the Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance (IMFG) at ��ϲ��’s Munk School of Global Affairs

What do you make of the 2017 preliminary budget?

I think this is the same problem we see every year at budget time in the city of Toronto. We come to the point where there is a gap – this year it's $91 million. I think it's telling us we have a bit of a structural problem here.

We seem to have this problem with the gap, and in the short run, there's only two ways to deal with it. If our expenditures are greater than our revenue, we either have to cut back our expenditures or we have to increase our revenues, and so that's what this budget is trying to do. It's trying to cut expenditures and find some way to increase revenues.

In the work we did more recently, we talked about how over the long term we have to think about whether the property tax and the land transfer tax are sufficient to meet the growing expenditure needs of a large city like Toronto, and we concluded that they aren't enough. In Toronto and other major cities in Canada, we need to look at other sources of tax revenue.

Is this budget addressing both the short-term and long-term revenue needs for the city?

This budget is I think focusing more on the short-term fix in the context of understanding that in the long term we have to do something bigger. Some of the recommendations on municipal land transfer tax or personal vehicle tax may be short-term solutions. I think it really does both.

The biggest problem here is that the major source of revenue for cities in Canada like Toronto is the property tax, and the city has made a commitment to only raise property tax by the rate of inflation or less than the rate of inflation. I think, while I understand the politics behind doing that, it does put the city in a bind in terms of trying to balance its budget.

Why the resistance to increase property taxes?

The property tax is a very visible tax. If you look at other taxes, like the income tax or sales taxes, they're much less visible. Most people who are on salary, for example, don't know what they paid in income taxes last year.

When it comes to sales taxes, we know we pay 13 per cent, but nobody knows at the end of the year, how much they put out in sales taxes. But people do know what their property taxes are – this is money they have to pay maybe twice or six or twelve times a year. It's very visible. That's very good from an accountability point of view – people know what they're paying to their local governments, and they know what services they're getting. But that visibility makes it very hard to increase those taxes.

Matti Siemiatycki is an associate professor of geography and planning at the Faculty of Arts & Science

Is tolling the right way to go?

We had a lot of conversations over the last number of years about what to build, where to build and how to build it. The part that's always been missing is how we're going to pay for all of this investment and all of this infrastructure. I think the conversation about tolls is really the next phase, which is the hard part of the conversation.

You've heard all sorts of responses to this – one of which is that it's not enough, and it's too far down the road. If we're really looking at 2024, that's a lot of years between now and then that have to be bridged. If you look at how much money they raise, which is somewhere in the $200-million- to $250-million-a-year range, that's a starting point but the gap on the operating side annually is far larger than that, and the gap on the capital side is extremely large.

What I would ask people is, if you don't like this tool, if you don't like tolls, how else are we going to raise the big dollars to pay for the infrastructure that I think there's a consensus that we need?

What’s the alternative?

There are a fairly small handful of taxes and revenue tools that will generate large amounts of money and for various reasons a lot of those are also unpalatable for people. If it's not tolls, then what are the other options? It's a fairly short list.

One option is a fairly significant property tax increase, another option is a city-wide sales tax, which the city doesn't have the capacity to levy themselves – they'd have to get provincial permission, another is a commercial parking levy and a local income tax.

Fixing the Gardiner Expressway is now estimated to cost $1 billion more than expected – is this another hiccup for Toronto infrastructure spending?

That's been one of the frustrations – the budgeting and delivery has been challenging for a lot of big projects. That’s really part of what we need to address in this region and in Canada more broadly. We have an issue with how we pay for infrastructure, that's true, but we also have an issue with how we deliver the projects once we select them and once we actually decide to proceed.

That's proving to be frustrating for people and it's sapping public confidence and trust that government, if we decide to give them more money, can actually deliver on these projects efficiently and in a cost-effective manner.

In terms of transportation, what would you like to see Toronto focus on in 2017?

You really have two things going on at the same time – one is the long-range planning and the big visionary projects – the subways, the light rail lines, the bus rapid transit project, the really definitive city building initiatives.

There's a big planning push that's going to happen, but we also have the day-to-day operations of our system – we have, on the one hand, discussions of mega-projects that are costing billions and on the other hand, we have the TTC and other city agencies under a request of a 2.6-per-cent budget cut. What I want to see is at the same time that we're planning the mega-projects, we're also figuring out how to put the operations of the service that people use on a solid footing and to make sure those budgets are in place.

One step in the right direction is the low-income transit pass, which the executive committee last week looked at and approved. That, to me, is a really important step. Transit is a key barrier for people with low incomes – a barrier to jobs, a barrier to health care, a barrier to being a part of the city. I think that bringing in a pass is really an important step for the city to ensure that accessibility is available to those who are really in need.

Budget

������ϲ����� budget invests in students, research amid a challenging financial landscape

With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, ������ϲ����� looks beyond the pandemic in 2022-23 budget

������ϲ�����'s 2021-2022 budget to focus on students, provide more supports for equity-deserving groups

������ϲ�����’s Governing Council passes budget for 2019-2020

������ϲ����� seeks to clarify recent report about its financial position

������ϲ����� shares its budget for 2018-2019

Federal budget supports digital literacy and work-integrated learning: ������ϲ����� engineering has had success with these programs

Learn more about coding workshops at ������ϲ����� Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Read more about ������ϲ����� and the federal budget

������ϲ����� shares its 2017-2018 budget plans

Professor Scott Mabury reappointed as ������ϲ�����'s vice-president, university operations and vice-provost, academic operations

Toronto budget 2017: ������ϲ����� experts say the city needs new ways to make money

Read the full budget proposal here

Enid Slack weighs in on Tory’s toll proposal

Enid Slack is director of the Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance (IMFG) at ������ϲ�����’s Munk School of Global Affairs

Matti Siemiatycki is an associate professor of geography and planning at the Faculty of Arts & Science

��ϲ�� budget invests in students, research amid a challenging financial landscape

With a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion, ��ϲ�� looks beyond the pandemic in 2022-23 budget

��ϲ��'s 2021-2022 budget to focus on students, provide more supports for equity-deserving groups

��ϲ��’s Governing Council passes budget for 2019-2020

��ϲ�� seeks to clarify recent report about its financial position

��ϲ�� shares its budget for 2018-2019

Federal budget supports digital literacy and work-integrated learning: ��ϲ�� engineering has had success with these programs

Learn more about coding workshops at ��ϲ�� Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Read more about ��ϲ�� and the federal budget

��ϲ�� shares its 2017-2018 budget plans

Professor Scott Mabury reappointed as ��ϲ��'s vice-president, university operations and vice-provost, academic operations

Toronto budget 2017: ��ϲ�� experts say the city needs new ways to make money

Enid Slack is director of the Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance (IMFG) at ��ϲ��’s Munk School of Global Affairs