Toronto City Councillor Vincent Crisanti is sounding the alarm, declaring that Canada's largest city has lost its way and needs a fundamental course correction to restore public trust. In a commentary published on December 7, 2025, the representative for Ward 1, Etobicoke North paints a picture of a municipal government that has drifted from its core mission, leaving taxpayers feeling underserved and skeptical of where their money is going.
A City Struggling with Core Services
Crisanti reminisces about a time when Torontonians had confidence in their local government's consistent delivery of essential services. That confidence, he argues, has evaporated. As residents brace for another potential property tax increase, many question what tangible benefits they will receive in return.
The past year has been particularly challenging, marked by a series of service failures that have eroded public trust. Crisanti points to inadequate snow removal, public pools closed during heatwaves, unprecedented traffic congestion, and skyrocketing costs of living as evidence of a system in distress. The response from city hall, he contends, has been to grow the government bureaucracy rather than solve problems efficiently.
Bureaucratic Expansion vs. Frontline Results
The councillor criticizes what he sees as a pattern of creating new bureaucratic layers to address systemic issues. He highlights recent decisions to appoint a "czar" to tackle traffic congestion, another to fight the city's rat infestation, and a chief resiliency officer for extreme weather, each accompanied by new support staff. This approach, Crisanti argues, overlooks existing teams tasked with the same work and fails to deliver visible improvements for residents.
"It's enough to make taxpayers' heads spin," he writes. The focus, in his view, has shifted to symbolic gestures—like changing names and removing traffic lanes—and increasing red tape, rather than ensuring a clear return on investment for every dollar spent.
What people truly want, Crisanti asserts, is straightforward: clean streets, safe communities, and the guarantee of clean water from their taps. He expresses particular concern for seniors, long-time contributors who built the city and now see little value for their tax dollars. Crisanti has repeatedly advocated for free transit for seniors but meets resistance citing budget constraints, even as the city faces an annual loss of over $140 million to fare evasion.
A Call for Respect and Tough Choices
At the heart of the issue, according to the Etobicoke North councillor, is a fundamental lack of respect for taxpayers. He argues that simply squeezing residents for more money does not solve problems or deliver better services.
As Toronto City Council prepares for the 2026 budget process, Crisanti demands a different approach. He calls for council to make the difficult, responsible choices it has previously avoided. This means finding long-term efficiencies within the system, cutting distracting expenditures, and redirecting savings to frontline services.
"Under no circumstances should safe and clean communities, reliable transit, and affordability be ploys for another property tax increase on the backs of hard-working people," Crisanti states. The real work, he concludes, lies not in reaching deeper into people's pockets, but in the disciplined and respectful management of the public funds already entrusted to the city. The path forward is tough, he admits, but it is the only way to rebuild trust and ensure Torontonians get the services they deserve.
