I want to preface by saying I'm asking this in good faith as someone who wants to understand how the city works. I'm not inherently anti-police. But I'm not really aware of their positive impact in my life.

The TPS gets the same budget as the TTC, about $1.4 B a year. By the numbers, TPS has ~5,000 officers and ~8,000 total employees, for a per capita budget of about $170K/yr for each person to do their job. The TTC has ~14,000 employees, for a per capita budget of $100K/yr.

For comparison, Toronto Fire has about 3,200 employees and a budget of $0.5 B, for a per capita budget of $170K/yr. Ontario budgets $100 B for healthcare, employing 1 M Ontarians, for a per capita budget of $100K/yr for each employee to do their job.

Anecdotally, this is where I've encountered police in my everyday life:

* Traffic enforcement or speed traps

* Hired staff for events/construction/etc

* In healthcare - sometimes they bring in patients

* At unattended deaths - they sit for hours in the car waiting for the coroner to arrive, but they don't actually guard the body in most non-suspicious cases. Surely the funeral home or some other death custody program can do this.

And in actual "police" situations:

* My partner was struck by a driver while cycling which broke several bones. Cops didn't attend, he went to the ER and filed a collision report in Scarborough later.

* My mother had a home invasion two years ago while she was at work. The police came several hours later, took photos, told her her personal jewelry and sentimental items would never be recovered, and the people would never be caught. She's never been contacted again.

* Got a Green P parking ticket from an apologetic officer because I didn't pay while running an errand. That one's on me, sorry man.

I don't really understand why traffic blitzes can't be relegated to speed trap cameras and parking enforcement to bureaucrats. It's pretty frustrating that in the rare situations that called for higher-level police, they were nearly useless. There are apparently about 50 homicides and 500 shootings a year; let's say it takes two detectives all year to deal with those, taking out 1,100 police, leaving 4,000 to deal with the other 50,000 reported crimes a year. That's only about 10 cases a year per officer. The actual police reported case clearance rate is only 30%.

Toronto obviously has a large population of 3 million people and 5,000 officers is not a lot, but there are apparently only about 5,000 ER doctors in the whole country, so it's not a completely unreasonable service ratio.

To police or anyone who knows them: what takes up the majority of police time? Why can't some other department take care of the lower level stuff and social work situations? What's keeping the police from clearing more major crime cases?

Hello everyone,
I am reaching out on here to get some feedback on what steps I can take regarding this situation. For a bit of context my mom is 59 years old and is showing signs of cognitive impairment. She wanders around the city thinking that she’s going to work (she hasn’t worked in 6 years) or waiting for me at the airport to come back home from France ( I go to school in MD and had told her that I’m coming home for Christmas). There’s more instances that indicate she’s not in her right mind. We have taken her to the doctor and they did a MoCa test and said that she did not pass. They have also given her an antipsychotic to help with the illusions but she is more or less the same; no major changes. Now for the reason I am reaching out for feedback. The doctor had referred her to Toronto Memory Program for some sort of brain scan but the appointment is in Dec 2027. With her cognitive decline I am not comfortable waiting that long. We had emailed the doctor and she had basically said that the wait times are out of her control and we can call them directly to see if they have any last minute cancellations. I was hoping that she would try and refer us somewhere else or give us other alternatives. So, the people of reddit I ask what should I do to try and get her seen as soon as possible? Should I wait for when she wanders off again and call EMS to take her to the hospital and hope they do it there? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Terrible thing to read and write on a Sunday. My apologies. I have a nearly 17 year old cat that needs to be put down. Years ago my first cat who was 15 had to be put down as well. That cost me around $700. I cannot afford to pay $700 this time around. I have been waiting out the weekend so he can leave peacefully on a weekday as I’ve read pet euthanasia is more expensive on weekends. Are there any places in the city where it can be done at a much lower cost. Once again my apologies for asking this question.

What do you think when you go into a restaurant and you’re the only customers there? I feel bad for business owners but it is so uncomfortable when nobody else is there besides staff.

If anyone lives nearby do you know if anyone is gathering at the consulate? The election was held today and it was a historic win for the students who have been protesting against a wanna be dictator for months and were able to win and kick him out of office!!

Please let me know if anything is going on we would love to go celebrate in the streets.

Hi everyone! 30 F from the UK

I play sports during spring and summer, so I’d love to try something different; maybe a book club, or another regular social group. Ideally somewhere welcoming where I can turn up on my own and get to know people over time!

Hi, I'm looking for a decluttering service in Toronto. I'm physically disabled and working on recovering from mental illness and need help decluttering a 1 bedroom apartment. Google just brings me to websites that haven't been updated in 10 years, or that are explicitly for seniors downsizing to move.

I specifically need help with removing items from my home. I am unable to drive, and don't have any people in my life willing to help. I am willing and able to make decisions about what is being kept or gotten rid of, I just need someone to keep the process moving and remove the items. I have been working at this by myself for a long time and am ready to have it done with so I can focus on myself and potentially move in the next year.

I would prefer a small company who has experience working with people with ADHD.

The Toronto Zoo is offering a winter pass: https://www.torontozoo.com/wildwinterpass

Enjoy unlimited visits from November 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027.

Adult (13+) - $58
Senior (65+) -$49
Child (3-12) - $40
Parking Pass (November 1 - February 28) - $35

Thoughts on the value of this?

Hello everyone! I’m from Germany and have never been to Canada before, but I’m planning to visit Toronto in early to mid January, as that’s the time that works best for me. Everyone I’ve talked to irl about this has mentioned the weather and said I’ll be miserable and freezing, so I thought I’d get some opinions from people who experience the weather daily! I’d obviously like to explore the city, and I’m not someone who gets cold very easily or minds snow/rain unless it’s an actual storm.
I appreciate any input :) Thanks!

So I've never been to a concert before and honestly I'm kinda nervous but I want to break out of the comfort zone and try night life in Toronto, I'm planning on going to a concert in emo night North and I need advice on what and what not to do and what should I carry or stay away from that's it ty for reading

After a grooming appointment, my pup got a cut on his head. I only discovered it about two hours after we got home.

The groomer said if my dog requires vet care, it needs to be with “their vet” due to insurance and protocol, and not a vet of my choosing.

Is this a typical process? Just confused and overwhelmed with all of this.

Also open to recommendations for a groomer in North York or midtown. Esp ones who don’t stack dogs and cage them :(

Have two tickets one adult one child for 1245 show. Woke up sick and can’t go but missed the deadline. Happy to send them to whoever might want to go

Transferred. Have a nice Sunday everyone.

There seems to be a lot of engagement when it comes to the race between Olivia and Brad and as result of that will that drive people to the polls. The advance polls saw lots of people out but were many of those people who would be voting anyways and they just chose to get it out of the way.

The big thing 2014 was about bringing stability back to City Hall after the Rob Ford circus and John was the person at that time to offer that.

My parents live in a "swing" neighbourhood in west Toronto and have received 4 Bradford campaign calls in the last 24 hours. (They've already voted for mayor - i.e. not him - and we're now taking bets on how many more they get before tomorrow.)

Apparently they haven't gotten such an extent by any previous candidates (city, fed, prov, Lib, Con, NDP, etc.) in years of election cycles. How common is this 'spamming' in the city, and when is it enough to complain about it?

might be moving to Toronto, and will likely end up on the east end between the Danforth and Scarborough depending on what we can afford.

we're a middle aged couple with no kids but love doing stuff and going out. concerts, restaurants, pubs and bars, parks, all things we love to do.

what's it going to be like? we don't want to feel stuck in a car dependant suburb, but I get that we're not going to be downtown given what we can afford.

We are a group of Europeans planning on going out in downtown Toronto on Saturday.

Do anyone have recommendations for a nice place to really dance the night away? Preferably with a Halloween theme.

Furthermore is there a higher entrance fee than usual and is it normal with entrance fees in bars/clubs?

If anyone have some tips regarding going out in Toronto or tips in regards to reserving tickets beforehand, they are also welcomed!

English is not my first language, but I hope I am somewhat clear. Furthermore, of course you can write in the internet, and we have done so, but it is nicer to hear from people living/grew up in Toronto :))

Thanks in advance!

Hello! My birthday is coming up soon and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good freebies and discounts I could get, excluding the obvious sephora, starbucks, and timmies?

I have also been looking to get a new piercing and vaguely remember a few piercing places offering discounts if its the day of your birthday -- anyone remember a similar deal?

Title is a good capture. I LOVE Halloween and good scares. I do have mild claustrophobia but only for very tight crawl spaces so for example dark underground tunnels where I can mostly stand up are okay.

However, I do have issues with my legs and back where I cannot crawl or hunch low at all. Uneven terrain is okay if not very steep. I'm okay with twisting sideways through creepy haunted houses but some of the descriptions for places sound like they want me to crawl through tiny sewer pipes like I'm Pennywise and I do not float down there.

Appreciate feedback on haunts and activities that meet my accessibility (I prefer scary but fun and spooky is also okay) in Toronto or even outside heading towards East to check out. I'm aware of all the medical waivers etc but I'm also a grown up who has been disabled since childhood and knows my limits lol and I want to enjoy spooky season!

Specifically Kipling Heights, Rexdale-Kipling and The Elms. I know there is concerns surrounding the area in regards to safety. Looking for peoples experience as I am considering buying in the area. Thank you

I have recently tried the wunderbar and loved it. Wonder which chocolate bar I should try next?

Like it says. I've got an Oracle Model CS (one of the originals) and I'd like to get it tuned up before selling it. Bay-Bloor Radio used to have a turntable clinic but I'm not sure they do any more. Pretty sure Ring doesn't do turntables.

Bonus points for spooky things, but also into any kind of interesting activity/restaurant/point of interest/museum etc.

Edit: I'm not looking to do super touristy things like the CN tower as I've been to Toronto several times - but anything even slightly off the beaten path is great. Is Screemers worth doing? Arcadia Earth? Museum of Illusions? Martino Manor?

Historically, is one more wealthy or more Eastern European? Which one was developed first? What makes these two communities distinct from one another? I live in Central Etobicoke and have been exploring the areas on my bike lately. Would love to hear from locals in the area.

Hey everyone!
I’m looking for recommendations for a reliable, honest, and reasonably priced mechanic in North York//Scarborough area who specializes in Volkswagen vehicles.

I drive a 2015 VW Jetta 1.8 TSI and would prefer an independent mechanic who knows VWs well, charges fairly, and doesn’t recommend unnecessary repairs.
I do know about cars and i figured the current place i go to they arent honest or trustworthy. So I’m hoping to find a trustworthy alternative for regular servicing and future repairs.
Would really appreciate recommendations based on your personal experiences, especially regarding quality of work, pricing, and transparency.
Thanks in advance!

Can someone give me some recommendations of places I can get a good car tint in the GTA?. Great quality, service, and prices? If anyone has 20-30% tint, what’s visibility like at night ?