The Star is partnering with the School of Cities at the University of Toronto to pitch big ideas during the run-up to this month’s municipal election. Affiliated faculty at the school have taken on some of the city’s thorniest problems and the Star has presented their solutions to the two main contenders running to be mayor. In the third edition, the case for long-term funding for youth programs.
City hall should provide dedicated, long-term funding to community programs catered to young people because they are more effective at preventing violence than increases to the policing budget, said U of T assistant professor of sociology Julius Haag.
“For a fraction of what the city spends responding to violence after it happens, it can keep the lights on where violence hits hardest: stable, year-round spaces where young people find mentors, skills, and a reason to be somewhere other than the street,” he argued in a municipal election issue brief he co-authored with Jooyoung Lee.
“The infrastructure is already there. It just needs to stop being temporary.”
The evidence backs it up
Haag said there have been numerous studies on the issues underpinning youth violence and what type of programs work to prevent it.
What has not been forthcoming is a steady stream of cash to keep staff paid so that young people don’t find the doors closed one year to the next.
“The city doesn’t lack for innovative approaches to these issues,” Haag said in an interview. “It doesn’t lack for programs … that are taking an evidence-based approach to youth violence prevention.”
But, as his paper notes, the balance of funding for community safety is out of whack: The city spent $1.43 billion on the Toronto Police Service budget in 2026 — a seven per cent increase. While the majority of provincial community safety grant funding went to police, city council struggled to make up a $6.2-million gap from a reserve fund when money from a three-year federal grant was not forthcoming.
Funding must be stable
Haag said funding from all levels of government can rally around crisis points — particularly bad years for violence or a major violent event — instead of focusing on long-term, preventative work in communities that need it most.
He said these programs often operate best as part of a network, offering referrals to over services and programs youth might need to provide a “wraparound” approach. The work that goes into building those networks are constantly challenged by short-term funding approaches, which means staff regularly find the services they once referred youth to are closed.
The perception of safety and actual safety can differ depending on where you live and your life experiences, he added.
“For some people, the visible presence of the police in their communities and neighbourhoods is an expression of that. And for other people, it’s not,” he said.
What do the candidates think?
Olivia Chow’s team: “In 2025, youth program investments through the Summer Safety Plan helped to reduce gun violence by 40% year over year … While Toronto will continue to advocate for sustainable federal and provincial funding, Chow isn’t waiting to take action. On September 16th, Olivia Chow announced that if re-elected, she will invest $28 million in youth safety programs. Thank you to the community partners who work to advance these incredibly important programs.”
Brad Bradford’s team: “Prevention is one of the five pillars of Brad’s public safety plan, alongside visible policing, targeted enforcement on repeat violent offenders, transit and public space safety, and bail reform. Community programs that give young people real alternatives are part of keeping this city safe. Brad has also committed to fixing the recreation system that locks families out: a fair registration window and transparent draw instead of the 7 a.m. sprint, and growing the number of free community recreation centres from 24 to 37 so the kids who need those programs most can actually get into them.”
