'Tis the season for another police budget debate

City Hall Watcher #307: A new hiring plan could send Toronto's police budget past the $1.5 billion mark — will we get our money's worth? Plus, Survey Says: Life in Toronto isn't getting better

Hey there! ‘Tis the season. And by “season,” I am, of course, referring to the looming municipal budget season. Truly the most festive and enchanting time.

To kick things off in earnest, the police — the single biggest line item on City Hall’s spending ledger — have a budget meeting this week to discuss a hiring plan to add more than 500 officers and gro…