The city will be spending “intentionally” in 2026
This may mean a lower property tax hike, says budget chief Shelley Carroll
Earlier this week, a New York Times story asked, “When did everything become so intentional?”, probing the latest buzzword of many a wellness influencer and concluding that the word has become popular because it provides an illusion of control.
To the long list of daily tasks now done with intention—eating, walking, working—we can add Toronto’s 2026 budget, as noted by the city’s budget chief, Shelley Carroll, who says future spending will be “leaner,” according to the Toronto Star.
“That’s not about cutting back, necessarily, it’s about being intentional, it’s about prioritizing our investments, protecting your affordability and preparing for an uncertain global financial outlook,” says Carroll, who added that this comes with the hope of a lower property tax increase, following widespread anger over a 6.9 per cent increase for 2025.
(Probably less intentional is that $1-billion operating budget shortfall, whoops.)
Carroll also announced pre-budget public consultations, which Torontonians can chime in on through an online survey or in-person or virtual meetings until the end of the month. As the Star reported, past public consultations have led to things like transit fare freezes and extended library hours, so if you want something nice, now is the time to ask—intentionally, of course.
Related: All Toronto Public Library branches will soon be open seven days a week
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
