Item - 2025.MM30.23

Councillor Shelley Carroll, seconded by Mayor Olivia Chow, recommends that:

1. City Council direct the City Manager to:

a. establish a Mayor’s Savings Challenge to recognize City staff who identify and propose the most impactful savings or efficiencies that are successfully implemented in City operations;

b. develop program criteria and a submission process, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer;

c. offer a non-monetary recognition to the winning staff member(s), subject to existing employment and collective agreement provisions; and

d. promote the Challenge across all City divisions and agencies to encourage broad participation and highlight the importance of frontline city staff in enabling priority investments.

As the City of Toronto works to meet rising service demands and affordability challenges, it is essential that we identify every opportunity to operate more efficiently. Senior management across City divisions have been actively reviewing programs and operations to identify meaningful savings, streamline services, and modernize outdated systems. However, the expertise and creativity of frontline City staff remain one of our greatest untapped resources when it comes to identifying cost savings and continuous improvement. These are the people who understand our processes best and often have the most practical ideas for doing things smarter and better.

To empower staff and foster a culture of innovation and fiscal responsibility, the Mayor’s Savings Challenge will recognize and reward City staff who propose operational efficiencies or cost-saving measures that can be implemented in time for the next annual budget. The best ideas would be celebrated annually by the Mayor and the staff member(s) responsible for the most impactful and implementable idea would receive non-monetary recognition in appreciation of their contribution to the City’s financial sustainability.

Whether it’s simplifying a process, reducing duplication, or finding a smarter way to deliver services, the goal is to foster a practice of listening to the front lines to surface practical solutions for a more sustainable and efficient city. Preferably, the first Savings Challenge would impact the 2026 Budget. A similar initiative was launched by Mayor Mel Lastman in the legacy city of North York whose challenge to staff yielded real savings and a spirit of partnership in City-building. This renewed effort reflects that same spirit of collaboration and pragmatism - and will help ensure that Toronto can invest in what matters most.

Reason for Urgency: To allow for development and implementation in order achieve savings as part of the 2026 Budget process.