Is Toronto's police budget getting a cut or a boost? The answer depends on who you ask

Toronto's new mayor appears headed for a budget showdown with the city's police service as she grapples with a massive deficit and pressure to address emergency call response times.

You've probably heard the debate over Toronto's police budget — and who you've heard about it from makes a big difference. 

Here's the core of the debate: 

The Toronto Police Service wants $20 million added to their nearly $1.2-billion budget for this year. City staff – to be clear, civil servants and not elected councillors – say they should get $7.4 million.

Police Chief Myron Demkiw says that $12.6 million difference is a cut. Mayor Olivia Chow says it's not.

"Let me set the record straight," she told reporters this week. "The Toronto Police are receiving millions of dollars more in their budget. There's no cuts."

Chow will have to decide if she will endorse the staff proposal in her draft budget on Thursday. Then city council will vote on the spending package.

Toronto's police budget is a perennial hot-button issue at city hall. Last year, former mayor John Tory supported a controversial $48-million budget hike for Toronto police. Tory and his allies then voted down a motion from Davenport Coun. Alejandra Bravo to reallocate nearly $900 million from the police budget to shelter services.

This year, the debate has already taken on a different tone. 

For now, the new mayor appears to be holding firm while the police service and the Toronto Police Association (TPA) have launched campaigns to fight the move. 

On Friday, the budget committee endorsed the staff recommendation, but some city councillors signaled they want to award the full request to the police.

"I think you're going to see a lot of councillors wanting to make that change at council," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said.

Both Demkiw and the TPA have said the proposed level of funding puts the public at risk. 

"Any reduction to our modest, below the rate of inflation, ask of 1.7 per cent will present an unacceptable risk to our ability to provide the adequate and effective police services that are required by legislation," the chief told the budget committee.