Deliberations are still underway at City Hall, where councillors have proposed more than $600 million worth of changes to the operating and capital budget.
Andrew Knack and Tim Cartmell are the two councillors that have asked for the most money in the capital budget, mainly due to the cost of the $293-million Lewis Farms Rec Centre and the $112-million Terwillegar Drive upgrades, respectively.
In an attempt to receive more funding, Knack suggested more than $80 million in cuts—including to the police budget.
“I didn’t feel it would be responsible of me to put that forward and then not also look through the budget for areas that maybe we could find reductions,” Knack said.
Ward 11 Councillor Mike Nickel, who is near the bottom of the list, said all councillors “are hurting” and that the situation “is bad.”
“It’s fine for people to put those asks on the table,” Nickel said. “They think they’re doing right by their ward, but that doesn’t mean a person like me is going to vote for that.”
Councillors will likely continue their budget debates into next week.
With files from Jeremy Thompson
