Year: 1939
Summary: The Bureau notes that the cost of direct unemployment payments will challenge the city's budget through 1950 - and argues that it must be restructured and the responsibilities distributed more equitably between the three levels of government.
Year: 1937
Summary: Outlines the cost of police services, including the loss to society from the presence of crime, and the stagnant per capita spending on police services vs the rise in the spending on all other services.
Summary: Queries as to the wisdom of converting the Exhibition grounds into a horse-race track. Suggests that affecting economies in city services could be of greater benefit to city revenue.
Summary: Suggests that technological developments - such as the use of wireless radio - can enable increasing the efficiency of police work without increasing numbers. Provides figures for the strength and distrubution of Toronto's police force, as well as some numbers on crime.
Year: 1934
Summary: Outlines what expenses on unemployment are and who should be addressing the issue. Argues that municipalities are not equipped to deal with the relief of unemployment - but that chronic relief, like public health, is a municipal issue.
Summary: Outlines the costs of welfare relief and raises the question of whether or not welfare relief should be continued after the depression ends. The advantages and disadvantages of several different relief systems are discussed.
Year: 1931
Summary: Provides a summary of annual reports of the Toronto Hydro-Electric System, Toronto Transportation Commission, and Toronto Harbour Commission.
Year: 1928
Summary: Outlines the 1928 Police estimates. Notes upcoming police expenditure decisions, and weighs this against the possibility of improving services.
Summary: Gives an overview of police services in several Canadian cities. This information is meant to assist City Council and the Board of Control in their consideration of the upcoming Police Estimates. Notes how police expenditures in Toronto have increased relative to population and general taxation.
Summary: Gives an overview of police services in several US cities. This information is meant to assist City Council and the Board of Control in their consideration of the upcoming Police Estimates. Notes the need to consider more information than just city population, city area, and current size of the city police force when making decisions on police budgets.
Summary: Gives an overview of police services in three British cities. This information is meant to assist City Council and the Board of Control in their consideration of the upcoming Police Estimates.
Year: 1927
Summary: The Bureau argues that the police budget must be made more transparent and the needs of the Police more openly discussed in order to increase the efficiency of the force and public safety.
Year: 1924
Summary: In this publication, the Bureau objects to the city's plan to enter the business of gasoline, milk and coal selling, claiming that the city has not proven to efficiently and competitively supply goods and the cost of expanding the city's activities.
Year: 1921
Summary: Statistics on five years (1917-1921) of parks department expenditures in Toronto. Also includes a chart comparing availability of parks and playgrounds vs. per capita expenditure in other North American cities (e.g. Montreal, Buffalo, Detroit).
Summary: Co-ordination between the Public Health and Public Welfare Departments could be achieved by appointing members to a joint committee on Public Welfare.
Year: 1920
Summary: Details of modern athletic structures/stadiums in North American cities (e.g. Cambridge, Philadelphia, New York), and discussion of logistics of building a municipal stadium in Toronto.
Year: 1919
Summary: Summary of the organization, powers, activities, expenditures, and revenue of the Toronto Police Department. Includes a description of the administration of justice.
Summary: Summary of the organization, function, activities, revenue and expenditures of the Toronto Parks Department.
Summary: Discussion of need for centralized fire / fire and police department and previous recommendations for increasing fire safety efficiency. Suggests amalgamation of fire and police department. Details Bureau suggestions made for improvements to the fire department, and which of these suggestions have been implemented.
Year: 1918
Summary: A proposal calling for a federation of community workers into a more streamlined, centralized body to facilitate more efficiency in philanthropy and the development of a professionalized body of community service workers.
Year: 1916
Summary: Outlines expenditure on various municipal services; encouraging voter turnout based on citizens' stakes in key areas.
Year: 1915
Summary: Encourages citizens to vote to determine how their tax dollars are spent. Charts city services vs. cost per family in dollars and days of work.
Summary: Lists essential qualifications for the head of a Fire Department, based on merit and administrative skills.
Year: 1914
Summary: A self-recreative fund should be implemented to contend with the issue of unemployment. Certain private institutions are creating work in the community, and their endeavors should be supported.
Summary: Argues that the city tax rate is not easily reduced, but the fire loss tax rate is. Citizens pay the price for fire damage.
Summary: Presents a potential Fire Insurance Policy for the citizens of Toronto.
Summary: Creation of a permanent Rotary Relief Fund for Unemployment would provide a self-recreating fund for citizens, and make possible projects employing a large number of workers.
Summary: Presents a tentative scheme for central control of labor supply, unemployment, and immigration, with suggestions for: administration, legislation, fees and costs, methods and procedures, and interdepartmental co-operation.
Summary: Private citizens and government must both do their part to to strengthen Canada's economy and prevent unemployment.
Summary: Sample abstracts from articles in the Toronto Press about the Woodbine Hotel fire, and lack of fire safety in the city.