Toronto’s Mayor has confirmed a move, which he says will keep the city safe, while staying on track to reduce the Toronto Police budget by $100-million.

John Tory told reporters the Toronto Police Service can now lift a hiring freeze, for three reasons.

“First of all, the number of police officers departing the police service, retirement mainly, this year is running ahead of the planned schedule, so it does leave us short of people,” Tory explained, “Secondly, in return for that there have been discussions that will see the Police Association become much more actively involved in partners in modernizing the Police Service, and thirdly, it can be done without impacting the measures we’re taking to constrain the police budget and the kind of growth we’ve seen in years gone by.”

According to the Toronto Police Association, which represents more than 8000 members, some 300 staff members, including 191 uniformed officers have resigned, retired or moved to other forces this year.

A policing task force report aimed at cutting costs and modernizing Canada’s largest municipal force has recommended no new uniform officers be hired over three years.

There is also a plan to ensure highly trained and expensive frontline officers are responding to emergencies, and not nabbing drivers for making illegal left turns for instance.