The 2013 Toronto budget includes cuts to many Toronto services that numerous social and advocacy groups think are inappropriate.

Last Thursday, when Rabindranath Maharaj won the 37th annual Toronto Book Award, he said he felt great. He admitted it was later, though, that the positive effects really sank in. “My greatest pleasure was two days afterwards when I opened my laptop and I began to write,” Maharaj said.

Arts organizations in Scarborough and across Toronto are breathing a little easier. At least for now. On Sept. 19, funding for the arts in Toronto got a reprieve as city council continued to look for ways to balance its budget. The decision on arts funding has been deferred to a later date.