A single tent remained near Toronto's City Hall Thursday night as protesters ended a two-day occupation on the provincially owned land.

The protesters were ordered off the site earlier in the day after receiving an eviction notice from the province.

The protesters, who had camped outside a courthouse for the past two nights, began leaving around 5 p.m.

The activists set up camp to oppose cuts included in the city's 2012 operating budget.

The protest is reminiscent of a smaller version of the Occupy Toronto rally that overtook a city park for weeks this fall, and Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday said the purpose was no clearer to him this time around.

Earlier in the day, Holyday said questions linger around the values of those who opposed the Rob Ford administration.

"I don't know what it is this time. There seems there is an awful lot of protesting going on about the Ford administration," Holyday told CTV News Channel on Thursday. "It is organized, I believe, by special interest groups and unions, and I guess they have a point to make. It is a free country, so we will just have to hear them out."

Holyday has similar questions about members of city council, which approved on Tuesday an operating budget with fewer service cuts than originally recommended.

The budget originally featured some $350 million in savings in service cutbacks, spending adjustments and a property tax increase.

A motion backed by council's left and centrist councillors softened the cuts, returning $15 million to city services in line for cuts, including daycares, libraries and the transit system.

Holyday said the changes to the budget went against recommendations from city staff, who earmarked the services as a poor use of money.

One example was three daycares that were spared from closure, which cater to 44 children at an annual cost of $1.6 million. Holyday said those children could have been moved to other centres.

"There was no loss of service, there was just a savings of $1.6 million to shut those ones down, and that is what should have happened," he said.

"A lot of the things that councillors put back in the other day are things that are not very good use of tax dollars."

A protest turned ugly at City Hall after the budget passed Tuesday when up to 1,000 people stood at the entrance around 6:30 to protest spending cuts.

Four men in their 20s were arrested and charged with obstructing a peace officer, unlawful assembly and mischief by interfering with property after clashing with police.