Was Olivia Chow's paid shovelling idea a city hall snow job?
· Toronto Sun
Was it a late, great idea or was Mayor Olivia Chow hoping her political rivals would be snowed in?
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When Chow’s executive committee meets on Tuesday, it will consider winter wonderland ideas like paid snow shovelling and outdoor pro hockey – a bit of a departure for a powerful group that sets the agenda for politics at city hall.
Chow is calling for a new approach to the city’s sidewalk garbage contract and proposing that city hall pay Torontonians to shovel snow. Both of those ideas are being initiated in letters signed by Chow and were first announced via the news media rather than being quietly posted to the online agenda for the meeting, as is typical.
Shirven Rezvany, a representative for Chow’s office, told the Toronto Sun in an email that there hasn’t been a “change in strategy” in terms of the mayor’s communications.
The snow clearing proposal missed the submission deadline, Rezvany wrote, and was sent to Toronto’s “media gallery” – a group that apparently does not include the Sun . (The sidewalk garbage proposal , which would see the typically overstuffed bins cut out of the city’s street furniture contract, was touted as an exclusive in the Star .)
‘Shiny objects’ to distract electorate?
What can’t be denied was the ideas won Chow some headlines on a week when her political rivals were looking to establish narratives of their own.
The snow-shovelling letter is dated March 3 – the same day former mayor John Tory announced he will not be seeking Chow’s office in October’s municipal election.
That news is widely seen as favourable to Councillor Brad Bradford, who earlier announced his intention to run. The morning after Tory bowed out, Bradford held a downtown news conference that journalists were only told about that day.
In a statement to the Sun , Bradford suggested that if Chow thinks gimmicks will impress voters, she should think again.
“Mayor Chow can try putting shiny objects on the agenda to distract Torontonians, but people won’t forget that she has raised taxes by 25% without services getting better – or that she’s drained the city’s reserves this year for her re-election campaign in the fall,” Bradford said.
Shovelling program ridiculed in New York
The idea behind Chow’s letter fits with her new all-hands-on-deck approach to snow clearing and it’s not entirely novel. In her letter, the mayor said the city can “engage our counterparts in New York City on their recent success with a paid relief snow-shovelling program.”
But it’s worth noting that while New York got attention for paid shovelling, it has also drawn ridicule. In February, a report in the New York Post derided the “snowcialism” program for requiring five forms of identification to clear sidewalks.
This month’s executive committee was always going to draw extra attention, as it’s the first one since Dec. 9. Chow and Toronto’s councillors are only now getting back into the regular rhythm of municipal politics following the holidays and the long process of creating the city’s budget for 2026.
But the backlog includes some ideas that don’t need the powers of the mayor’s powerful executive committee. For example, Chow and her allies will hear the case for encouraging the NHL to hold an outdoor game.
Rezvany conceded the hockey proposal, brought forth by Deputy Mayor Paul Ainslie, would have been a good fit for what’s known as a member’s motion. Those motions are heard by city council and are generally treated as less pressing matters than the proposals that come from city hall’s committees.
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In his letter to the executive committee, Ainslie imagines a game at the Rogers Centre, the roof off to reveal “a magnificent view of the CN Tower and Toronto’s city skyline,” potentially held in 2027 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise.
But it’s unclear if the hockey world wants or needs council’s endorsement or for the city’s economic development boss to “engage” with those decision-makers, as Ainslie is requesting. The Leafs’ parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, did not respond to a request for a comment.
Chow will also use the meeting as a chance to crow about an award garnered for one of her signature policies, the city’s school food program. Bloomberg Philanthropies recently donated $1.4 million to city hall, one of 24 winners across the globe.
“The Bloomberg Prize comes on the heels of my 2026 budget , which made critical investments to reduce the cost of living, including a $7-million boost to expand school food programs to an additional 155 schools and 62,000 students this year,” Chow wrote in another letter to the executive committee.
“The prize is an investment in our vision and it comes with two years of expert support and dedicated funding for staff to help bring this vision to life.”