LILLEY: Olivia Chow is running for mayor again, but Toronto can’t afford more of same
· Toronto Sun
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Olivia Chow decided to be honest about her intentions when it comes to her re-election campaign. After weeks, nay months, of going around the city holding campaign-style events in her role as mayor, but while using her purple campaign colouring and branding, she has announced what we already knew.
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Chow is seeking a second term as mayor .
“In three years, we have shown what is possible. We are building a more affordable and safer city,” Chow said.
It’s nice that she thinks she is building a more affordable and safer city, but the numbers tell a different story. Toronto is neither safer nor more affordable under her leadership unless the only thing you do is ride the bus.
Chow has overseen a massive property tax hike
When Chow took over as mayor, it was just after John Tory had passed a massive 7% property tax hike. Chow followed up with tax hikes of 9.5%, 6.9% and then in an election year just 2.2%.
Still, since she came to office, your property taxes are up 20% compared to before she took office and property taxes are up 34% in the last five years. As mayor, Chow has also hiked parking fees and parking fines, boosted the water and solid waste rates by 25%, and increased the municipal land transfer tax.
As she has been hiking your taxes, she’s also been finding ways to increase the amount the city spends to tell you how great their budgets are. She has funnelled hundreds of thousands of dollars into advertising campaigns promoting her budget — not asking for your input, but selling you on how great it is.
Campaigning on the taxpayer dime
That’s part of why Councillor Brad Bradford is right to call out Chow for campaigning on the taxpayer dime. She has literally been using public funds to push her campaign while denying doing it.
“I’m registering today, so that we can begin building the team, building the campaign, but for me personally, my focus is to serve the people of Toronto,” Chow said.
I think she registered on Monday because facing accusations of running a campaign and having taxpayers pay for it wasn’t sitting well. Chow says she’s won’t make campaign-style announcements and in fact says she won’t campaign until the fall.
That’s about as believable as he claim the city is more affordable.
On crime, Toronto is now a city where shootings and open, rampant drug use have been normalized. We don’t flinch when we hear of a shooting in our area of town and we all walk past the drug induced zombies especially in the downtown core.
Some crimes are down slightly from peaks in 2023 or 2024 but still higher than five to 10 years ago. The public does not feel safe in the streets or on public transit as evidenced by the drop in transit ridership last year despite return-to-work orders seeing more people headed into the core.
Bradford is offering an alternative
“There are three things this election is about, Councillor Bradford said on Monday in response to Chow’s announcement.
“Crime, so you feel safe on the subway, on your street, in your park. Congestion, so you get back the hours this city has quietly taxed away from every working family. And cost, so Toronto is a city you can afford to live in, to raise a family in, to grow old in.”
Bradford accused Chow of asking Torontonians to accept less, to be willing to live in a diminished city.
“The mayor has made her peace with less. I have not,” Bradford said.
Let’s hope the residents of Toronto have not made peace with living in a city in decline, which is what Toronto is under Mayor Olivia Chow.