TORONTO — Leading Toronto mayoral candidates piled on front-runner Olivia Chow at a debate Thursday, accusing her of not being transparent about her plans for the city, on everything from taxes to the police budget.
The debate, hosted by news channel CP24, saw candidates from across the political spectrum take shots — at times jointly — at Chow, a former NDP parliamentarian who holds a commanding lead in the polls as the race to lead Canada's most populous city enters its final stretch.
One of her most forceful critics was ex-police chief Mark Saunders, who recently urged others to drop out to help him "stop Olivia Chow." No one has heeded his call yet, with the vote set for June 26.
Chow's rivals have pushed her to be specific about her plans to raise property taxes. The former city councillor has so far rebuffed calls to provide numbers, asserting that building a budget requires first identifying the city's needs.
"I will start with people — a people-centred approach to budgeting; look at what services are needed then have other levels of government join us; find the taxes, especially people that are buying very expensive homes, they can pay a bit more," she said. "Then, after that, a modest tax increase."
Former deputy mayor Ana Bailão, an ally of ex-mayor John Tory who resigned in February after admitting to an affair with a staffer, charged that Chow's plan was to "keep hiking taxes" and "not even telling you by how much."
"She thinks that's how we budget. I find that entitled and out of touch."
Chow is a long-standing figure in progressive politics who has positioned herself as a champion of renters, and vowed to protect those facing so-called "renovictions," a controversial practice that sees landlords evict tenants on the pretence of upgrading units, only to massively hike rents when new tenants move in.
“When we invest in the city, we make life more affordable and more accessible and more livable," said Chow, who insisted her decade on council's budget committee had equipped her to address Toronto's massive pandemic-related budget shortfall.
Former Liberal provincial education minister Mitzie Hunter has sought to draw a contrast between what she calls Chow's lack of transparency and what she bills as her fully costed platform.
"Olivia, there's huge concern right now, because you have not told people what it's going to cost," Hunter said of Chow's housing proposals.
Thursday marked the first high-profile debate for journalist Anthony Furey, who was not invited to several previous debates but has gained ground in several recent polls.
Furey took aim at Chow over her approach to encampments in city parks.
Furey said encampments are "causing lawlessness and disorder," pledged to clear them, and put "families first and children first." He also promised to phase out safe-injection sites and replace them with treatment centres.
Chow countered that moving people from parks will only shuffle them to other services like subways or libraries. She promised comprehensive support for those experiencing homelessness.
At times, the debate devolved into a shouting contest that moderators struggled to control.
But before the night was over, Bailão went after the front-runner again — with support from Saunders, Bradford and Hunter — over Chow's plans for Toronto's more than $1 billion police budget.
“We haven’t heard from Olivia Chow what’s she going to do with the budget of the police. Is she going to freeze the budget of the police, is she going to cut the budget of the police?” Bailão asked. Saunders added: "She'll defund."
Chow rejected the "defund" charge but said she would redirect some police resources toward mental health support, arguing that would reduce 911 call wait times given the high volume of mental distress calls.
City councillor Josh Matlow, another progressive, largely refrained from attacking Chow, emphasizing his own plans to boost services, build affordable housing and reverse transit cuts.
He also took aim at Saunders, seeking to paint him as the favoured choice of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a controversial figure for many Torontonians.
Matlow also pushed Saunders to say what he planned to cut. Saunders vowed to be a fiscally responsible mayor.
The latest poll from Liaison Strategies shows Matlow and Saunders tied for second place at 14 per cent, with Chow in the lead at 26 per cent support.
A record 102 candidates have registered for the June 26 byelection.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2023.
Tyler Griffin, The Canadian Press
