2023 Toronto Mayoral by-election

[John_Dee]

I'm just wondering why people haven't started referring to Brad Bradford as "Brad Brad."

You know, like John John. Or Bam Bam. (Or Dum Dum.)

 

[EBT]

Your FB friend’s frustration aide, has June 2023 mayoral candidate Chow made a campaign promise to close the airport? When I Google such I find news from back in 2015 that Chow wanted to limit expansion of the airport for jets. I‘m a big fan of flying from Billy Bishop, but I think the omission of jets is reasonable.

At this point I’m assuming the winner will be Chow. In the latest poll, Chow’s got a ~35% lead over everyone else, nearly as much as the next three candidates Bailao, Saunders and Furey combined. Unless Chow does something dumb she’s got this locked. And with the power of incumbency she’ll be our mayor until she no longer wants it - unless she does a Tory and plucks a youngster from the staff room.

This is a good question that I tried to find an answer to also. I cannot find online where Chow had pledged to shut-down Billy Bishop airport. When I did a search online I, like you, only found her opposition to expansion of the airport and the introduction of "jets" from back in 2015. Not a good position to hold IMO but a far cry from wanting to shut-down the airport.

From what I have read in response to your post, Chow made the comment at a recent press conference. It would be good to know when and where she said this. Video of this press conference must exist. If indeed she said that she wanted to shut down Billy Bishop this could be a major wedge-issue for some of the better candidates to use.

A lot of people who oppose expansion of the airport and introduction of "jets" (like you) are nevertheless happy with the airport as it exists today and enjoy the incredible convenience (if you live downtown) of being able to fly out of the Island instead of making the long and expensive trek to Pearson. Learning that Olivia Chow wants to shut down the airport (if true) could "tank" her campaign.

 

[Admiral Beez]

. Learning that Olivia Chow wants to shut down the airport (if true) could "tank" her campaign.

I don’t think as mayor Chow would have the power to close down the airport - not without cooperation of the Premier.

 

[toaster29]

This is a good question that I tried to find an answer to also. I cannot find online where Chow had pledged to shut-down Billy Bishop airport. When I did a search online I, like you, only found her opposition to expansion of the airport and the introduction of "jets" from back in 2015. Not a good position to hold IMO but a far cry from wanting to shut-down the airport.

From what I have read in response to your post, Chow made the comment at a recent press conference. It would be good to know when and where she said this. Video of this press conference must exist. If indeed she said that she wanted to shut down Billy Bishop this could be a major wedge-issue for some of the better candidates to use.

A lot of people who oppose expansion of the airport and introduction of "jets" (like you) are nevertheless happy with the airport as it exists today and enjoy the incredible convenience (if you live downtown) of being able to fly out of the Island instead of making the long and expensive trek to Pearson. Learning that Olivia Chow wants to shut down the airport (if true) could "tank" her campaign.

My guess is this never happened. Otherwise it would be all over the media I would think?

 

[Northern Light]

I don’t think as mayor Chow would have the power to close down the airport - not without cooperation of the Premier.

Toronto has a tri-partate agreement with the province and the feds that allows the airport to operate on City land.

That lease expires in 2033.

The airport is clear to operate until then.

Obviously the province can legislate anything it wants, and the federal government has sweeping powers to over-ride a city (or province) as well; though they generally don't use them.

The only position for the City to take is 'we will negotiate to renew the lease' or 'we will not'.

No one running for Mayor today is likely to be mayor in 2033; however, decisions will have to be taken sooner rather than later.

But again, let's not debate the virtues or lack thereof of Billy Bishop in this thread, we have a dedicated thread for that; its only place in this thread ought to be is this an issue on which the campaign will turn; thus far, that seems quite unlikely, but there are ~ 4 weeks to go.

 

[PinkLucy]

My guess is this never happened. Otherwise it would be all over the media I would think?

I think it was a one off comment. It’s not a hot topic these days so not worth pursuing. I didn’t see the whole clip myself, but I did see Bailao’s response.

 

[Fresco]

It would be nice if one of the candidates had a decent plan on how to fix this

Toronto has a $1-billion budget hole. Most mayoral candidates haven’t explained how they’ll fill it

Four of the top six candidates are counting on money from higher levels of government. Only two have committed to raising property taxes.

www.thestar.com

 

[Rufus8]

Chow may have said something like that in the past, remember there was a lot of contention about the airport, she would not do it now tho. That's what gets me about Chow, she is a puppet, decision-by-committee. I wish I could see what others see in Chow, reminds me so much of Donald Trump - decent, normal people said "he's a truth teller"!

 

[Northern Light]

Chow may have said something like that in the past, remember there was a lot of contention about the airport, she would not do it now tho.

This does not comport w/the posts above.

That's what gets me about Chow, she is a puppet, decision-by-committee.

I'm not a Chow partisan by any means; I prefer Matlow; his grandstanding notwithstanding...... but where do you get this idea about Chow from?

I wish I could see what others see in Chow, reminds me so much of Donald Trump - decent, normal people said "he's a truth teller"!

Hold on now, Chow is like Trump? Really?

 

[goreckm]

What bothers me is if Chow wins this race, it was not based on a singular, popular issue or campaign promise or a series of issues; she will become mayor of one of the biggest cities in North America based on her name and how much she tells everyone she loves her city. Her campaign overall has been nothing special or inspiring. It’s just sort of… there.

my gut feeling tells me she’ll be in office until 2030 but her time as mayor will go from high popularity to problematic to residents begging for a change in leadership.

These two quotes are contradictory. Name recognition is everything in city elections, absent something really outrageous, which, I don't see happening to Chow, or someone with even better name recognition running. This is not an election for one term for mayor. This is an election for a one decade mayor. While I'm OK with Chow, I would much prefer Matlow, since he does seem to be somewhat interested in the minutiae of running the city.

 

[SJD_Toronto]

These two quotes are contradictory. Name recognition is everything in city elections, absent something really outrageous, which, I don't see happening to Chow, or someone with even better name recognition running. This is not an election for one term for mayor. This is an election for a one decade mayor. While I'm OK with Chow, I would much prefer Matlow, since he does seem to be somewhat interested in the minutiae of running the city.

Rob Ford ran on stopping the gravy train, John Tory pushed SmartTrack. Olivia Chow hasn’t presented anything of real substance or catchy. If she wins, she is winning based on name recognition in a by-election where most people don’t want to pay attention to. “I’m Olivia Chow and I love Toronto” is all I have really heard from her. Name recognition is very important in an election like this but it’s not everything. If name recognition was everything, Olivia Chow should have been elected in 2014. That said, with what looks to be a very low turnout for the election and without another contender to capture the attention away from Chow, it seems Chow will walk into this vital role because she is Olivia Chow, not because she presented something that rang true with voters.

Given Chow’s political leaning, if she gets a lot of left leaning politics passed through council, I firmly believe there will be negative results down the road. I think people will grow tired of it all. I do think she could win another term in 2026 with the power of the incumbency, however, unless she proves to be a truly effective leader that produces results that will please Toronto residents across the board, I seriously doubt she would still be the mayor past 2030. By then, I think the city will be asking for change, much like how we went from David Miller to Rob Ford and then found the safe, middle road with John Tory. Maybe I will be wrong, and maybe Chow will prove to be the best mayor the city ever had. I will eat crow if that happens... but I don't see things working out wonderfully if she is mayor for a long time. Like I said, I see a mayoral career with Olivia Chow going from high popularity to problematic to disastrous.

As for Josh Matlow, I personally think he would be a disaster for the city and given his reputation as being stuck up and difficult to work with, I don’t see a majority of city council members working well with him at all. I want to believe in a mayor who will try to work with everyone, not a small few group. Sometimes you can be a great political leader in a single ward you represent but that doesn’t mean you would be a great leader for an entire city. That’s how I felt about Rob Ford (who I think was not overly effective as mayor) and that’s how I feel about Olivia Chow, Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford now. The only two serious contenders I see representing the city as a whole are Ana Bailao and Mitzie Hunter.

 

[SashaLemon]

Rob Ford ran on stopping the gravity train, John Tory pushed SmartTrack. Olivia Chow hasn’t presented anything of real substance or catchy. If she wins, she is winning based on name recognition in a by-election where most people don’t want to pay attention to. “I’m Olivia Chow and I love Toronto” is all I have really heard from her. Name recognition is very important in an election like this but it’s not everything. If name recognition was everything, Olivia Chow should have been elected in 2014. That said, with what looks to be a very low turnout for the election and without another contender to capture the attention away from Chow, it seems Chow will walk into this vital role because she is Olivia Chow, not because she presented something that rang true with voters.

Given Chow’s political leaning, if she gets a lot of left leaning politics passed through council, I firmly believe there will be negative results down the road. I think people will grow tired of it all. I do think she could win another term in 2026 with the power of the incumbency, however, unless she proves to be a truly effective leader that produces results that will please Toronto residents across the board, I seriously doubt she would still be the mayor past 2030. By then, I think the city will be asking for change, much like how we went from David Miller to Rob Ford and then found the safe, middle road with John Tory. Maybe I will be wrong, and maybe Chow will prove to be the best mayor the city ever had. I will eat crow if that happens... but I don't see things working out wonderfully if she is mayor for a long time. Like I said, I see a mayoral career with Olivia Chow going from high popularity to problematic to disastrous.

As for Josh Matlow, I personally think he would be a disaster for the city and given his reputation as being stuck up and difficult to work with, I don’t see a majority of city council members working well with him at all. I want to believe in a mayor who will try to work with everyone, not a small few group. Sometimes you can be a great political leader in a single ward you represent but that doesn’t mean you would be a great leader for an entire city. That’s how I felt about Rob Ford (who I think was not overly effective as mayor) and that’s how I feel about Olivia Chow, Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford now. The only two serious contenders I see representing the city as a whole are Ana Bailao and Mitzie Hunter.

Yes because "safe, middle road" has done Toronto so much good over the years...

 

[SJD_Toronto]

Yes because "safe, middle road" has done Toronto so much good over the years...

And if we go more in the direction of cities like Vancouver and San Francisco, do you think we'll improve?

 

[Northern Light]

Rob Ford ran on stopping the gravity train, John Tory pushed SmartTrack. Olivia Chow hasn’t presented anything of real substance or catchy.

Now that's funny.(bold)

If she wins, she is winning based on name recognition in a by-election where most people don’t want to pay attention to. “I’m Olivia Chow and I love Toronto” is all I have really heard from her. Name recognition is very important in an election like this but it’s not everything. If name recognition was everything, Olivia Chow should have been elected in 2014. That said, with what looks to be a very low turnout for the election and without another contender to capture the attention away from Chow, it seems Chow will walk into this vital role because she is Olivia Chow, not because she presented something that rang true with voters.

There is nothing substantive about running against the 'gravy train'; Rob didn't improve efficiency at City Hall by one iota, nor did he have a plan to do so.

Smart Track was patently absurd, back-of-the-napkin nonsense from everyone's favourite self-promoting would-be transportation expert It was utter nonsense, and anyone who paid attention saw through it. Tory was not elected on it. He was elected on not being a Ford.

Given Chow’s political leaning, if she gets a lot of left leaning politics passed through council, I firmly believe there will be negative results down the road. I think people will grow tired of it all.

What a bizarre assertion for which you have provided no evidence. What 'left leaning stuff' would be so bad? What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine w/you disagreeing with something Chow stands for or is committed to, but please spell it out, rather than waving your hand dramatically about and yelling but she's no good without saying why.

By then, I think the city will be asking for change, much like how we went from David Miller to Rob Ford and then found the safe, middle road with John Tory.

John Tory did not govern as a centrist, he penny-pinched all the way, cutting City services to the bone, starving them of resources and left the City worse than when he was elected. He didn't even govern as 'progressive, conservative', but rather as an arch one.

Its only that his rhetoric was moderate, his substance was not.

As for Josh Matlow, I personally think he would be a disaster for the city and given his reputation as being stuck up and difficult to work with, I don’t see a majority of city council members working well with him at all.

Josh might be an issue in respect of his ability to play well w/others; but he's by far the best policy wonk of the leading candidates.

I want to believe in a mayor who will try to work with everyone, not a small few group.

The last mayor to meet that criteria was Miller; Tory has kept a very tight circle and almost entirely excluded the left from power. He made nice w/Cressy for a bit; but that's about it.

 

[SashaLemon]

And if we go more in the direction of cities like Vancouver and San Francisco, do you think we'll improve?

If we go in the direction of "continue to restrict density and transit in favor of suburbia and the car, resulting in record high housing prices" then we will never improve.

That's why those cities have problems... or did you think it was liberals?