Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

[Northern Light]

In year one, Chow gave us a 9.5% property tax increase. In year two, 6.9% increase. The CBC suggests the upcoming Feb 2026 budget will see lower increases, so, perhaps 5-6%?

I'm expecting less, but we shall see.

If that’s the case, we’ll see Mayor Chow increase property taxes by over 20% during her “first” term.

I think we really need to be fair here, to any mayor, the way the property tax system works there are no automatic increases for inflation.

So inflation runs 3% per year, for argument's sake, its around 9.5% after 3 years.

So the structural increase is really more like 10.5%

It can be argued that previous mayors starved the city, but we still need to ask, are we noticeably better off for Chow’s increases?

As noted by @evandyk above.........

Services have improved, and more is to be expected.

This past summer, Libraries that traditionally closed on Sundays in July and August stayed open.

And

Outdoor pools added 2 hours per day to their base open hours.

This fall, we saw Library add Sunday service to every branch in the City and expand those hours from 1:30pm-5pm to 12:00pm-5pm.

Next year there will be a further modest increase in service ensuring every library in the City is open 7 days per week.

The TTC just added a fair bit of service on Line 2 in October

A lot of changes/increases are coming mid November, including significant increases in service for Line 1, and for two streetcar routes that will be committed to running every 6m service 7am-7pm, 7 days per week.

I am hopeful we will see Fare Capping at 40 rides for TTC in the upcoming budget as well.

If she wins a second term, I think we can assume an additional 20% increase over a full four year term.

If inflation runs 3% per year, then 13% is basically holding steady.

I think a structural increase of 7% more is unlikely in term 2, more like 4%.

The LTT is currently in the toilet, I expect that will come back a bit, and there will likely be another revenue source in there somewhere.

 

[dowlingm]

Coming through St Clair Station from Line 1 NB to the bus platform, there were 6-8 people in purple t-shirts and an Olivia Chow purple sign by the Pleasant Boulevard turnstiles positioned to intercept the flow of riders, handing out leaflets and asking people if they wanted to meet her - I guess she was coming through shortly after. I needed to get home but didn’t linger, and had seen a similar setup at King a few weeks previously.

I found both situations disquieting and seeming to be personal campaigning on TTC property rather than conducting a city event (whether or not an election campaign was pending). If some of those who would like to replace her had wanted to hold a similar event, it would surely have been refused.

 

[adys123]

Coming through St Clair Station from Line 1 NB to the bus platform, there were 6-8 people in purple t-shirts and an Olivia Chow purple sign by the Pleasant Boulevard turnstiles positioned to intercept the flow of riders, handing out leaflets and asking people if they wanted to meet her - I guess she was coming through shortly after. I needed to get home but didn’t linger, and had seen a similar setup at King a few weeks previously.

I found both situations disquieting and seeming to be personal campaigning on TTC property rather than conducting a city event (whether or not an election campaign was pending). If some of those who would like to replace her had wanted to hold a similar event, it would surely have been refused.

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment here, as it seems like the Mayor is trying to engage with her constituents.

 

[christiesplits]

Coming through St Clair Station from Line 1 NB to the bus platform, there were 6-8 people in purple t-shirts and an Olivia Chow purple sign by the Pleasant Boulevard turnstiles positioned to intercept the flow of riders, handing out leaflets and asking people if they wanted to meet her - I guess she was coming through shortly after. I needed to get home but didn’t linger, and had seen a similar setup at King a few weeks previously.

I found both situations disquieting and seeming to be personal campaigning on TTC property rather than conducting a city event (whether or not an election campaign was pending). If some of those who would like to replace her had wanted to hold a similar event, it would surely have been refused.

TTC forbids election campaigning on their property, but there is nothing stopping a mayor from using TTC property to host a constituency or outreach event. Note that the mayor and councillors are allowed to use their campaign colours while in office, as long as it isn't used for electioneering (e.g. "Vote Olivia,") and strictly used for constituency or outreach. I'm assuming the purple sign said "Olivia Chow" or "Mayor Chow," and not "Elect Mayor Chow."

I see no issue with Chow meeting with TTC commuters. It's a good way to connect with residents who otherwise wouldn't have a one-on-one chat with the mayor.

 

[Mihairokov]

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment here, as it seems like the Mayor is trying to engage with her constituents.

Funny that her staff would ask if people want to meet the mayor when anecdotally just going to any city event grants you an easy chance to meet her. I've met Chow half-a-dozen times inadvertently just by being out on the town. Incredibly accessible compared to her predecessors.

 

[DSCToronto]

Funny that her staff would ask if people want to meet the mayor when anecdotally just going to any city event grants you an easy chance to meet her. I've met Chow half-a-dozen times inadvertently just by being out on the town. Incredibly accessible compared to her predecessors.

Maybe I used to get out more but I frequently ran into David Miller and have run into Olivia occasionally. Never saw Tory and passed Rob Ford while on the street once but did not try to get involved - though I got a fridge magnet!!

 

[Richard White]

Maybe I used to get out more but I frequently ran into David Miller and have run into Olivia occasionally. Never saw Tory and passed Rob Ford while on the street once but did not try to get involved - though I got a fridge magnet!!

In or around 2001 I saw David Miller hop on the 86 Scarborough asking everyone to do a survey about TTC service.

Say what you will but he was a great mayor.

 

[dowlingm]

Note that the mayor and councillors are allowed to use their campaign colours while in office, as long as it isn't used for electioneering (e.g. "Vote Olivia,") and strictly used for constituency or outreach. I'm assuming the purple sign said "Olivia Chow" or "Mayor Chow," and not "Elect Mayor Chow."

It said "Olivia Chow", yes. So within the letter.

However, given how John Tory campaigned with Brad Bradford within Main Station during an actual election campaign, I don't think we can always assume that everyone gets the memo on these things, or cares.

 

[Towered]

Maybe I used to get out more but I frequently ran into David Miller and have run into Olivia occasionally. Never saw Tory and passed Rob Ford while on the street once but did not try to get involved - though I got a fridge magnet!!

I saw John Tory a couple of times on the subway platform at St. George waiting for a train to go to city hall.

 

[Richard White]

I saw John Tory a couple of times on the subway platform at St. George waiting for a train to go to city hall.

I can top that.

I met him in his Condo doing repairs.

 

[Full Metal Junkie]

passed Rob Ford while on the street once but did not try to get involved

Let me guess: back alley, hiding behind dumpster, clutching a crack pipe?

 

[christiesplits]

Let me guess: back alley, hiding behind dumpster, clutching a crack pipe?

He wasn't smoking crack, but I did see then-Councillor Doug Ford smoking darts by a City Hall fire exit in 2011.

 

[picard102]

Zionists are calling Chow to resign for daring to acknowledge the genocide happening in Palestine.

'Genocide in Gaza': Jewish groups call for Olivia Chow to apologize, resign for anti-Israel remarks

unpublished.ca

Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith’s director of research and advocacy, called for Chow to retract her words and apologize and said the group is “exploring every option available to us to ensure that she is held accountable.”

Meanwhile in my neighborhood someone wearing a shirt with the logo of the Israeli terrorist organization Kach tried to throw acid on protestors.

Toronto woman charged after allegedly producing bottle with 'suspected hazardous chemical' during demonstration

Toronto police officers didn't release much information, but said the incident happened during a demonstration Sunday afternoon.

toronto.citynews.ca

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[txlseries4]

Zionists are calling Chow to resign for daring to acknowledge the genocide happening in Palestine.

'Genocide in Gaza': Jewish groups call for Olivia Chow to apologize, resign for anti-Israel remarks

unpublished.ca

Meanwhile in my neighborhood someone wearing a shirt with the logo of the Israeli terrorist organization Kach tried to throw acid on protestors.

Toronto woman charged after allegedly producing bottle with 'suspected hazardous chemical' during demonstration

Toronto police officers didn't release much information, but said the incident happened during a demonstration Sunday afternoon.

toronto.citynews.ca

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Good lord what a thankless job being Mayor (or councillor) is these days in Toronto. For both the mayor and my local councillor, nearly all social media post for the past year are full of accusations about forgetting about either Gaza or Israel, or some borderline insane opinion completely unrelated to the post. I honestly find it surprising the comments haven’t just been disabled at this point.

 

[gabe]

What a gong show! Maybe some of that police budget money could be used in training?

A police officer forgets to put his car in park so the car rolls and runs over the suspect's legs! Then he jumps in the car and presses gas running over the suspect again along with a fellow police officer!

After the suspect was tased, they were clearly not a threat, there was no need for the cop behind the wheel to jump out, when three other officers were right there.

Toronto police cruiser ‘inadvertently’ rolls onto tasered suspect, officer - Toronto | Globalnews.ca

A video circulating online appears to show an officer pointing a taser at a suspect in a parking lot near a Tim Hortons before firing it, as the suspect falls to the ground.

globalnews.ca