Mayor Olivia Chow's Toronto

[Richard White]

Not sure where to put this but the Daily Bread Foodbank has cut ties to Feed Scarborough based on "financial irregularities"

See here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/daily-bread-food-bank-feed-scarborough-9.7039918

 

[Northern Light]

Not sure where to put this but the Daily Bread Foodbank has cut ties to Feed Scarborough based on "financial irregularities"

See here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/daily-bread-food-bank-feed-scarborough-9.7039918

He was a candidate for Council in Scarborough South West; presumably with this in the air, he will not be running this fall. Could give another Parthi challenger a boost.

 

[txlseries4]

Update on the Housing Accelerator Fund Agreements for Red Deer, Toronto, Vaughan

Updates on the Housing Accelerator Fund agreements.

www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

"Toronto signed a HAF agreement with the federal government in 2023. Toronto has been found to be non-compliant with their HAF agreement. As a result, the City’s HAF funding will be reduced by $10 million as a commitment under the agreement has not been fully met."

Journalist from The Globe and Mail notes part of Chow's response:

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

GFL moves corporate headquarters from Vaughan to Miami, about ‘a dozen’ jobs affected: CEO​

From https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/01/21/gfl-moves-corporate-headquarters-from-vaughan-to-miami/

Green For Life Environmental (GFL), the ubiquitous waste management company that holds numerous local garbage contracts, announced on Wednesday that it is moving its corporate headquarters from Vaughan to Miami, resulting in about “a dozen” job losses, its CEO told CityNews.

In a release the company said the relocation “is intended to broaden GFL’s shareholder base via eligibility for inclusion in major U.S. equity indices” while stressing that it will continue to “grow its existing Canadian footprint and maintain its Canadian jurisdiction of incorporation and TSX listing.”

Patick Dovigi, founder and CEO of GFL, said the company’s jurisdiction of incorporation — essentially its legal home — will remain Ontario.

When asked about job losses, Dovigi told CityNews “about a dozen” employees would be affected.

Dovigi stressed that the move was intended to be a boon to investors in the publicly traded company.

“Consistent with our desire to access a wider global investor base across both passive and active strategies, the relocation of our executive headquarters broadens our eligibility for participation in U.S. equity indices while preserving our eligibility for inclusion in Canadian equity indices,” he wrote in a release.

“We expect this approach to gaining broader index inclusion will increase GFL’s visibility with investors and ultimately drive a wider shareholder base.”

GFL already has a strong foothold south of the border, with Dovigi saying the U.S. currently represents over two thirds of its revenue.

“The relocation aligns with our expanding presence in this attractive market and is expected to improve our ability to attract highly skilled talent from the U.S. labor pool. We will continue to maintain our shared services hubs in both Vaughan, Ontario and Raleigh, North Carolina.”

GLF is one of the largest companies of its kind in North America, with a workforce of more than 15,000 employees.

GLF started collecting the City of Toronto's garbage in 2012, when Rob Ford was Mayor, and Doug Ford was Councillor. See https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-garbage-outsourcing-private-collection-begins-with-delays/article_1d4957dd-08c9-52f3-9924-b33557743dd5.html

 

[allabootmatt]

As someone with a lot of experience in Australia, I found this Marcus Gee piece interesting:

What Toronto can learn about transit, museums and parks from Melbourne
The cities are basically twins, except that the Australian version is much better
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-toronto-melbourne-transit-parks-planning/

I disagree about the museums; AGO and ROM hold up very well to their Melbourne equivalents, in my view. And actual Melburnians are rather less thrilled with the state of their public transit than Gee, visiting as a tourist, seems to be.

That said, it's absolutely true that Australian cities are operating on a more serious level than the Canadian norm, and just generally have their shit together. Being 20% richer per-capita certainly helps, but so does a generally more constructive mindset. There seems to be a lot less complaining and a lot more doing.

 

[picard102]

Update on the Housing Accelerator Fund Agreements for Red Deer, Toronto, Vaughan

Updates on the Housing Accelerator Fund agreements.

www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca

"Toronto signed a HAF agreement with the federal government in 2023. Toronto has been found to be non-compliant with their HAF agreement. As a result, the City’s HAF funding will be reduced by $10 million as a commitment under the agreement has not been fully met."

Journalist from The Globe and Mail notes part of Chow's response:

View attachment 709285

Why does she need them to "opt-in".
Have a vote, if it doesn't pass, use strong mayor powers. Housing is one of the areas she actually could use it in.

 

[DSCToronto]

Why does she need them to "opt-in".
Have a vote, if it doesn't pass, use strong mayor powers. Housing is one of the areas she actually could use it in.

I assume she does not want to use her Strong mayor powers because she (rightly in my opinion) thinks they are undemocratic and wants to 'put down a marker'. In an ideal world I would agree with her but we all know that if Tory re-invents himself and then either he or Bad Badford actually gets elected, they would not hesitate to use them for some Fordian and 'right-wing idea'. If Olivia is trying to make it hard for those who succeed here to use these powers, I fear it is a waste of time.

 

[txlseries4]

I assume she does not want to use her Strong mayor powers because she (rightly in my opinion) thinks they are undemocratic and wants to 'put down a marker'. In an ideal world I would agree with her but we all know that if Tory re-invents himself and then either he or Bad Badford actually gets elected, they would not hesitate to use them for some Fordian and 'right-wing idea'. If Olivia is trying to make it hard for those who succeed here to use these powers, I fear it is a waste of time.

I think she also sees using them as politically dubious, potentially making enemies with a devout NDP base who sees the tool as undemocratic, and giving her opponents ammunition.

 

[picard102]

I mean she already backtracked on two of her key campaign promises, dithered on the Genocide, and was pushing RTO. Not sure what NDP base she has left, who won't vote for her as the least terrible option anyways.

 

[Northern Light]

I mean she already backtracked on two of her key campaign promises,

Which ones?

dithered on the Genocide,

Not her file, she should have nothing to say on international affairs, that's why we have a federal government.

and was pushing RTO.

She had to, there was no reasonable alternative. I told everyone RTO was going to be mandated back in 2022, I wasn't lying and she wasn't mayor yet.

Not sure what NDP base she has left, who won't vote for her as the least terrible option anyways.

Anyone walking away from the Mayor who kept her promise to deliver 7-day as week service to every library, who is delivering fare capping on TTC, who has overseen continued relaxation of zoning requirements, expanded school lunch program and outdoor pool hours is just being completely backwards in their thinking.

If you don't get exactly what you want, turn your back on the best ally you've had in that chair in a generation? So you get Bradford or Tory instead? Surely you jest?

 

[picard102]

Which ones?

Ontario Place and the Gardiner.

Not her file, she should have nothing to say on international affairs, that's why we have a federal government.

Are we pretending that it has had no impact locally?

She had to, there was no reasonable alternative. I told everyone RTO was going to be mandated back in 2022, I wasn't lying and she wasn't mayor yet.

She did not have to, there was no gun to her head.

kept her promise to deliver 7-day as week service to every library, who is delivering fare capping on TTC, who has overseen continued relaxation of zoning requirements, expanded school lunch program and outdoor pool hours is just being completely backwards in their thinking.

All credit to her on doing those. Except for the zoning. But I doubt those initiatives are going to show up in polling as top concerns of voters.

 

[Northern Light]

Ontario Place and the Gardiner.

The province is determining direction on those files, she does not have a say.

Are we pretending that it has had no impact locally?

There was no local genocide and is nothing for the mayor to do on this file, she is not empowered to change a thing, there is no point in her speaking on the subject.

There have been far more deaths in South Sudan, she hasn't spoken about that either, nor should she.

She did not have to

Yes she did.

, there was no gun to her head.

A literal one? No. But you have no idea about the pressure applied on this file from both business and other levels of government. No, was not an option.

All credit to her on doing those. Except for the zoning. But I doubt those initiatives are going to show up in polling as top concerns of voters.

As opposed to what? Voting for the Mayor based on the situation in Gaza? If you think that's a driving issue in a Toronto mayoralty campaign....I don't know to tell you, but I don't agree and I don't think it should be either, irrespective of one's take. Its not a City issue.

If you look at issues the City controls, I expect perceived safety and reliability issues on TTC are probably top of mind, as are homelessness, tax rates, and the recycling boondoggle now under way that was imposed by the province, but a lot of people won't understand that right away.

 

[picard102]

The province is determining direction on those files, she does not have a say.

Then why include them in your campaign? Did she not know the province had the ultimate say on those files when she vowed to fight the province on them?

There was no local genocide and is nothing for the mayor to do on this file, she is not empowered to change a thing, there is no point in her speaking on the subject.

This would be true if the Mayor also didn't spend time speaking about other things she is not empowered to change. Or if council didn't vote to support or condemn things outside of Toronto's borders.

Yes she did.

She did not. She chose to support REIT's over workers. There was no compelling force to do so other than moneyed interests.
She could have simply not said anything, she has a little to do with corporations forcing office workers back as she does with the genocide.

As opposed to what? Voting for the Mayor based on the situation in Gaza? If you think that's a driving issue in a Toronto mayoralty campaign....I don't know to tell you, but I don't agree and I don't think it should be either, irrespective of one's take. Its not a City issue.

Tell that to Bradford, Pasternak, and Colle who spend an inordinate amount of time on the file.

If you look at issues the City controls, I expect perceived safety and reliability issues on TTC are probably top of mind, as are homelessness, tax rates, and the recycling boondoggle now under way that was imposed by the province, but a lot of people won't understand that right away.

I don't think most people would rate her performance on those very highly. She's going to have trouble getting re-elected regardless of who the opposition is.

 

[DSCToronto]

Then why include them in your campaign? Did she not know the province had the ultimate say on those files when she vowed to fight the province on them?

This would be true if the Mayor also didn't spend time speaking about other things she is not empowered to change. Or if council didn't vote to support or condemn things outside of Toronto's borders.

She did not. She chose to support REIT's over workers. There was no compelling force to do so other than moneyed interests.
She could have simply not said anything, she has a little to do with corporations forcing office workers back as she does with the genocide.

Tell that to Bradford, Pasternak, and Colle who spend an inordinate amount of time on the file.

I don't think most people would rate her performance on those very highly. She's going to have trouble getting re-elected regardless of who the opposition is.

You have to compare candidates/parties to the alternatives. In the case of the Mayor the most likely alternatives are Tory (who was a dreadful Mayor), Bad Badford who has turned into a dick or Anthony Furey who is extremely right wing. Olivia is not perfect but she is miles better than the other two.

 

[nightstreak]

I would like to see:

Rush Hours harmonized to 7-10am, and 3-7pm across the board for the purposes of restrictions.

For those that apply in rushhour+daytime I'd prefer 7 days a week, 7am-7pm (easy to remember)

If it’s a route important enough to have restricted parking during rush hour, then it’s an important enough route to not be used for car storage — any time.

It’s the one thing that I can never get my head around: why are we using roads meant to move people to store cars? There’s a surplus of Green P parking across the city, eliminate all on-street parking on arterial roads. I’m still waiting on a mayoral candidate with the guts to admit this and fix gridlock in this city with the stroke of a pen.

This would effectively act as a toll without imposing a toll. If you decide to drive in the city, you know you’ll have to pay for parking. Some drivers would avoid it, more people would take transit, and those who do drive would automatically gain a lane on all roads where parking is allowed today.