‘What’s going on here?’: Why this election should serve as a wakeup call for Toronto

Even before voters head to the polls Monday there are lessons to be learned from this election.

Thestar.com
Oct. 24, 2022
Francine Kopun, Ben Spurr

ardly know it from this campaign, during which the impending budget crisis has received scant attention from candidates.

There hasn’t been “nearly enough discussion” about what would it take for Toronto “to have the resources it needs to stem the decline of municipal services,” said Siemiatycki.

The shortfall is partly a result of the lingering effects of COVID-19, and Tory is banking on a continuation of federal and provincial pandemic relief to save city finances.

But Siemiatycki argues there are other options council could employ to raise badly needed revenue, like changing the property tax regime to tax valuable properties at higher rates than less-valuable ones. But he says candidates have been reluctant to even debate such proposals because “they assume homeowners vote, and they don’t want to antagonize homeowners.”

Toronto needs a facelift

The campaign highlighted what residents seem to be thinking, but no one wants to say -- Toronto may no longer be “The City that Works.”

The city’s services and infrastructure are declining in ways that are becoming increasingly obvious and frustrating to residents.

The city badly needs new downtown parks, more public washrooms and drinking fountains, safer streets and more -- much more -- transit. Our subway system is so spindly it is mocked internationally, including in a TikTok video that went viral in October.

The things that are working need more maintenance -- our public garbage containers routinely overflow, the Toronto Islands, one of our biggest attractions, are looking decidedly dumpy, and the ferries to get people there are long past their natural lives.

Siemiatycki pointed to concerns expressed during the election about the state of housing, transportation, municipal services and the general quality of life in the city.

“All of a sudden I think there’s a kind of reckoning with the fact that maybe we’ve gone through a period of lost opportunity and lost ground in the city, that we’re not just a strong shining example of exemplary city governance that we once told ourselves and told others we were.”

Ward races are where the action is

Tory is favoured to win on Monday, and in an election where the race for the city’s top job looks unlikely to bring change, a handful of ward races offer the best possibility of an injection of new blood on council.

The seven incumbents not standing for re-election guarantees a significant reset of local representation on the 26-member council. In addition, a number of sitting members are facing realistic challenges from young, female or racialized candidates who could alter the makeup of a council that is predominately older, male and white.

In Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park, former journalist Siri Agrell and Tibetan-Canadian activist Chemi Lhamo are trying to unseat long-time incumbent Gord Perks, while in Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Amber Morley, a Black community health promoter, has her sights set on Mark Grimes.

Chapple said the competitive ward races provide an opportunity to address the long-standing problem that “there’s no voice for some underrepresented populations (on council) and we need to cultivate the new generation of leaders.”

She predicted the fresh faces could mean the coming term features more debates on overlooked issues, and less predictable vote outcomes.

“I think it will be an interesting council session to watch,” she said.