Chow to officially become Toronto mayor, vows to bring change

Thestar.com
July 12, 2023
Jordan Omstead

Olivia Chow is set to officially take office as mayor of Toronto today, becoming the first person of colour to lead Canada’s most populous city.

Chow is scheduled to take the declaration of office at city hall at 11 a.m., vaulting a progressive into Toronto’s top job for the first time in over a decade.

The ceremony is set to be emceed by actor Jean Yoon and will feature Indigenous teachings, a musical performance and a reading by the poet laureate.

The 66-year-old Chow, a former NDP MP and longtime city councillor, won last month’s byelection to replace John Tory, sealing her political comeback after she came a distant third in the 2014 mayoral election.

She campaigned on a platform to build what she called a more caring and affordable city, pledging to get local government back into the business of building social housing and to spend millions to acquire and preserve affordable units.

After almost a decade out of the political spotlight, she takes office at a time when Toronto is facing pressing issues, including a nearly $1-billion shortfall in this year’s budget, driven in large part by decreasing transit revenues and increased shelter costs.

A city staff report indicates there’s enough COVID-19 reserve funds set aside to prop up this year’s budget, but without more money the backstop would be insufficient to cover next year’s projected shortfall of up to $927 million.

Chow has said she would call a special meeting of the Executive Committee in August to discuss pressing matters, including the city’s long-term financial plan.

Since the June 26 byelection, Chow has been meeting with city administration, finalizing her team and holding transition engagements with civil service and non-profits on priority issues, including housing and community crisis response.

The city’s housing crisis and the record levels of people experiencing homelessness are set to test Chow’s term. Adding to a sense of urgency, the city has been deadlocked with the federal government over a request to provide more money to help house asylum seekers, with the city recently instituting a policy of turning away those applicants from at-capacity shelters towards federal programs.