Toronto has become a city of broken dreams and mixed-up priorities on the part of its political elites..The average home sells for more than a million dollars. It is the privilege of urban professionals. Finding an affordable apartment is next to impossible with a one-bedroom going for $2,600/month..Homelessness is increasing; hundreds of refugees are sleeping on the street as the shelter system is at capacity. Crime is on the rise, traffic congestion continues to worsen and the transit system remains dysfunctional..Its business district has lost its hustle and bustle. Due to remote working, 20% of office buildings are empty. And to add insult to injury, the city faces a $1.5 billion deficit and a structural deficit of $50 billion over the next 10 years.. Tent city TorontoHomeless people have erected tents near a foodbank next to St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Toronto. .The city’s working class is hurting. There are growing lineups to be seen any Saturday morning at the Fort York Food Bank. Across the street from the food bank, on the doorstep of St. Stephen Anglican Church, homeless people wander among their tents. According to Julie LeJeune, who manages the Fort York Food Bank, "they serve 1,000 people on Saturday and 4,400 people per week.".Before COVID it was a thousand a week, mostly elderly. Now, the majority of people are under forty-five; "they are working people, those with disabilities and the elderly,” she states. The Daily Bread and North York Harvest Food banks report that over the past 12 months nearly two million people have visited food banks across the city..Yet, newly elected mayor and former NDP Member of Parliament Olivia Chow continues to spin a message of hope for a city in crisis..During her victory speech, Chow declared, "Wow, what a night. If you ever doubted what’s possible together, if you ever questioned your faith in a better future...and what we can do with each other, for each other, tonight is your answer.”.Her political style is imbued with grandmotherly warmth and a contagious enthusiasm that is the opposite of former mayor John Tory’s professional bureaucratic style that kept the political left in check and prevented the city from imploding..Chow has promised to build 25,000 rent-controlled homes on city land, tear down part of the Gardiner Highway where traffic moves at a snail’s pace and replace it with a boulevard smack in the middle of nowhere so that more housing can be built..Is it an act of design brilliance or another commuter’s nightmare and who will want to live there? The plan has been rejected several times but the council’s left wing keeps bringing it back to life.. Olivia ChowMayor Olivia Chow on the campaign trail, in June. .Notwithstanding city residents can expect their property tax bills to skyrocket, Chow also intends to include a mansion-tax on homes valued at more than $3 million, increase the vacant home tax to 3% and all homes must be registered and kept under the watchful eye of city inspectors and new parking levies, as the city continues to favour bikes over cars..The city believes it can generate a billion dollars in new revenue by imposing its own sales tax on goods and services and has asked the Ontario government for permission. The mercurial Premier Doug Ford, who can flip-flop on any issue depending on his popularity in the polls, remains lukewarm to the idea..Toronto’s city council is made up of left-wing politicians who never met an expense they did not like. In their world, a budget is not defined by finite resources but is an amorphous thing that is shaped by the city’s infinite needs..Recent mayoral candidate Anthony Furey believes the city’s politicians have little interest in getting serious about balancing their books.."Getting the city’s books in order should be a top priority. I'm surprised that Chow has not even attempted to do anything. You need to roll up your sleeves and get the job done," he states..Recently Premier Ford met with Chow and had the opportunity to pressure the mayor to examine the city's books and spending habits and push for a discussion about opening up the tendering process on how construction projects are awarded..Instead, Ford has decided to get cozy with lefty Chow and played the encounter for a well-publicized photo op, declaring: "They’re in a real tough financial situation. We’re going to be there to support them every step of the way to have sustainable funding.”.Furey believes the city needs to examine its budget, line for line. He mentions pet projects "like the Toronto District School Board providing students with grants of $1,000 to promote climate activism when education is a provincial responsibility." Or the city's Neighbourhood Climate Action Grants that hand groups $7,500 for climate activities described by Furey as “barbecues and signs" for a community get-together..The city is bankrupt but does manage to find millions to spend on appeasing woke activists who demand the removal of the name Dundas Street from city streets. Henry Dundas was a famous Scottish lawyer, politician and advisor to British PM William Pitt in the 18th century and is accused of being “instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.”.Three former Toronto mayors, of different political persuasions, Art Eggleton, David Crombie and John Sewell, wrote a letter saying there’s reason to believe that Dundas was not the person many think he was and was, in fact, a "committed abolitionist.”.John Sewell said that "he and his former mayoral contemporaries are going to bat for Dundas, adding it’s important to take history seriously and to not “misrepresent the past.”.Mayor Chow had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership by saying no to spending $8.6 million on name changes and directing that money to help working people. Not a chance, as she sided with wokeism..If the city’s politicians respected taxpayers the first thing they would do is open up the tendering process and allow all qualified companies to bid on construction projects..Toronto is the only city in Ontario that still employs closed tendering. When the City of Hamilton went to open tendering it saved on average 21% on costs. Cardus conducted a study and discovered $1.65 billion of Toronto’s 2023 construction budget was closed to competition and if it went to open tendering, it could have saved $347 million..Closed tendering also discriminates against workers who do not wish to unionize. The city's politicians have elected to hand over hundreds of millions of taxpayer money to their union buddies by stifling competition..Mayor Chow's background is in political activism. She has never managed anything resembling Toronto’s $16 billion operating budget. Her refusal to review the city’s books and rely on heavy taxation along with begging senior levels of government for more money, may make Toronto a victim of its circumstances..Not cleaning up your backyard first will come back to haunt the city as it becomes reliant on bailouts. Current trends suggest Toronto is on its way to becoming a city of extremes, with extreme wealth juxtaposed with extreme poverty along with a middle class that is shrinking and losing hope.
Toronto has become a city of broken dreams and mixed-up priorities on the part of its political elites..The average home sells for more than a million dollars. It is the privilege of urban professionals. Finding an affordable apartment is next to impossible with a one-bedroom going for $2,600/month..Homelessness is increasing; hundreds of refugees are sleeping on the street as the shelter system is at capacity. Crime is on the rise, traffic congestion continues to worsen and the transit system remains dysfunctional..Its business district has lost its hustle and bustle. Due to remote working, 20% of office buildings are empty. And to add insult to injury, the city faces a $1.5 billion deficit and a structural deficit of $50 billion over the next 10 years.. Tent city TorontoHomeless people have erected tents near a foodbank next to St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Toronto. .The city’s working class is hurting. There are growing lineups to be seen any Saturday morning at the Fort York Food Bank. Across the street from the food bank, on the doorstep of St. Stephen Anglican Church, homeless people wander among their tents. According to Julie LeJeune, who manages the Fort York Food Bank, "they serve 1,000 people on Saturday and 4,400 people per week.".Before COVID it was a thousand a week, mostly elderly. Now, the majority of people are under forty-five; "they are working people, those with disabilities and the elderly,” she states. The Daily Bread and North York Harvest Food banks report that over the past 12 months nearly two million people have visited food banks across the city..Yet, newly elected mayor and former NDP Member of Parliament Olivia Chow continues to spin a message of hope for a city in crisis..During her victory speech, Chow declared, "Wow, what a night. If you ever doubted what’s possible together, if you ever questioned your faith in a better future...and what we can do with each other, for each other, tonight is your answer.”.Her political style is imbued with grandmotherly warmth and a contagious enthusiasm that is the opposite of former mayor John Tory’s professional bureaucratic style that kept the political left in check and prevented the city from imploding..Chow has promised to build 25,000 rent-controlled homes on city land, tear down part of the Gardiner Highway where traffic moves at a snail’s pace and replace it with a boulevard smack in the middle of nowhere so that more housing can be built..Is it an act of design brilliance or another commuter’s nightmare and who will want to live there? The plan has been rejected several times but the council’s left wing keeps bringing it back to life.. Olivia ChowMayor Olivia Chow on the campaign trail, in June. .Notwithstanding city residents can expect their property tax bills to skyrocket, Chow also intends to include a mansion-tax on homes valued at more than $3 million, increase the vacant home tax to 3% and all homes must be registered and kept under the watchful eye of city inspectors and new parking levies, as the city continues to favour bikes over cars..The city believes it can generate a billion dollars in new revenue by imposing its own sales tax on goods and services and has asked the Ontario government for permission. The mercurial Premier Doug Ford, who can flip-flop on any issue depending on his popularity in the polls, remains lukewarm to the idea..Toronto’s city council is made up of left-wing politicians who never met an expense they did not like. In their world, a budget is not defined by finite resources but is an amorphous thing that is shaped by the city’s infinite needs..Recent mayoral candidate Anthony Furey believes the city’s politicians have little interest in getting serious about balancing their books.."Getting the city’s books in order should be a top priority. I'm surprised that Chow has not even attempted to do anything. You need to roll up your sleeves and get the job done," he states..Recently Premier Ford met with Chow and had the opportunity to pressure the mayor to examine the city's books and spending habits and push for a discussion about opening up the tendering process on how construction projects are awarded..Instead, Ford has decided to get cozy with lefty Chow and played the encounter for a well-publicized photo op, declaring: "They’re in a real tough financial situation. We’re going to be there to support them every step of the way to have sustainable funding.”.Furey believes the city needs to examine its budget, line for line. He mentions pet projects "like the Toronto District School Board providing students with grants of $1,000 to promote climate activism when education is a provincial responsibility." Or the city's Neighbourhood Climate Action Grants that hand groups $7,500 for climate activities described by Furey as “barbecues and signs" for a community get-together..The city is bankrupt but does manage to find millions to spend on appeasing woke activists who demand the removal of the name Dundas Street from city streets. Henry Dundas was a famous Scottish lawyer, politician and advisor to British PM William Pitt in the 18th century and is accused of being “instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.”.Three former Toronto mayors, of different political persuasions, Art Eggleton, David Crombie and John Sewell, wrote a letter saying there’s reason to believe that Dundas was not the person many think he was and was, in fact, a "committed abolitionist.”.John Sewell said that "he and his former mayoral contemporaries are going to bat for Dundas, adding it’s important to take history seriously and to not “misrepresent the past.”.Mayor Chow had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership by saying no to spending $8.6 million on name changes and directing that money to help working people. Not a chance, as she sided with wokeism..If the city’s politicians respected taxpayers the first thing they would do is open up the tendering process and allow all qualified companies to bid on construction projects..Toronto is the only city in Ontario that still employs closed tendering. When the City of Hamilton went to open tendering it saved on average 21% on costs. Cardus conducted a study and discovered $1.65 billion of Toronto’s 2023 construction budget was closed to competition and if it went to open tendering, it could have saved $347 million..Closed tendering also discriminates against workers who do not wish to unionize. The city's politicians have elected to hand over hundreds of millions of taxpayer money to their union buddies by stifling competition..Mayor Chow's background is in political activism. She has never managed anything resembling Toronto’s $16 billion operating budget. Her refusal to review the city’s books and rely on heavy taxation along with begging senior levels of government for more money, may make Toronto a victim of its circumstances..Not cleaning up your backyard first will come back to haunt the city as it becomes reliant on bailouts. Current trends suggest Toronto is on its way to becoming a city of extremes, with extreme wealth juxtaposed with extreme poverty along with a middle class that is shrinking and losing hope.
