Friday, October 20 marks Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s 100th day in office.
She was elected on June 26 following the resignation of her predecessor, mayor John Tory, after he admitted to engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a former city staffer.
READ MORE: John Tory resigns as Toronto mayor after admitting to cheating with former staffer
Tory stepped down in February, and after winning a mayoral byelection in June, Chow was formally sworn in on July 12. She inherited a city plagued by debt, a housing and cost of living crisis, thousands of unhoused refugees, neglected public spaces, and an under-serviced public transportation system.
READ MORE: Olivia Chow wins Toronto mayoral by-election
“As of today, it’s been 100 days since I was sworn in as mayor. We’ve gotten a lot done, but I’m focusing on the next 1000 days and how much more work there is to do. Work for a more affordable, caring city. I am focused on results for people,” Chow tweeted in recognition of the milestone, before thanking her staff for their hard work thus far.
Since taking office, Chow has embarked on fulfilling her mandate of tackling various pressing issues affecting the city, including its massive budget hole, a worsening housing shortage and affordability crisis and safety concerns on the TTC, among others.
A salient feature of Chow’s election bid was affordable housing. During her tenure, she intends to oversee the build of 25,000 municipally-owned, rent-controlled homes, where prices would be set by the city. The plan will run in conjunction with the HousingTO plan, which sets out to build 40,000 affordable housing units by 2030.
“I’m focused on thousands of households that can leave the shelter system and start in a new home. We’ve distributed 2,700 new rent supplements to do just that. It’s a good first step, but there is more to do,” Chow tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Council also recently voted in favour of two separate levies, one to increase the rate of vacant homes tax to three per cent, and a second that will see an increase in land transfer tax for homes sold at over $3 million.
READ MORE: Toronto votes to hike vacant home tax and use revenue for affordable housing initiatives
Since assuming office, Chow has made a concerted effort to align with Ford’s provincial government. Together they have agreed to work to balance Toronto’s $1 billion-plus deficit.
“Doug Ford has stepped up to hammer out a new deal for Toronto, and City Council has also finally passed an overdue long-term financial plan to get our finances in order. Now, my focus turns to Ottawa,” she wrote via Twitter on Friday.
Earlier this year, the city secured $97 million in additional funding from the federal government to combat the refugee crisis.
Meanwhile, Chow’s promise to keep all of the city’s libraries open on Sundays, 365 days a year, is yet to be actioned, however the plan will be reconsidered in November following the renewal of the city’s budget cycle.
As for tackling Toronto’s transit woes, The city announced that TTC services would resume to near pre-pandemic levels following the reversal of budget cuts previously imposed by Tory.
“I’m focused on returning TTC service to 95% of its pre-pandemic service, and 99% for the bus network,” Chow tweeted on Friday afternoon. The city will also add 178 new TTC workers across the transit network and ensure all cellphone users can have service on the subway.”
In addition, Chow reinstated her commitment to improving public spaces, which includes extended pool hours into the fall season, a revitalized CaféTO program that enriches Toronto neighbourhoods and standing up for Toronto residents’ concerns about the redevelopment of Ontario Place, an area that the provincial government intends to develop into a private spa.
