Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has released a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney urging the federal government to partner with the city to advance priority projects including transit, affordability, and housing.
Chow posted the letter to her X account on Wednesday where she congratulated Carney on his election win before highlighting the need for a partnership in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Workers are worried about their jobs and the rising costs of housing, transportation, and food,” Chow said. “Businessess, indeed entire economic sectors, are confronting massive uncertainty.”
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As an attempt to tackle these issues, Chow says the government has an opportunity to partner with the city to deliver priority projects that will improve the quality of life for Torontonians, including building more affordable homes.
The Federal Government has been a strong partner to the City of Toronto. Together, we've invested billions into transit, housing and infrastructure that will serve millions now and in the coming years. By continuing to work together, we can deliver more for the people of Toronto.… pic.twitter.com/E6XoKFiCa4
— Mayor Olivia Chow 🇨🇦 (@MayorOliviaChow) May 14, 2025
The mayor is calling on the government to invest in building more rental homes, shortening affordable housing wait times, and more non-market housing.
This will be in addition to the city’s $230 million commitment in financial incentives to offer relief from development charges, fees, and property taxes.
READ MORE: https://nowtoronto.com/news/toronto-2025-budget-could-mean-a-tax-increase/
The letter also highlights the need for more rapid transit lines in the city, one that can’t be done without the help of higher levels of government.
“Toronto’s rapid growth has outpaced the capacity of our public transit system,” Chow said.
The letter highlights the need for the Eglinton East LRT in Scarborough and the Waterfront East LRT along the developing Toronto waterfront, both of which are in the design phase.
“The city is prepared to provide a third of the costs for these lines, we’re asking that the provincial and federal governments join us with a third each,” Chow said.
Expanding food and nutrition programs in schools have also been highlighted in Chow’s letter, with hopes that a greater investment from the federal government can lead to making morning meals universal in schools by 2026/2027.
Chow’s letter comes one week after Ontario Premier Doug Ford also released a letter to Carney asking the government to prioritize ‘nation building’ projects in Ontario, including a tunnel under Highway 401.
Today, I wrote to Prime Minister @MarkJCarney outlining how Ontario and the federal government can work together to unleash our full economic potential.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) May 5, 2025
With President Trump taking aim at Canada’s economy, it can’t be business as usual. pic.twitter.com/RfBwKe0yET
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Chow finished her letter by saying “we are at a critical time in history,” and says Toronto is ready to lead.
