Doug Ford to make Toronto public housing a top priority

TORONTO – Councillor Doug Ford wants to make Toronto public housing repairs a top priority if elected mayor.

“I will work with council to tackle the issues head on,” Ford told reporters following a tour of a Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) building in Regent Park Thursday morning.

“I will led a top-bottom review of operations to make sure taxpayers money is invested wisely.”

Ford was vague on specifics and instead touted the city’s already approved plan to invest over $800 million for TCHC repairs.

“In 2015, we’ll invest $175 million in repairs in 335 TCHC buildings,” said Ford.

“It means your broken fridge will get replaced. It means more security cameras and it means more money to fight bed bugs.”

READ MORE: What the mayoral candidates are saying about TCHC, affordable housing

TCHC has been plagued in recent years by spending scandals and questionable hiring practices which has forced the dismissal of several management officials including the removal of CEO Gene Jones earlier this year.

“A lot of politicians talk about it but they don’t do anything,” Ford said. “That’s why we do it. To help the most vulnerable in society.”

“The only way we can do that is to make sure we take care of the budget, balance your books, and have a surplus until we can reallocate the money into infrastructure.”