WATCH ABOVE: Watch all the fireworks from a raucous mayoral debate between John Tory, Doug Ford and Olivia Chow. Cindy Pom reports.
TORONTO – Doug Ford, John Tory and Olivia Chow sparred Tuesday over TTC services, jobs and life in the eastern portion of Toronto during the final mayoral debate of the election focused on Scarborough.
Toronto loses nearly $6 billion annually due to gridlock according to a Metrolinx report and commuting may be hardest in Scarborough.
But the city froze the subsidy to the TTC during Rob Ford’s first budget as mayor, resulting in cuts to fifty bus routes across the city. Thirty of those 50 routes were in Scarborough.
WATCH: Heckler removed during heated moment in Scarborough debate
“I do know that services have been cut, I’ve seen bus routes being cut even though the TTC fares have gone up,” Chow said during Tuesday’s debate.
“Had it not been all this empty talk for the last four years, the LRT would have gone to Centennial College, it would have been done by early next year.”
Tory said he would reinstate the bus routes if the plan made it through budget negotiations.
Ford didn’t say whether he’d increase TTC bus service in Scarborough but did try to paint himself as a defender of Scarborough.
“I don’t think there’s two people in the world that have said Scarborough more than Rob Ford and Doug Ford,” Ford said. “They’ve been totally ignored until we stepped up to the plate.”
Ford falsely claimed his brother’s administration was responsible for getting Scarborough its first outdoor ice rink and suggested he invested $500 million in transit. But he did vote in 2010 to freeze the TTC subsidy which led to the TTC cuts and fare increases.
An Ipsos Reid poll done exclusively for Global News found residents in Scarborough felt more neglected by city government than any other area of the city.
Rob Ford relied on that division during his 2010 election, winning most of the suburban votes but losing downtown Toronto.
The Ford brothers said the Scarborough subway – a three-stop extension of the Bloor-Danforth line – was what Scarborough deserved.
And all three candidates focused on Scarborough during the debate, saying they were the ones that would bring jobs and pride to the area.
VIDEO: Global Toronto anchor Leslie Roberts and city hall bureau chief Dave Trafford break down what happened during the mayoral debate in Scarborough Tuesday evening.
Tory and Ford agreed that fixing gridlock in Scarborough was the best way of attracting jobs while Chow said she’d build incubators and encourage Business Improvement Areas to form in the community.
Scarborough has roughly the population of Halifax but no major gallery or museum. The three candidates all agreed the city needed to build culture in Scarborough but differed on how to accomplish that.
Tory said there were plenty of physical buildings in the region that simply need to be better utilized and suggested some of the art in the archives of the Royal Ontario Museum could be displayed in Scarborough.
Ford suggested the private sector could be enticed to build cultural institutions in the city and Chow mused about building the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Scarborough.
WATCH: Ford tells Tory he didn’t know where Scarborough was before he ran for mayor
But Tory and Ford also spent time sparring over who cared more for Scarborough.
“You didn’t even know where Scarborough existed before you decided to run,” Ford said to Tory. “If it wasn’t hooked up to your GPS, or your limo driver didn’t know where to go, you wouldn’t know where it was.”
Tory shot back however, accusing Ford of using Scarborough as a political tool.
“You were nowhere near this place until you became a politician,” Tory said.
Rob Ford’s scandals
Doug Ford addressed his brother’s addictions and scandals nearly head-on during the debate. The three candidates were asked what they would do to fix Toronto’s tainted image.
But Ford didn’t mince words about what the question was insinuating but said his brother’s scandals didn’t damage the city.
“They’re talking about Rob’s addiction. I’m proud of Rob for going to get help and curbing his addiction,” he said. “Was it embarrassing for Rob Ford? Yes. Did it hurt the city? Not at all.”
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