Toronto mayoral candidates clash on housing, transit, costs in board of trade debate

Five of Toronto’s 31 mayoral candidates, including incumbent John Tory, clashed on a series of topics on Monday as the city’s municipal race enters its final week.

The debate was hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade and moderated by TVO’s Steve Paikin. The board invited five mayoral candidates: John Tory, Gil Penalosa, Sarah Climenhaga, Stephen Punwasi and Chloe Brown.

“This election comes at a critical juncture for our city, our region and our nation,” Jan De Silva, president and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, said in her introductory remarks.

“As we move from two years of pandemic into today’s challenging geopolitical and domestic environment for recovery, the pressure has never been greater.”

Candidates delivered opening statements on a series of topics. The event then saw an open debate and discussion.

As traffic and congestion return to pre-pandemic levels, and the city’s transit service struggles to regain full ridership, transit was the first topic on the table.

“Toronto currently has a terrible, terrible, terrible transit system,” Punwasi told his fellow candidates.

Tory portrayed reelection as a guarantee of stability for ongoing transit plans such as the Eglinton West LRT or the Ontario Line. “I want to finish the job for once in this city,” he said.

But the two-term mayor came in for criticism from the candidates vying to replace him. Penalosa said he would build 62 kilometres of bus rapid transit lanes and offer signal priority to existing streetcar lines.

Two candidates also took aim at the cost of transit. Climenhaga promised to scrap transit fares in the city, while Brown said seniors and young people should be offered $1 fares in Toronto.

Candidates were later asked to explain their plans for housing in Toronto and how to control the rising cost of living. A recent report by Rentals.ca found the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto was $2,474 per month in October — up 27.5 per cent from 2021.

The discussion, over one of the biggest issues in the city, was tense.

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“Affordable housing has been a huge failure… he’s been there for eight years,” Penalosa said of Tory’s record.

The incumbent hit back, saying there had been an “extraordinary effort” to push affordable housing, including allowing the creation of laneway and garden suites.

He said through the 2022 election campaign, he was seeking a mandate to change zoning rules in Toronto and increase housing supply.

“John, that sounds like a great plan, you should have done it over the past eight years,” Punwasi sniped. Brown asked how the public could “trust” Tory to deliver housing.

The housing discussion comes in the context of the new strong mayor powers Toronto’s next leader will wield.

The Ford government recently passed legislation that gives mayors of Toronto and Ottawa veto power over bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities, such as building housing. Those powers are set to take effect shortly after next week’s municipal elections.

Tory was interrupted by Reginald Tull, a candidate for mayor not included in the debate, who walked up to the podium during a response on business opportunities, criticizing his record and cutting the incumbent off.

Tory went on to describe himself as the “chief salesperson” for Toronto on the international stage, pointing to the expansion of the city’s film and technology industries as examples of his achievements.

Climenhaga said the post-COVID ability for many to work from home increased pressure on Toronto’s next leader to make the city a desirable place to live.

The issue of the city’s relationship with other levels of government, on which Toronto relies for significant funding, was omnipresent through the debate.

“I think that John has abdicated the city to the province,” Penalosa said, discussing how to he would advocate for residents at other levels of government above the municipal council.

Tory warned the city’s finances faced “choppy waters” ahead — and said his experienced leadership would guide Toronto.

The candidates broadly found themselves in agreement around regulations in Toronto, pushing back against so-called red tape.

The debate closed on a key topic for the next term — revenue. Introducing the discussion, Paikin said the city could be facing a billion dollar shortfall.

Brown said her solution to Toronot’s financial worries revolved around investing in smart technology to deliver services better, while Penalosa pointed to the cost of redeveloping the Gardiner Expressway as a route to potential savings.

Both Tory and Punwasi said property taxes should not rise too steeply and touched upon the need for efficiencies. Climenhaga called for “participatory” budgeting, where key questions would be asked of residents developing each budget.

The event, marked by muscular putdowns and contrasting policy positions, came on the heels of the news that advance voting was down in Toronto compared to both 2018 and 2014.

Over the course of advance voting, just 115,911 people cast early votes in the city — a 6.75 per cent decrease compared with 2018, the City of Toronto said. It was also down 28 per cent from 2014.

The election will be held on Oct. 24.

— with files from The Canadian Press