Mayoral candidates debate cuts to transit, city services, and Doug Ford in Scarborough

The six leading Toronto mayoral candidates outlined their visions for the future of transit, city services and taxes in a spirited 90 minute debate in Scarborough Wednesday evening, in a region of the city that is shaping up to be a key battleground in the upcoming election.

The candidates – former NDP parliamentarian Olivia Chow, city councillor Josh Matlow, ex-police chief Mark Saunders, former deputy mayor Ana Bailao, councillor Brad Bradford and former Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood Mitzie Hunter – said, if elected, they would focus on revitalizing declining city services and infrastructure such as transit and neighbourhood centres in the diverse, populous region, which many called a microcosm for issues across Toronto.

Watch the full debate below

Chow, the perceived front-runner according to several recent polls, continued to face attacks from other candidates during the debate, particularly Bradford, and Saunders who said her plan would significantly increase taxes for Toronto property owners and residents.

“There’s not enough little boutique taxes that Olivia can put on people to actually pay for all the promises that she’s making,” said Bradford.

Chow and fellow progressive Matlow responded by saying candidates need to be honest with Torontonians about taxes required to address crumbling city services.

“We need to have at least a moderate tax increase if we want to fix our roads, if we want better access to recreation centres, if we want to send our kids to camp,” Matlow said.

“If we want to fix the problems that we have … we’re going to have to pay for it,” he added.

One of the most heated exchanges of the night came when the candidates were asked how they would go about working with Premier Doug Ford.

Matlow replied it was up to Ford to demonstrate he can work with the City of Toronto, which drew a loud cheer from the assembled crowd.

“What I’ve noticed is the go-along to get-along approach with Doug Ford has just rolled Toronto over,” said Matlow. “We haven’t had better investment in the operating cost of transit, he hasn’t dealt with social housing, he didn’t bail out our budget, he’s made Toronto poorer than before he was elected. It hasn’t been successful.

“He hasn’t invested in the city but he bullies us.”

In February the premier said a “lefty mayor” would be a “disaster for the city,” a comment that many noted was directly aimed at Matlow.

“If Doug Ford demonstrates the maturity and the care for our city to work with us, yes I will roll up my sleeves and be there to get results,” concluded Matlow.

Some candidates teamed up to go after Saunders, the premier’s preferred candidate, with Josh Matlow calling him an “agent for Doug Ford.”

Saunders fired back that the new mayor will need to work with all levels of government and form strong partnerships if the city is going to survive.

“You have to have relationships in order to build things, in order to represent the newcomers that are coming in here,” said Saunders. “The bottom line is this, we have to work with all levels of government because the city cannot afford it.”

“We have to work with other levels of government, but we don’t work for other levels of government,” Hunter responded. “We work for the people of Toronto, that’s who we work for.”

RELATED: What the top Toronto Mayoral candidates are promising if elected

Earlier in the day, the subject of housing touched a number of nerves during a debate at George Brown’s waterfront campus. All six candidates agree the status quo needs to change but all have different ideas on how to do it and who is to blame.

Saunders, participating in his first debate of the now weeks-long campaign, challenged former deputy mayor Bailao on her housing record, saying the city needs to take action.

“Everyone here had an opportunity of being part of moving things in the right direction and they did not, and with all due respect Ms. Bailao, you were in charge of housing and not once did you stick your hand up and say that there was a problem. You went with the flow, you stayed with the status quo.

“I am here to execute so people can live their dreams of living in the city at an affordable price.”

Bailao agreed that the crisis needs leadership and accountability while taking aim at all of her opponent’s plans.

“Mark Saunders, half of his platform is things that have already been done. Others have plans that the math doesn’t work,” she said. “Stop making feel-good policies that will not put shovels in the ground and realize that everything has an impact on the cost of housing and the price of housing and these plans don’t add up.”

Chow fired back with a takedown of Bailao’s time overseeing the affordable housing portfolio at City Hall. She then vowed she would do two things if elected mayor – change the approval process and approve mass batches of housing, and secondly, add another definition of affordable housing.

Hunter said the city has to take charge rather than rely on the provincial and federal governments to step in.

“I have a comprehensive plan to build more affordable housing on city-owned land where the city is the buyer as well as the owner,” she said.

Bradford said the city needs to remove barriers and unlock the gridlock in the bureaucracy, promising to add a culture of ‘yes,’ while Matlow also criticized the status quo, proposing his own model to move things forward with construction.

Saunders and Matlow also got into a war of words when it came to who could work better with other levels of government.

“You can get more bees to honey than salt my friend,” said Saunders. “You would create the environment for no government to want to work with the city.”

To which Matlow replied, “So is Doug Ford the bee or the honey? And did he serve you honey at the stag and doe?” – the latter being a reference to the Premier’s relationships with developers.

Both Bradford and Saunders also took aim at Chow, claiming her policies will end up costing residents more.

“Olivia did not say anything with respect to raising taxes,” said Saunders. “I can answer that for you – she will raise taxes. You will hear the sounds of cranes leaving the City of Toronto and going to other jurisdictions. Make no mistake about it.”

The debate was the third of the day. Five of the candidates also participated in a debate hosted by the Toronto Alliance for Performing Arts. Saunders did not attend that one even though an invitation was extended to him.

The six candidates are facing off again Thursday for a debate hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade, with just over a month of the campaign left before the June 26 byelection.