Mark Saunders feels he can help with ‘disorder’ in Toronto if elected mayor

From the start of his campaign three months ago, Mark Saunders said public safety would be first and foremost on his agenda if elected mayor of Toronto. That remains his top priority with just one week to go before election day.

“If you don’t check disorder, it moves exponentially,” Saunders said. “And then what happens is cities start to turn and start to decay.”

The former Toronto police chief said it’s not necessarily crime that has gone up in the city but the feeling of unrest that he claims he is hearing from residents.

“This is a state the city is in and you won’t find those stats,” Saunders said. “It’s the quality of life that people when they hear me talk, they know that I’m not making this up. This is not my sensationalism.”

Violence on the TTC is the first thing he’ll point to where more can be done to protect customers. He wants to add 200 special constables to the system and integrate them into the Toronto Police Service. He would add more security cameras and special “assist” buttons for help.

As expected, he has no plans to reduce the police budget from that $1.16 billion that was approved for 2023. During his tenure as chief, rallies to ‘defund’ the police were taking place regularly.

“It speaks to government listening to the loudest voice in the room and then acting upon that, Saunders said. “As a leader, you have to make the decisions that are proper decisions for the greater good of the city and not just for political reasons.”

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The city’s overall budget shortfall sits at $1.5 billion, with no specific commitments from the provincial or federal governments to assist with the lingering costs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saunders has said he will not increase municipal property taxes beyond the rate of inflation but hasn’t identified many programs and services he might cut from the budget either.

He has identified bike lanes as one of the reasons for congestion in the city and has vowed to remove them from University Avenue and reverse the decision to add them to Yonge Street through midtown Toronto.

“As a leader, it’s not about numbers,” Saunders said. “It is looking about what can you do with the existing funds and how can you break it down and then measure whether or not this is something that is important for this moment?”

While Premier Doug Ford had said he wouldn’t involve himself in the race and would “work with anyone,” he has identified several traits that Mark Saunders brings that he thinks would benefit the city.

Saunders ran for the Progressive Conservative party in the Ontario provincial election in 2022 and lost. Before that, he was a special advisor for the province’s plan to redevelop Ontario Place.

“I have a strong working relationship with the Premier,” Saunders said. “I had it in the seats that I held and it was to Toronto’s benefit, especially when it came with the gun crime, violence and the street gang.”

While public safety remains his top priority, the major focus for Saunders at this point in the campaign is opponent Olivia Chow, who has consistently led in the polls.

“Olivia Chow will be a disaster for this city,” Saunders said. “I’ll be one that will restore that hope and bring us back to where we need to be and have respect and dignity for everybody that’s out there.”