One-on-one with Olivia Chow as she marks 100 days as Toronto Mayor

Friday marks 100 days since Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow took office. CityNews has reviewed what she has managed to tackle in the first few months of her tenure, but how does Chow believe she has done and what will she be focused on next?

Mark McAllister: We’re marking 100 days. Many would say it’s a bit of a honeymoon period those first few months. Have you had a chance to make an impact to this point, in your opinion?

Olivia Chow: Honeymoon? That’s very sweet. I hope so. I’m focused on what I can do beyond 100 days, but looking back, public transit. We sorted services so that you don’t have to wait so long for buses and subways. And a lot of housing, whether it is funds to buy some of the buildings to prevent people from being renovicted, creating affordable housing in the meantime.

McAllister: There’s also been things that haven’t quite gone your way necessarily, when it comes to refugees, for instance, being able to try and find places for them to stay. So have you had a victory on that front do you think or is there more to do?

Chow: On the refugees front? We got the provincial government coming in for grants to refugee-serving agencies, plus a bit of money for rent supplement. So that we have, right now, 300-plus refugees that are able to find housing and we’ve opened up shelters. The federal government had promised $97 million for the time being. We said that it’s not enough. We need a reception center plus a coordinated plan. Not just in Toronto but all across Canada and that’s still missing. But, hopefully the immigration minister could see that. That is what’s needed, not just in Toronto, but across the country.

McAllister: In the same vein, aside from those that are coming to the country and trying to find that refuge, we’ve still got a lot of people on the streets and living on the streets looking for that space, not enough shelter space. What more can you do for those people at this point, especially when we see large encampments continuing to take place in the parks?

Chow: Well, it’s difficult, and it’s getting colder. So, you see that we are opening up warming centers, a respite centre for 24 hours, a few more shelters. But at the end of the day, it’s not enough. We are still turning away people. We don’t have the funds to do it alone, which is why we’re inviting other levels of government to step up.

McAllister: Stepping into this job, you knew that the budget shortfall was going to be probably the biggest challenge that you are going to face. In the first 100 days, has it become as it is one of those things that you found to be bigger than you knew previously?

Chow: The biggest challenge for me right in the beginning was really bringing all the councillors together, working as a team. So I spent a lot of time connecting with them finding out what they love to do most. What are they passionate about in trying to accomplish in the next few years and making sure they play that role? So that together, we could make a dent on the financial challenges.

McAllister: Help me connect the dots. Allowing councillors to do what they want to do versus tackling a $1.5 billion shortfall?

Chow: Yeah, I need the councillors to work with the local residents to say, ‘Here’s our budget. Look at it. Let’s open up the box. How are we going to be able to do this budget deficit?’ Ask the people. Step one. Step two? If they say, ‘Yeah, you know what, no matter how you do it, it can’t fill the $1.5 billion budget deficit,’ then I’m hoping the councillors will engage with local residents, who say to the other levels of government, to the Members of Parliament, to say, ‘Hey, wait a second. We don’t care who’s paying the bills, but the bills need to be paid.’

McAllister: On that note, you have had a meeting with Premier Doug Ford that resulted in an agreement to come up with some sort of new deal to help with finances. That was one thing to be able to say we’re going to have a new deal. It’s another thing to deliver at this point. How do you help that along aside from the working group behind the scenes?

Chow: Well, I am meeting with his ministers and whether it’s phone calls or conversations, that’s what’s happening. Our staff team is meeting twice a week working really hard to find common ground with their staff. And we will come up with a touch point at the end of October and we want some kind of recommendations coming at the end of November. That’s coming up soon. We want to put all that together in December to council so that we know in the coming New Year, what do we have? How do we move forward?

McAllister: You started the process, talking about the idea of getting a share of a sales tax or possibly implementing a new municipal sales tax. That was bashed by the premier almost from the get-go. So did you consider that a loss at that point and are you hoping that you might be able to gain some ground as a result of everything else?

Chow: Not at all because our report actually laid out many different options. It’s like a salad bar approach. Okay, if you don’t like the peas, maybe you like the carrots, maybe you want the lettuce and the avocado. Okay, so what is it that works? And our report, sales tax was just one of them. There are different revenue tools.

McAllister: Another major matter is the redevelopment of Ontario Place. Is it a matter of having to take a loss on that front in order to get the other things you want?

Chow: I don’t think things work that way. It’s really about where there’s common ground. The premier knows where I stand on Ontario Place. I don’t want to see those 800-plus beautiful trees cut down, and the west island beach destroyed so it’s still my position. But in the meantime, I’m helping to look for alternatives.

McAllister: You’ve had conversations with the province. With the federal government, however, there doesn’t seem to be much of a compromise coming on that front. Why do you think that is?

Chow: Well, they are helping to stick some of the refugees that are at churches [and] in front of Peter Street to other places, so they are beginning to do some of that work. They have started with the $97 million.

So we’re going to continue to work together. We’re going to ask for, it’s clear we need a reception centre when they land where, you know, to have them submit the applications to be refugees. We need a coordinated plan where all the immigrant service agencies can assist.

McAllister: Beyond the refugee crisis, is the federal government going to be able to step up and help on other fronts?

Chow: Well they have in the past. They helped us on buying the new Yonge, well not new anymore, the Yonge subway cars, [hopefully will] do the same with the Bloor line. In the fall, they are to come with an infrastructure plan for all the provinces and municipalities across the country.

McAllister: You have seen some criticism on a few different fronts in the first few months. Most recently, perhaps the comments that were made in and around the beginning of the Israeli Hamas attack, even last week at council meeting, ride-sharing cap is one thing that had differing opinions. How have you taken the criticism to this point and how do you deal with it moving forward?

Chow: Well, if you don’t try things, you won’t do anything and you don’t have anything to apologize for. That’s the easy problem. That’s how I work. I’m going to do what I can, what I believe is right and go for it. And yes, of course. No one is perfect. If I make the mistake, I will apologize.

McAllister: Beyond looking back at 100 days, obviously you want to continue to look forward. What can we expect in the weeks and the months ahead to make sure that you continue to get those small victories?

Chow: Housing, housing, housing. Let’s work together … bringing the non-profit housing sectors and all the experience that we have in our entire city corporations into one place where we can build housing, affordable housing. So there’s a wall of work being done there. There’s a report coming out next week about it. There’s a whole host of issues and work that is coming. I want to go out to the budget committee team, I’m going to go out and say, ‘Hey, what kind of service do you need more of? Is it more library hours? Is it more garbage pickup? Less potholes? Calling 911 [and them] showing up faster? All of those things? Which one is important to you?’

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.