Majority of Torontonians think city is headed in the wrong direction, Chow to blame: poll

Six in 10 Torontonians say the city is headed in the wrong direction, with a similar majority placing the blame squarely at the feet of Mayor Olivia Chow, according to results of a new poll.

A survey conducted by Canada Pulse Insights on behalf of CityNews finds 64 per cent of Torontonians asked believe the city is on the wrong track, with 68 per cent saying the mayor and city council are out of touch with what residents want.

Affordability and the cost of living are the most important issues facing the city, according to 49 per cent of respondents. Home ownership (34 per cent), gridlock (29 per cent), crime (29 per cent) and homelessness (21 per cent) round out the top five concerns.

Mayor Olivia Chow bears the brunt of the blame for the city’s woes, with 51 per cent saying she is doing a bad job and 65 per cent calling for new leadership at City Hall.

Conversely, while 61 per cent of those asked feel their local councillor is doing a good job overall, 53 per cent say they would not re-elect them.

While the next municipal election is more than a year away, Chow remains the slight favourite in a projected race against former mayor John Tory – 29 per cent to 24 per cent – while two other former mayoral candidates, Brad Bradford and Anthony Furey, are well back.

However, three in 10 Toronto residents are prepared to vote for someone other than the four choices presented in the poll.

The poll was conducted between September 30 and October 6 among an even-based random selection of Canadian adults in Toronto and across the GTA. It is accurate within +/- 4.9 per cent 19 times out of 20.