Mayor Olivia Chow needs to stop dancing, stop talking tacos,stop doing bat flipsand calls to the Blue Jays and get to work turning this city around.
If she can’t do that, she needs to get out of the way and let someone else take the helm at City Hall to do what needs to be done. Of course, the same could be said of those filling the council seats as well.
Toronto is a major city, the fourth most populous in North America behind Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles. We’re the economic engine of Canada, a global centre for major industries from mining to film, finance to tech. Yet Toronto is governed by people who aren’t serious about running a world class city.
If I was looking for a city booster or an ambassador, thenChow would be a great candidate, but she can’t be mayor. It’s not only that she doesn’t have the right policies for the city, she also lacks the managerial skills needed to look after an organization of this magnitude.
Former Mayor John Torycontinues to kick the tiresand is thinking about running. He has variously told people that he wants to run, that people are asking him to run and that he has no interest in running.
Several of Tory’s organizers have alreadymoved on to back Brad Bradford; others have reportedly given him an ultimatum. According to multiple sources, key backers of Tory have told him that if he wants their support, then he needs to take a firm stance on major issues, including homeless encampments, or they won’t work on his campaign.
What Tory should do is take an appointment and retire from active elected politics.
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PERFECT POST FOR TORY?
There is an appointment opening soon that is perfect for someone like John Tory. In November, Zaib Shaikh’s time as Canada’s consul general in Los Angeles will come to an end and Tory would be a perfect replacement.
He knows all of the industries and interests that someone in that job needs to represent. There are, of course, the interests of Canada’s film industry, which Tory is very familiar with, but also the interests of the financial services sector, the mining sector, the agricultural sector and more.
Attractingsomeone of Tory’s staturewould do well for Canada at a time of cross-border turmoil.
The job in Los Angeles not only represents the federal government in Southern California, it also represents Canada in Arizona and Nevada as well. This is the type of job that Tory would thrive in and do well for Canada. He’s clearly interested in the position and the Mark Carney government would be crazy not to appoint him.
I don’t just say that as a way to get Tory out of the mayor’s race, which I’m not sure he wants to enter, but because it’s the best thing for the country.
CONTENDERS DROPPING OUT
As for who should take over from Chow at City Hall, that remains an open question.
Ana Bailão has taken herself out of the running by taking an appointment to head up Build Canada Homes for the Carney government, a smart appointment given her track record in sitting on the board of Toronto Community Housing and her time in the private sector working for Dream, one of Canada’s biggest private real estate managers.
Other potential candidates, such as former Toronto Police chief Mark Saunders and former Liberal MP and cabinet minister Marco Mendicino, are also opting not to run.
FormerToronto Suncolumnist Anthony Fureyis still considering a run despite losing a recent byelection for a council seat last November.
At this point, the only declared candidate, other than Chow, is Beaches-East York Councillor Bradford. While he lost in the 2023 byelection that saw Chow elected, Bradford has been campaigning ever since and has set himself up as the voice of the opposition at City Hall.
Whether it is Bradford or some candidate not yet seen –but not Ben Mulroney– we need generational change at Toronto City Hall. Not just in the mayor’s office, but among the councillors as well.
We need new thinking and strong leadership and that means turning the page on Chow and Tory, plus a long list of councillors.
