My uncle said Olivia Chow is a good mayor, but he can’t vote for her.
“I’m a senior. I can’t afford tax increases.” He was planning to vote for the other guy. “You think the other guy’s not going to raise your taxes?” I answered my own question, “If he’s not talking about raising taxes on Toronto billionaires or big developers, where else is he getting the money to do what he promises?”
I’ve heard some people hopping mad about their councillor because she didn’t fix their yard. I’ve heard more anger because their phone calls weren’t returned. And now they’re on a passionate campaign to depose them.
But who are they voting for?
In my uncle’s case, a mayoral candidate who is bankrolled by big developers and shadow money. The type of donors who probably won’t offer to pay their share of taxes, so we don’t have to keep paying more.
But that’s why I’m upset. Where’s the imagination in this city election?
Just south of us, across Lake Ontario in New York City, a wealth tax is expected to bring in $500 million. City-run grocery stores will provide a 30 per cent discount on core food items. And 340,000 more New Yorkers will get half-price public transit.
Back here in Toronto, we can’t afford the costs of the basics like housing, food, and transportation. And our infrastructure – roads, highways, and transit systems – has fallen way behind. So, the city’s stuck in gridlock.
While Mayor Mamdani has taken the tax burden off New Yorkers by asking the wealthy to pay a little more, Toronto has not. The focus is on making residents pay, and it doesn’t matter if they’re seniors, young families, or they just can’t afford it.
Both the left and the right in Toronto are dedicated to taxing residents. Despite having a huge tax base in the city made up of multi-millionaires and billionaires. We are the headquarters for national banks, insurance giants, telecom barons and multinational tech firms. Toronto does have the money. You just need to stop looking for it in the wrong places.
So, maybe it’s time for our city leaders to look in that direction instead of getting blood from stones like my 88-year-old uncle.
Senior’s dont like her because she is a woman. That’s all. They don’t even know what else any man says, it’s just because of that.
Let’s be real and straight.
Wish it was a different story. One day it will be SO different. Just, perhaps. Not in our time just yet.