Olivia Chow campaigned for re-election from the political centre.
asserted
Chow → campaign → centre
Canada’s largest city now has a more left-wing council than before.
asserted
city → have → council
Whatever the mayor was planning for her second term, Chow will certainly face pressure from council to be more left-wing than she was the first time around.
asserted
she → plan → council
A lot of centre and centre-right observers were certainly prepared for Chow to narrowly eke out a win.
asserted
Chow → eke → win
She beat challenger Brad Bradford by a considerable margin: 532,201 to 404,013.
asserted
She → beat → margin
Here’s a wild statistic to chew on: Olivia Chow likely received more direct votes than any politician ever in Canadian history.
asserted
Chow → ’ → history
There’s a reason why some people call the Toronto mayoralty one of the most powerful political seats in the country.
asserted
people → ’ → country
The thinking was that if Chow won, it wouldn’t be by much and there would at least be turnover on council — with some left-wing incumbents losing and being replaced by more centrist or centre-right councillors.
asserted
incumbents → win → councillors
This scenario would have resulted in more centrist policies at city hall.
asserted
scenario → result → hall
Chow campaigned on more modest tax increases than last term and a promise to focus on public safety.
asserted
Chow → campaign → safety
If council was balanced, she would have been held to those promises and pushed to do even more.
asserted
she → hold → more
That didn’t happen, though.
asserted
That → happen → ?
There were a number of wards in which the polling suggested a close race, but
uncertain
polling → be → race
in all of them the left-wing candidate ultimately prevailed by a decent margin.
asserted
candidate → prevail → margin
Brad Bradford had played the role of leader of the opposition.
asserted
Bradford → play → opposition
But he is no longer on council and has been replaced in his council seat by former Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who will be a key member of Chow’s team.
asserted
who → replace → team
The public will see very few if any viral clips coming out of council calling for, say, fiscal responsibility.
asserted
public → see → responsibility
It was already hard to get these messages out before the election.
asserted
It → get → election
The pressure put on Chow will not be coming from centre-right voices, but from the more left-wing council members.
asserted
pressure → put → members
This also calls into question whether Chow’s approach to collaborating with other levels of government will be maintained.
asserted
approach → call → government
The mayor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have worked together on a number of key issues and it has served them both well.
asserted
it → work → them
But Ford’s leadership on removing bike lanes from major Toronto streets and closing down the drug injection sites are things the left wants to fight tooth and nail.
asserted
left → remove → sites
Chow will be expected to oppose Ford more.
asserted
Chow → expect → Ford
It looks like the beatings will continue until morale improves.
asserted
morale → look → ?
They can’t share the wealth if others don’t generate it, and their policies risk running people out of town.
asserted
policies → share → town
A friend of mine who runs a manufacturing business in Scarborough recently opened a plant in the United States and says that all of the other manufacturers she knows have done the same in recent years.
asserted
she → run → years
They’ve already got one foot out the door.
asserted
They → get → door
They’re not doing this because they want to leave their homes.
asserted
they → do → homes
They’d rather stay.
asserted
They → stay → ?
They’re doing it because economic and political considerations are leaving them with little choice.
asserted
considerations → do → choice
To be fair, provincial and federal policies play just as big a role in these business decisions.
asserted
policies → play → decisions
But the City of Toronto should be focused on retaining these jobs and fostering a climate in which businesses want to invest and prosperous and ambitious families want to move.
asserted
families → focus → which
This is done in part by making Toronto a more livable city.
asserted
Toronto → do → part
Intolerable gridlock, high taxes and public disorder do the opposite.
asserted
gridlock → do → opposite
They send us towards a Detroit-style downward spiral.
asserted
They → send → spiral
Yet Toronto council is not focused on turning these problems around.
asserted
council → focus → problems
Olivia Chow’s first term as mayor was a shortened three years and she was working with a council mostly elected during the John Tory era that was familiar with his way of doing business.
asserted
that → work → business
This term will last a full four years and it’s made up largely of Chow’s people.
asserted
it → last → people
You’re going to need it.
asserted
You → go → it
The Aporia
