If Mayor Olivia Chow loses on Oct. 26, she can’t blame her campaign team.
asserted
she → lose → team
I see plenty of Chow lawn signs on high-profile city plots, which speaks to a well-organized volunteer crew.
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which → see → crew
Equally helpful, the left-wing activist group Progress Toronto has done the arms-length dirty work of attacking her main opponent, Brad Bradford.
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group → do → opponent
The mayor has received endorsements from the usual suspects, even if it’s unclear who would be swayed by former NDP premier Bob Rae declaring his support for former NDP MP Chow.
uncertain
who → receive → Chow
A 40-year career politician, Chow is riding both name recognition and incumbency — traditionally silver bullets in municipal elections.
asserted
Chow → rid → elections
Despite these luxuries, Chow and Bradford are now polling within the margin of error.
Having started her political career in 1985 as a Toronto school board trustee, the mayor must know that voters care about deliverables.
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voters → poll → deliverables
Unfortunately for Chow, she has little to show for her first term.
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she → have → term
According to her campaign, Chow’s three hallmark achievements have been freezing TTC fares, expanding a school lunch program and increasing library hours.
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achievements → accord → hours
If you want to assess Chow’s record, that’s a great place to start.
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that → want → record
TTC ridership fell more than 6 million last year, and that trend continued through the first half of 2026.
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trend → fall → 2026
A fare freeze — combined with a push by employers for staff to spend more time at the office — should have provided a boost.
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staff → combine → boost
It didn’t.
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It → do → ?
Meanwhile, GO Transit ridership grew consistently over the same 18-month period.
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ridership → grow → period
Councillor Josh Matlow, a TTC board member and Chow ally, connects lower ridership to the fact that “some riders do not feel safe on the TTC.”
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riders → connect → TTC
As someone who has taken the subway regularly since 1976, I don’t think Chow appreciates just how bad things have become.
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things → take → 1976
When she revealed during the recent CityTV debate that she hadn’t taken the TTC regularly for some time, instead using a driver paid by the city, it all made sense.
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it → reveal → sense
On the school lunch front, it’s hard to assess Chow’s record.
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it → ’ → record
Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank reported more than 4 million client visits during a 12-month period — up 18 per cent over the previous year.
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Bank → report → year
Longer library hours are certainly a good idea, but the fact that my own local library requires a security guard during the moms-and-tots morning story-time session speaks volumes.
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library → require → volumes
Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw claims “the data is showing some real improvements” on crime, yet the TPS crime portal reports that “major crimes” are up 30 per cent over the past 10 years.
uncertain
crimes → claim → years
During Chow’s tenure from 2022 to 2025, home invasions are up 83 per cent, assault causing bodily harm 23 per cent and robbery with a weapon 21 per cent.
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invasions → cause → weapon
The recent decrease in car thefts is welcome, but they’re still 112 per cent higher than a decade ago.
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they → ’re → thefts
As Chow doesn’t own a car, she didn’t experience the pain of thousands of her constituents who came to find that the only way to avoid a $1,000 increase in annual insurance premiums was to reach into our own pocket and buy a TAG GPS tracking device.
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way → own → device
“Toronto has a public-safety reputation problem,” according to David Valentin of Liaison Strategies.
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Toronto → have → Strategies
Perhaps that explains why so many entrepreneurs are starting businesses elsewhere.
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entrepreneurs → explain → businesses
According to the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, eight of Canada’s 10 most active seed-investor groups are based outside Toronto.
uncertain
eight → accord → Toronto
Fewer new startups means fewer job opportunities for our youth.
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startups → mean → youth
My colleague Richard Warnica believes Chow has struggled “to read and respond to the public mood,” but I think her problem is more fundamental.
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problem → believe → mood
By putting energy into renaming Yonge-Dundas Square, for example, instead of fixing the fraying fabric of this once-great city, Chow gave the public a glimpse of her priorities.
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Chow → put → priorities
Many didn’t like what they saw.
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they → like → what
The Aporia
