Housing, property taxes, strong mayor powers: Olivia Chow weighs in as Toronto's mayor-elect

Hours after being elected mayorof Canada's most populous city, Olivia Chow said herfirst order of businesswill beto focus on affordable housingbut wouldn't provide any hints about how much property taxes might rise after she takes office.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve," Chow told CBC Radio'sMetro MorningTuesday."I proposed to get sworn inin two weeks because I want to get started."

Asked what the first item on the agenda will be, Chow said she will work on approving proposed affordable housing plans, adding that she hopes to work with the deputy mayor and other councillors to speed up the process.

The 66-year-old veteran politician and first racialized person to be elected as Toronto's mayor, who has pledged to bring change to the city, will be at city hall for meetings Tuesday.

"We need a city government that reflects the people they serve," Chow said.

The mayor-elect will headto Toronto city hall a day afterdefeating101 rivals to win the city's top job.Sheplans to take office on July 12, the city clerk confirmed in a statement Tuesday morning.John D. Elvidge said the official election resultsare set to be certified byWednesday at the latest.

Chow's request to officially begin her tenure asmayor is "subject to the certification of the official results," he added.

One immediate challenge for the former NDP parliamentarian and past city councillor will be tackling a nearly $1-billion pandemic-related budget shortfall, partly driven by reduced transit revenue and increased shelter costs.

Chow will also have to tackle issues of housing unaffordability and public safety concerns.

WATCH |Chow on working with Premier Doug Ford:

Olivia Chow says she'll find common ground with Ontario premier

1 year ago

Duration 9:59

Toronto mayor-elect Olivia Chow says her first order of business is building affordable housing in the city, and she'll work with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to reach that goal.

Chow campaigned from the left, promising to boost rent supplements by introducing a "luxury home tax," an expanded land transfer tax on homes sold for $3 million and over. She also said she'll triple the city's existing vacant homes tax to three per cent.

She did not release a fully costed platformand repeatedly declined to say by how much she would need to raise property taxes to pay for her suite of commitments a point of criticism from her main rivals throughout the campaign.

Asked Tuesday morning when Torontonians can expect to know the full details of the tax increase, she said that will be in March of next year but declined to say how much.

"I've said it's a modest tax increase, but I can't give a number," Chowtold CBC News Network Tuesday."Unfortunately there's a big budget deficit and my priority is to look at all affordable housing plans that are ready to go."

Chow has vowed to work with other big city mayors across the country to renegotiate a new deal with the provincial and federal governments on municipal finances.

But city hall watchers say with no indication the other levels of government plan to bail out this year's city budget, Chow will be quickly faced with tough decisions.

"You look at the period of John Tory as mayor, you know, he bent over backwards to avoid any kind of residential property tax increase," said Zack Taylor, political science professor at Western University.

"And now we're at the point where instead of a bunch of incremental rises. It's probably going to have to be a pretty substantial increase."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Chow was asked if she's rethinking her earlier promise not to use the strong mayor powers afforded by the Ford government to Tory last year.

"I believe in democracy," she replied, adding that today in Hong Kong, the place where her parents came from, "democracy warriors" including lawyers and former legislators are in jail for pushing for democracy.

"I do not want to violate the principle of democracy because that is pretty sacred."

Vowing change

Chow eked out a win in the mayoral byelection against other candidates vying to replace scandal-departed Tory, with former deputy mayor Ana Bailo coming in a close second.She secured at least 37.2 per cent of the total vote share.

Josh Matlow, who was considered one of the top mayoral candidates throughout the campaign, came in fourth with 4.91 per cent of votes.

"I'm ready for a mayor who wants to take our challenges seriously," Matlow, who will remain city councillor, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning Tuesday.

"I look forward to helping her in any way I can."

Ford and Chow to seek'middle ground'

In the weeks leading up to the election, Ford said it would be"an unmitigated disaster" if Chow was elected as mayor.

On Tuesday, Ford,who endorsed mayoral candidate and former police chiefMark Saunders,softened his tune, congratulating Chow and vowing to work together.

"I had a great talk with her last night and, you know, she's been in politics long enough and during the election you throw some mud back and forth. But I'll tell you one thing, people expect us to work together and that's exactly what we're going to do," Ford said after an unrelated announcement in southwestern Ontario.

"We're going to find common ground when we sit down because she's actually quite a nice person."

WATCH | Ford says Chow victory would be 'disaster' ahead of election:

'An unmitigated disaster:' Doug Ford tees off on Olivia Chow

1 year ago

Duration 0:57

Premier Doug Ford says businesses will flee Toronto if Olivia Chow becomes the city's mayor.

On Tuesday morning, Chow said her and Ford agree on desired outcomes like having morehousing but differ on how to reach them.

"If we believe in the same goal, just the approaches are different, then let's share our experience as to why that approach and why my approach ... is there a middle ground?"

On issues that they do disagree on, like whether the Ontario Science Centre should move to Ontario Place Ford thinks it should Chow says respect is key.

"We will negotiate, we will discuss, we'll share some experiences," she said. "Maybe we'll go for a walk in Ontario Place to take a look at what it is now, how we could make it better."

Chow ran on a platform to have the city build new social housing and invest millions in a program to acquire and preserve affordable units as part of a larger suite of renter protections.

She has also vowed to reverse cuts to transit service and to extend mental health crisis response teams citywide to reduce 911 wait times and divert calls from police.

Her campaign also pledged to expand rent supplements to 1,000 homes and boost the number of 24/7 respite homeless shelters.