Published Wednesday, July 12, 2023 5:14AM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, July 12, 2023 12:33PM EDT
The 66-year-old is the first person of colour to lead Canada's most populous city and has pledged to build what she calls a more caring and affordable city.
"Today is a day for renewal," Chow said to cheers and applause moments after she took office at city hall.
"The message was loud and clear -- people want change." Chow, a former NDP MP and past city councillor, defeated 101 other candidates to win last month's mayoral byelection to replace John Tory. Her victory vaults a progressive into Toronto's top job for the first time in over a decade. It also comes at a time when Toronto is facing pressing issues, including a nearly $1-billion shortfall in this year's budget, driven in large part by decreasing transit revenues and increased shelter costs. A city staff report indicates there are enough COVID-19 reserve funds set aside to prop up this year's budget, but without more money the backstop would be insufficient to cover next year's projected shortfall of up to $927 million. Chow has pledged to get local government back into the business of building social housing and to spend millions to acquire and preserve affordable units. | The ADs on this page are posted by Affiliate of corresponding companies (not their employee) ~AD~ |
The new mayor has said she would call a special meeting of the Executive Committee in August to discuss pressing matters, including the city's long-term financial plan.
Since the June 26 byelection, Chow has been meeting with city administration, finalizing her team and holding transition engagements with civil service and non-profits on priority issues, including housing and community crisis response.
The city's housing crisis and the record levels of people experiencing homelessness are set to test Chow's term.
Adding to a sense of urgency, the city has been deadlocked with the federal government over a request to provide more money to help house asylum seekers, with the city recently instituting a policy of turning away those applicants from at-capacity shelters towards federal programs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2023.