CITY ISSUES: ’Lane hogs’ in crosshairs as endorsements, promises pile up

Here’s what key candidates running in Toronto’s mayoral byelection were up to on Wednesday:

Olivia Chow

Olivia Chow, who was among eight candidates at a CARP/Zoomer debate focusing on senior issues on Wednesday afternoon, also tweeted photos of her grandchildren doing door-to-door canvassing — “I’m so proud to be Grandma Oli to these two”– and thanked filmmaker/actor/musician/broadcaster Sook-Yin Lee for her support: “I vote for a more affordable and caring Toronto. Let’s make it happen,” said Lee, who played Chow in a biopic about her late husband Jack Layton.

Josh Matlow

Josh Matlow, who was also at the CARP/Zoomer debate, tweeted out a video reminder that he’d fine “lane hogs” — people who leave their cars illegally on the road to do an errand — up to $500. “If they don’t care about the rest of us caught in traffic during rush hour, they’re going to have to think about their own pocketbooks,” he said. He also got the endorsement of Regent Park community organizer and TTC Riders co-founder Walied Khogali Ali, who said of Matlow: “His evidence-based approach to fixing our city gives Torontonians the respect they deserve.”

Ana Bailao

Before Ana Bailao went to the CARP/Zoomer debate, she received endorsements from nine MPs: Gary Anandasangaree (Scarborough–Rouge Park), Julie Dzerowicz (Davenport); Peter Fonseca (Mississauga East–Cooksville); James Maloney (Etobicoke–Lakeshore); Judy Sgro (Humber River–Black Creek); Charles Sousa (Mississauga–Lakeshore); Arif Virani (Parkdale–High Park); Jean Yip (Scarborough–Agincourt); and Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre).

Mark Saunders

After he attended the CARP/Zoomer debate, Mark Saunders announced he’ll hire 400 police officers in addition to his earlier promise to hire 200 TTC special constables. “Toronto has a crime crisis and it’s getting worse,” said Toronto’s former police chief. “I’m the only candidate with the practical expertise to deal with this crisis.” Saunders also slammed Chow for her “anti-police” policies and the court’s decision to release on bail a man accused of threatening mayoral candidates. “We need a mayor who will work with provincial and federal partners to keep our communities safe.”

Mitzie Hunter

Before she attended the CARP/Zoomer debate, Mitzie Hunter repeated her affordability plan for renters with more city-owned rental housing than any other proposal at lower prices and large enough for families, while providing greater protections for existing tenants, saving at risk-rental buildings and providing the most comprehensive level of tenant protections, she said. The average monthly rents for Hunter’s proposed Toronto Affordable Housing Corporation studio and one-bedroom apartments would be $1,535, while a three-bedroom apartment would average $2,159 monthly.

Anthony Furey

Before he attended the CARP/Zoomer debate, Anthony Furey promised parents and their children he would do something about the drug crisis in the city, repeating his promise to close drug injection sites and replace them with treatment centres. Speaking in front of Kensington Market’s Westside Montessori School on Bellevue Ave., where a homeless encampment is metres away, Furey said: “Small children are being screamed at and sworn at, an open discarded needle box has been placed on the sidewalk near the school and human feces is regularly in the path of these kids. It’s just not right. Our children deserve better.”

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Brad Bradford

Brad Bradford was also not impressed with the release of a person accused of threatening mayoral candidates, tweeting: “I will work with Toronto Police to create bail compliance units across our 17 divisions to keep tabs on them.” He also said he’d fix CafeTO as “for weeks now businesses have been stuck waiting for their paperwork and fees to be processed by City Hall,” saying he will refund all application and permit fees in this year’s program and guarantee all patio installations are ready to go by the first Thursday in May every year.