Which candidate most accurately represents your values? Here's a quick look at where the top three contenders stand on top issues, as identified by Toronto residents.
Transit
- Boost bus service immediately upon election, by investing $15 million per year
- Build light rail transit on Finch and Sheppard Avenues and a subway relief line to service the downtown core
- Build 32 kilometres of new subway lines across Sheppard, Finch and the downtown core
- Invest in improving TTC service
- Start construction on Scarborough subway immediately
- Expand subway by 53 kilometres, with 22 new station stops
- Provide express bus services in high-traffic areas like Liberty Village
Gridlock
- Reduce unnecessary lane closures caused by construction by fining contractors for days they aren't working
- Enforce existing anti-idling laws
- Make pothole repair a priority
- Hire a traffic liaison co-ordinator
- Consider altering the route of the Gardiner Expressway
- Invest in gridlock-fighting technology
- Maintain the Gardiner Expressway, rather than tearing it down
- Fight for more federal and provincial infrastructure funding
- Oppose the implementation of road tolls
- Add queue-jumping bus lanes to major roadways like Finch Avenue and Dufferin Street
- Stagger construction projects
- Update traffic signals to monitor and adjust to gridlock
- Maintain the Gardiner Expressway, rather than tearing it down
High taxes and too many fees
- Change land transfer tax to reflect income. Taxes on homes sold for more than $2 million would rise by 1 percentage point
- Keep property tax increases in line with inflation
- Keep commercial and property taxes below the rate of inflation
- Phase out land transfer tax
- Fight against any new taxes proposed at City Hall
- Improve efficiency of city operations to avoid the need to raise taxes
- Keep property tax increases within rate of inflation
Jobs and economy
- Extend small business tax cuts to encourage entrepreneurs
- Create a single agency to represent Toronto businesses internationally
- Require that companies with city contracts hire and train young workers
- Cut wasteful spending at City Hall
- Attract investors with low taxes
- Maintain mentorship programs to help young workers find jobs
- Cut public services to reduce spending
- Cut taxes to encourage businesses to relocate to Scarborough, bringing rewarding jobs to the east end
- Encourage companies to join the Partnership to Advance Youth Employment
- Keep corporate taxes competitive with other major cities
- Draw investment into Toronto
Other issues
Chow does not support expanding the runway at Billy Bishop Airport, while Ford does and Tory is open to suggestions based on expert reports.
All three candidates would like to build more bike lanes in the city.
Ford and Tory would maintain the number of homeless shelters currently in the city, but Chow supports building more.
Ford and Tory support privatizing garbage collection, while Chow does not.
