<For Chow, the only good news is that it’s not all bad news. If you can look past this approximately $2.1 billion combined budget problem and really squint, you can see some bright spots.
Revenue from business licences is running $600,000 ahead of budget due to increased business activity. Bike Share system revenue was up a staggering 192 per cent last year compared to pre-pandemic levels last year and continues to look impressive this year. The municipal accommodation tax, from hotel stays and short-term rental services like Airbnb, has derived revenues $4.5 million higher than expected so far this year. Heck, even the Toronto Zoo offers reason for a bit of hope. They’re projecting a $1.8-million surplus this year, driven by nearly 70,000 more annual visitors than they expected.
Call me a naive optimist, but in those kinds of numbers I see evidence that this is still a city that people want to invest in, visit and explore.
If Chow can deal with the financial problems of the Tory era, she can help build a city that functions again. But set your expectations accordingly. If there are missteps, let’s not overlook that the baggage Tory leaves behind is incredibly heavy. Chow didn’t create it, but she’s got to carry it.>
As much as I like to believe that ... I am a lifelong NDP supporter and I'll never give them up either ... I am also not naive as to think that just people showing support for any government can change anything. Money, power and influence runs the system and the more you have of it, the more you can influence people and organizations. Just look at Coca-cola, everyone still drinks it because we are all led to believe how great it is. Money has to be eroded from the government system first from everywhere before any real chance can occur. Otherwise, the fighting, infighting and struggles will always remain the same.
I too am an NDP supporter, and I'm quite hopeful. Chow's win shows that people standing together can sometimes beat the high moneyed developer class which Tory and Ford and Bailao and Kouvalis represented. And she's been meeting with community leaders and other politicians from day one. I'm quite optimistic. There's more to come, and we need to be onside in our support of these initiatives.