Candidates concentrate fire on front-runner Chow in first major debate of Toronto mayoral race
CTV
Olivia Chow found herself the target of most of the firepower in the first major debate of the Toronto mayoral race Monday.
Olivia Chow found herself the target of most of the firepower in the first major debate of the Toronto mayoral race Monday.
The debate, hosted by the Daily Bread Food Bank and moderated by journalist Maggie John, focused on affordability, food insecurity and poverty.
Chow, who has consistently been pegged as the front-runner by the polls so far, found herself lobbing back responses to a range of questions from her rivals in a portion of the debate where they were allowed to ask one another questions.
“It’s actually concerning that you don’t understand why and how and where it’s coming from, the $1.5 billion hole in our budget, when you’re running for mayor of Toronto,” Ana Bailao fired.
“Don’t tell me that I don’t know how to read a budget for heaven’s sake,” Chow shot back. “If you actually talked to anyone I worked with at City Hall, (no matter) which party or which political side they’re on, they will tell you that Olivia Chow knows that budget really well.”
Brad Bradford asked several times how much she would raise taxes, alleging people are "terrified" of possible tax hikes Chow might bring in.
