Michael Taube: Chris Alexander, give it up already - National Post

Chris Alexander, former minister of immigration and Conservative Party leader candidate, speaks during the Conservative Party of Canada leadership debate. Photo by Ben Nelms /BloombergArticle contentThe Toronto mayoral election will be held on Oct. 26. Olivia Chow has led since the beginning, but there are signs her re-election bid could be in some jeopardy. If a certain someone would listen to reason and drop out, the left-wing incumbent mayor would likely be on her way out, too.

Three recent polls indicate the gap between Chow and her main opponent, city councilior Brad Bradford, is narrowing.

Mainstreet Research’s Sept.14-17 poll had Chow leading Bradford by 46-38 per cent, with former Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander at 10 per cent and the Other category at seven per cent. Liaison Strategies’s Sept. 19-20 poll put Chow ahead of Bradford by 47-40 per cent, with Alexander at 10 per cent and Other at three per cent. Forum Research’s Sept. 23 poll suggested Chow led Bradford by 46-35 per cent, with Alexander well back at six per cent and Other totalling 13 per cent.

Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

If you average the three polls, Chow’s lead is in single digits, which can easily dissipate under the right political circumstances. Support for other candidates is notably high in Forum’s poll, too. This could mean some Torontonians are hedging their bets until election day.

If so, it shows a fundamental lack of awareness of what damage a second Chow term could potentially cause.

Chow has been an unmitigated disaster since winning the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election. Municipal and property taxes increased by 9.5 per cent in 2024 and 6.9 per cent in 2025. They went up an additional 2.2 per cent in 2026, a smaller amount that was offset by plucking $1.7 billion from the city’s reserve funds. In other words, raiding the coffers was the only option for the spendthrift mayor’s team to shift the narrative away from her poor economic record.

Meanwhile, Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley noted on Sept. 24 that Chow’s “spending on transit increased by $647 million (about 27 per cent) between 2023 and 2026.” He mentioned other increases, including “emergency management up 48.3 per cent since Chow took office, the city clerk’s office up 48.2 per cent and municipal licensing and standards up 43.6 per cent.” These spending hikes haven’t led to improved quality of services, but have certainly added to Chow’s list of wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

Crime and safety have been low priorities, too.

While Chow has suggested crime rates were down during her mayoralty, Lilley noted this was “based on the fact that the current year’s crime rate is lower than the previous two years, which were record highs.” In the past three years, crime levels “have been among the highest on record for Toronto.” There’s also been a significant rise of antisemitism in Toronto’s Jewish community. Chow and her staff have repeatedly denied a lack of interest or involvement in this situation. Her decision to skip the Sept. 8 mayoral debate about antisemitism because her campaign wasn’t being launched until the following day didn’t alleviate those concerns whatsoever.