Chow says she's gotten 'really good start' in first 100 days, but challenges loom at Toronto city hall

Friday marks 100 days since Olivia Chow took over as the mayor of Toronto, and she says though that time flew by, all she can focus on is the vast array of tasks ahead of city officials.

In a wide-ranging conversation with CBC Toronto's Shawn Jeffords, Chow said she feels she has gotten a "really good start" on a host of issues, but she's hearing from members of the public that much more needs to be done to improve city services.

"That should be the priority — what is it that the people need in this city so that we can create a better, more caring city? What can we do to make life more affordable? That's what I'm hearing every day when I'm out meeting with the public," she said.

Speaking to CBC Toronto, Chow said she is temporarily pumping the brakes on tearing down the eastern leg of the Gardiner Expressway — a key campaign promise she made during the Spring byelection.

She says before the city considers the move, discussions need to take place on a provincial upload of the entire Gardiner and the Don Valley Parkway.

"I think it's important to have this kind of conversation with other levels of government to say that is it fair for the residents of Toronto to pay for highways that are used so much by people living outside the city?" Chow said.

She says "all options are on the table," when it comes to tackling Toronto's $1.5-billion budget deficit.

You can hear more about Chow's plans for taxes, the police budget, housing, construction on the Gardiner and more in the video in the player at the top of this story.

The first 100 days have seen Chow look to make her mark on the walls of the mayor's office and city council's agenda.

In recent weeks, she made shelter supports for asylum seekers a priority, boosted transit service, hiked the vacant home tax and promised expedited approvals for CafeTO, the city's seasonal sidewalk patio program dogged by complaints from business owners.

"Those are just the beginning. There's so much more to do," she said.

Real leadership tests still ahead: politics expert

But on two of her most important files, affordable housing and the city's finances, the real tests of her leadership are still ahead, said Myer Siemiatycki, professor emeritus of politics at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Chow will head into the 2024 budget process with an estimated $1.5 billion shortfall and no immediate clarity on how it will be filled. And her banner campaign promise to get the city back into building affordable rental housing will require time and political will, he said.

"Has she made a significant dent into municipal finances and housing files? ... The jury is still out on that," said Siemiatycki, who applauded her early tenure.

"It's a crisis that none of her predecessors were able to crack."

LISTEN | Chow reflects on her first 100 days in office: 

Chow has already looked to make advances. She fast-tracked discussions about, and then secured council's approval for, a long-term financial plan that came alongside new graduated tax rates on the sale of luxury homes and mulls a number of possible revenue-generating tools, from a parking levy to a multi-year property tax policy.

But asked what she sees as a defining moment since she took office on July 12, she points to council's support for her committee appointments.

"That was really important for me," she said. "Some of them really know how this place functions inside out, so having their experience is really important."

Those appointments also caught the attention of city hall watchers who see it as a savvy attempt at coalition building.

City hall dynamic Chow's 'greatest achievement'

Shelley Carroll, one of the council's most vocal backers of Chow's main mayoral campaign challengers, secured the high-profile budget chief position. Jamaal Myers, a rookie progressive and transit advocate for the city's east end, is heading up the Toronto Transit Commission board. Even Stephen Holyday, a fiscal conservative and one of Chow's least reliable votes, is in on the action, chairing the audit committee.

Siemiatycki said it cuts a contrast with former mayor John Tory's more tightly managed inner circle.

"I think in terms of the culture, the dynamic, the vibe at city hall, that has been perhaps her foundational, greatest achievement, because that will enable everything else to come," he said, speaking about Chow's first 100 days.

And to others, that culture shift extends beyond council appointments.

Diana Chan McNally, an outspoken harm reduction worker, said she and other front-line housing advocates have been invited into city hall conversations and directly consulted by the mayor.

"Instead of having a stranglehold on the conversation ... what we're seeing now is that we're actually willing to have, if not a balanced conversation, then a conversation about what needs to be done. That's the thing that really stands out," she said.

McNally advised on the city's winter homelessness plan, which she said is still "deficient," but includes some important gains. Among them, the plan includes a 24-7 respite centre, something advocates had pushed the city to include in last year's plan, as well as additional sites at warming centres.

"We'll never agree on everything, but at least the conversation can happen," said McNally.

Chow lamented the slow pace of the city's discussions with the federal government, but said she was encouraged by the working group she struck with Premier Doug Ford on stabilizing the city's finances. That group is set to report back with a proposed deal by the end of next month.