Anthony Furey says he's the mayor Toronto needs, but offers no clear plan to pay for his agenda
CBC News | Posted: June 15, 2023 9:00 AM | Last Updated: June 15, 2023
Former Toronto Sun columnist has won support in polls despite not having a costed platform
Anthony Furey made his case to be Toronto's next mayor on CBC Radio's Metro Morning Thursday, saying his top priorities would include phasing out supervised drug consumption sites, hiring more police and ensuring no new taxes are introduced.
"This is an election about priorities," he told guest host Piya Chattopadhyay.
Furey has never run for public office in Toronto, but a number of polls show he's garnering significant support in the city despite the fact that he hasn't said how he'll pay for his agenda. Pushed for further details about how he would address the $1.5-billion budget hole, Furey said he would cut "pet projects" and advocate for the business community.
The former Sun newspaper columnist and current executive at True North media painted his political inexperience as an asset, saying it would help him bring a fresh perspective to city hall.
"I'm proud to say I did not serve on council," Furey said. "I'm not one of the people who broke [the city], I'm one of the people to fix it."
LISTEN | Furey makes his pitch to Toronto voters:
Furey has also vowed to scrap the municipal land transfer tax for first-time home buyers and phase it out entirely over four years.
There are 102 candidates running to be Toronto's next mayor. You can hear pitches from many of them here.
Election day is set for June 26. There have already been promising signs that voter turnout may be better in this election than it was in 2022, when just about one-in-three eligible Torontonians cast a ballot.