She's coming.....
Olivia Chow ‘seriously considering’ run for mayor as she calls on Harper to give Toronto storm relief funding
Olivia Chow — who announced she’s “seriously considering” running for mayor of Toronto — is urging the Conservative government to work with Ontario to provide relief funding that would help Canada’s largest city recover from a recent ice storm.
“Stephen Harper be fair, act now, and help out Toronto,” Chow said.
The former Toronto city councillor joined fellow New Democrat MPs from Toronto Thursday to call on the prime minister to come to the city’s aid Thursday.
Chow added that if the federal government could help Calgary, which dealt with severe flooding last year, it could help Toronto as well.
“Calgary got help, fairly immediately,” the NDP MP who represents the Trinity-Spadina riding said. “They had a flood, we had a flood and an ice storm.”
A number of polls show that Chow, the wife of late NDP leader Jack Layton, would be the frontrunner in the Toronto mayoral race if she joined.
However, Ford’s top contenders are two who are keeping their cards close to their chest on whether they plan to run. Chow would be the left’s de-facto candidate and a stark personality contrast with Ford if she registered. Former Progressive Conservative leader and current radio host John Tory is also believed to be seriously considering a candidacy and would be a real threat to win over former Ford supporters who have grown tired with the mayor’s personal antics. Both Tory and Chow are believed to have a campaign organization already in place.
Some contenders will likely wait until later in the ten-month campaign to announce their run.
Meanwhile, MP Andrew Cash said Thursday it was “unacceptable” the federal government hadn’t said anything about helping the city deal with the aftermath of the storm which stalled travel, downed power lines and left hundreds of thousands in the dark for days.
“We’re quite simply demanding that the federal government show the kind of leadership that a national government will when Canada’s largest city is faced with such an intense natural disaster,” he said.
Public Safety Canada has said Toronto’s request for financial help must first go to the provincial government, which decides if disaster assistance is warranted and how much it can reasonably pay.
The province could then go to the federal government to seek funding under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements if eligible expenditures exceed $1 per person, based on provincial population.
Toronto city council agreed this week to ask the province to declare the city a “disaster area” — a move required to qualify for relief funding under an Ontario program.
The city is seeking help not just for the ice storm which cost an estimated $106 million, but is also looking for assistance dealing with the $65.2 million in costs arising from a severe rainstorm that swamped parts of Toronto on July 8.
Toronto staff have suggested the city, the province and the federal government each bear one-third — or about $57 million — of the total storm-related costs.
A meeting is expected Friday between municipal leaders and Ontario’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister to discuss cleanup funding assistance that has been requested by a number of communities affected by last month’s ice storm.
Olivia Chow ‘seriously considering’ run for mayor as she calls on Harper to give Toronto storm relief funding
Olivia Chow ‘seriously considering’ run for mayor as she calls on Harper to give Toronto storm relief funding
Olivia Chow — who announced she’s “seriously considering” running for mayor of Toronto — is urging the Conservative government to work with Ontario to provide relief funding that would help Canada’s largest city recover from a recent ice storm.
“Stephen Harper be fair, act now, and help out Toronto,” Chow said.
The former Toronto city councillor joined fellow New Democrat MPs from Toronto Thursday to call on the prime minister to come to the city’s aid Thursday.
Chow added that if the federal government could help Calgary, which dealt with severe flooding last year, it could help Toronto as well.
“Calgary got help, fairly immediately,” the NDP MP who represents the Trinity-Spadina riding said. “They had a flood, we had a flood and an ice storm.”
A number of polls show that Chow, the wife of late NDP leader Jack Layton, would be the frontrunner in the Toronto mayoral race if she joined.
However, Ford’s top contenders are two who are keeping their cards close to their chest on whether they plan to run. Chow would be the left’s de-facto candidate and a stark personality contrast with Ford if she registered. Former Progressive Conservative leader and current radio host John Tory is also believed to be seriously considering a candidacy and would be a real threat to win over former Ford supporters who have grown tired with the mayor’s personal antics. Both Tory and Chow are believed to have a campaign organization already in place.
Some contenders will likely wait until later in the ten-month campaign to announce their run.
Meanwhile, MP Andrew Cash said Thursday it was “unacceptable” the federal government hadn’t said anything about helping the city deal with the aftermath of the storm which stalled travel, downed power lines and left hundreds of thousands in the dark for days.
“We’re quite simply demanding that the federal government show the kind of leadership that a national government will when Canada’s largest city is faced with such an intense natural disaster,” he said.
Public Safety Canada has said Toronto’s request for financial help must first go to the provincial government, which decides if disaster assistance is warranted and how much it can reasonably pay.
The province could then go to the federal government to seek funding under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements if eligible expenditures exceed $1 per person, based on provincial population.
Toronto city council agreed this week to ask the province to declare the city a “disaster area” — a move required to qualify for relief funding under an Ontario program.
The city is seeking help not just for the ice storm which cost an estimated $106 million, but is also looking for assistance dealing with the $65.2 million in costs arising from a severe rainstorm that swamped parts of Toronto on July 8.
Toronto staff have suggested the city, the province and the federal government each bear one-third — or about $57 million — of the total storm-related costs.
A meeting is expected Friday between municipal leaders and Ontario’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister to discuss cleanup funding assistance that has been requested by a number of communities affected by last month’s ice storm.
Olivia Chow ‘seriously considering’ run for mayor as she calls on Harper to give Toronto storm relief funding
