Olivia Chow is my choice for mayor. In fact, I voted for her in the advanced polls. I wanted to talk about some of the reasons I like Olivia Chow.

First of all, her decision to implement fare capping on the TTC. The TTC is incredibly expensive, and I appreciate her decision to make that a little bit more affordable. Making it more accessible will allow lower income folks to get to and from work and other outings.

She’s also proposed property taxes for luxury homebuyers in Toronto. When people talk about “taxing the rich” this is precisely the kind of thing we’re talking about.

She is also promising to address homelessness and drug use. Adding more beds in drug treatment and mental support service housing. Encampments have been cleared under Olivia Chow’s first term as mayor, but homeless shelters have also increased.

Olivia Chow has made a lot of decisions that many people in the city generally aren’t happy with- but it’s clear as a whole that she is the candidate who cares about us the most. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Olivia Chow came into power following a mayor who put policies in place that many people didn’t agree with and wanted to change. Whenever a new mayor comes in, a period is usually spent adjusting, unraveling and changing so that the new mayor can do what they were voted to do. I am confident that Olivia Chow will be the most receptive to our needs as a community.

As I finish this post, I would like to remind people that there are two candidates with the last name Chow on the ballot this year. Olivia Chow is number 9 on the ballot. If you choose to vote for Olivia Chow, please be mindful of that!

If you are eligible to vote in the municipal election tomorrow, please see this document from the city of Toronto about what ID is required to bring. I was also told at my advanced polling station that expired ID is okay to use as long as it expired in the last 6 months and has your current address on it. Still, bring as many forms of ID with your address on it as you can, and check what else you can bring to prove your identity.

If you are eligible to vote, regardless of who you choose to vote for, please do it. It’s fast and easy to do. Once you get in, the whole process should take less than 5 minutes.

This year, I was incredibly impressed with the staff at my advanced polling station! Their professionalism made the whole process incredibly easy.