Toronto faces big challenges, city's outgoing deputy mayor says ahead of Chow's swearing-in

On her last full day of mayoral duties, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said she has enjoyed leading the city for the past four months but the job has been difficult at times and the city faces big challenges ahead.

"I will say that the most heartbreaking part of this job is the morning phone calls that you get from the fire chief saying that there's been a fatality, or the calls you get from the police chief saying that an innocent bystander in the city has been murdered," McKelvie told reporters at city hall on Tuesday.

"We need to continue to invest in safety. We've started to make those investments this year," she said. "But we do know we have a long way to go. Every time, it is heartbreaking. Every time, we are horrified. And as a council, we need to continue to work together to continue to make those investments and to turn the dial."

McKelvie, who has been in charge since John Tory stepped down in February, said keeping the city safe and getting a better fiscal deal for Toronto will remain key challenges for city council when Olivia Chow takes office as the city's 66th mayor on Wednesday.

McKelvie has led council for 144 days. On Wednesday, she returns to her role as city councillor for Scarborough-Rouge Park, Ward 25.

City council will be required to help Chow address public safety after a string of violent incidents on city streets and on the TTC, she said.

"It's not just her responsibility. It's everybody's responsibility on council...We need to support her in that effort."

As for Toronto's finances, McKelvie said the city continues to be in a tough financial position.

Toronto faces a financial shortfall of $395 million for 2022, she said. The provincial government contributed $235 million to the shortfall, but the federal government failed to match the provincial contribution, she said.

"It is no secret that the city is enduring the lingering financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

McKelvie chaired the city's executive committee meeting for the last time on Tuesday and that committee reviewed capital and operating variance reports for the 12 months that ended Dec. 31, 2022. The capital variance report recommends that council reduce its capital budget by $300 million and make a one-time draw of $95 million from what is known as the "COVID-19 reserve backstop," an emergency reserve of funds, to manage the 2022 shortfall.

As part of the 2022 budget process, the city was required to establish a backstop, which is "a contingency plan of required capital budget reductions," and paused capital funding that would have otherwise supported Toronto's growing infrastructure investment requirements, the city says on its website.

"The COVID-19 backstop will now be reduced to $1.039 billion, which is sufficient to manage the 2023 budgeted COVID-19 impacts," McKelvie said. "However, without additional provincial and federal support, difficult decisions will need to be made for 2024."

In August, a special meeting of the executive committee with Chow will consider a staff report outlining a long-term financial plan for the city. That report will go to council in September.

McKelvie, who said she loves Toronto, said she enjoyed meeting residents at more than 120 events in all 25 wards as mayor since Feb. 17. The events included welcoming the Women's National Basketball Association to Toronto, celebrating the largest graduating class of firefighters in the city's history and officially opening the new Love Park downtown.

She also said she is proud of her accomplishments. 

McKelvie said council has dealt with 530 items during her stint as mayor. These items include; approving the housing action plan, which is a commitment to overseeing the building 285,000 new homes by 2031; ending exclusionary zoning to allow for multiplexes; working with the TTC, city staff and Toronto police to track the impact of investments the city made to increase safety on the TTC; and hosting the city's mental health roundtable.

She said she has also secured $913 million in funding for Toronto from other governments. The money includes:

• $226 million from the province to ensure the construction of five SmartTrack stations in the city.
• $235 million from the province for the city's 2022 shortfall related to transit and housing.
• $48 million from the province for wrap-around services for vulnerable residents in supportive housing.
• $55 million from the province for public health.
• $349 million from the government of Canada toward the purchase of 340 zero-emission TTC buses and 248 bus chargers. 

Asked about what surprised her as deputy mayor, McKelvie said in an interview with CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Tuesday: "It is a big city. I already knew that, but we have big challenges."

As for advice for Chow, she added: "My advice to her would be to listen to our amazing City of Toronto staff. The role of the mayor is to be the CEO of the corporation. You are its biggest cheerleader. You need to support those staff and listen to them. They are amazing people with great advice and lots of experience."

McKelvie told reporters that she is looking forward to going on vacation at the end of month and representing her constituents.

"I'm going to miss seeing residents across Toronto, but I'm really looking forward to serving my community of Scarborough Rouge-Park 100 per cent of the time. That's what I signed up to do and that's why I didn't run for mayor," she said.

Coun. Shelley Carroll, who represents Don Valley North, Ward 17, said McKelvie has been a very capable mayor.

"I've had a front row seat watching her go through this period of time and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job," she said. 

Chow will be sworn in at an official ceremony on Wednesday.