NEWS – June 19, 2023

TORONTO – With seven days left to go in Toronto’s Mayoral Campaign, the polls continue to show that Anthony Furey is the only candidate with momentum. 

Forum Research’s Monday poll shows Furey has hit his highest number to date, is in a statistical tie within the margin of error for second place, and that the other candidates have stalled.

On Monday, Furey today kicked off the first in a series of four final policy statements, to be followed by a three-day blitz of all of Toronto’s wards.

“I’m standing up for respect for taxpayers and a pro-business, low tax environment,” Furey said in Scarborough. “This City simply cannot afford an Olivia Chow mayoralty. The property tax hike will be immense if she is elected Mayor.”

“Let’s not forget that landlords will just pass property tax increases on to tenants.”

Furey urged voters to keep in mind that Toronto has a $16.2 billion operating budget this year – a budget which has ballooned by 50% in the past decade.

“All that money spent, and yet we can’t even fix the potholes,” Furey added. “It’s time to go back to basics. I will say no to the creation of new taxes and will keep property tax below the rate of inflation. Toronto taxpayers can’t take it any more.”

This is one reason why Furey has pledged a spending review and full audit of City Hall finances to find out where hard-pressed taxpayers’ money is going – and where it could be better spent.

Furey’s strategy for re-prioritizing City spending, raising revenues and ending waste also includes:

• saying no to new taxes like the municipal sales tax, road tolls and commercial parking levies – which all the former councillors running for mayor voted to proceed with studies on
• an end to closed tendering for municipal contracts
• a non-core services hiring freeze on bureaucrats, to reallocate the funds to police and other core services
• exploring revenue collection from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• seeking a carbon tax rebate from the federal government
• reviewing wage-inflating post-secondary education requirements for all City jobs where appropriate – such as gardening staff
• putting a stop to costly, ideologically driven pet projects, like even more bike lanes and re-naming Dundas Street, and
• suing Metrolinx for breach of contract and damages incurred by the City over the disastrous Eglinton Crosstown project

“It’s time to clean up the books, get our priorities straight and say no to costly new taxes, if we hope to make life more affordable and help the City we love back on its feet.”

MEDIA CONTACT

Mike Bendixen | Senior Media Advisor
The Anthony Furey for Mayor Campaign
Telephone: 416-951-6397
media@furey.ca