It doesn’t appear to matter where you live in this province: people are struggling. And no level of government really seems to grasp that.
A recent report found that Toronto was more expensive to live in than Miami or New York. Just a few weeks before, a headline blared: “‘IT’S SANKOFA SQUARE, PERIOD:’ Renaming leaves millions on table” — referring to a controversial city-council decision in late 2023 to allocate funds to renaming Yonge-Dundas Square.
Mayor Olivia Chow had declared that the city of Toronto was broke and needed money from the federal government — and the project wasn’t well received. In August, the city estimated the cost of the renaming of Dundas Street would be $8.6 million; by the fall, that amount had risen to $12.7 million. The design, fabrication, and installation of new signage for the square may cost only between $105,000 and $200,000, but during an affordability crisis, every little bit matters.
There are more than 10,000 unhoused people in the city, and that’s not counting those who are couch surfing or have not been documented. The shelter system is struggling, as is the TTC. So why allocate money that could have been used to address any number of line items to renaming a public space that people will continue to call Dundas Square? (What do you guys call that big dome the Blue Jays play in?)
Provincially, the current government’s almost daily press conferences make it seem that there’s a lot happening and that the government is doing its job. But do the government’s priorities align with the needs of Ontarians?
Food-bank usage in the province was up 38 per cent between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023 — the largest single-year increase recorded, according to Feed Ontario.
We’re regularly confronted with stories of familydoctorsleaving the profession, stories upon stories of Canadians not having a family doctor and of patients in Ontario receiving cancer diagnoses in the emergency room as they have no access to a GP.
The Ontario Medical Association has repeatedly raised concerns that more than 2 million Ontarians don’t have access to a family doctor and that family doctors are leaving the profession — one said the situation is “beyond crisis levels.”
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Ministry of Health says that the recruitment and retention of family doctors is “not a major concern.”
And in the face of rising hunger, rising rents, and the shortage of family doctors, the government seems laser-focused on redevelopment plans for Ontario Place and the Ontario Science Centre — not things that are top of mind for Ontarians concerned about housing and health care.
In the country as a whole, while the GDP may be growing, people’s immediate needs are not being met. The demand for food banks has broken records, including for first-time users and individuals working full-time. Some have nowhere to live but encampments. Many can’t afford to buy a house, let alone rent.
The Bank of Canada argues that rising interest rates are necessary to protect the Canadian economy. But, as economist Armine Yalnizyan argued last year, raising interest rates “may not be the silver bullet” to address the crises we’re facing.
“I don’t think the playbook of the 1990s is fit for purpose in the 2020s,” she told the CBC. “We can do far more to make sure people don’t go hungry because of these rent hikes, to make sure people remain housed, and we’re not doing any of it. We’re relying on this 1990s solution for the early 2020s. It’s not fit for purpose.”
Last summer, my family and I were at a food festival in Scarborough. We were waiting in line for the porta-potty. There was only one unit, and the line was getting longer and longer. A woman in front of us said, and I quote, “This is Trudeau’s fault.”
If you have ever spent time online, comments like this are everywhere, even though the person who should be held accountable is often a premier or mayor. But as prime minister, he’s the one that Canadians will turn to for answers — jurisdictions be dammed.
How’s this for an answer?
“I'll be blunt as well — housing isn't a primary federal responsibility. It’s not something that we have direct carriage of,” he said in August 2023. “But it is something that we can and must help with.”
The second part of his quote will likely not be remembered, because what most of us heard was, “Even though I’m the prime minister, it’s not my fault; therefore, it’s not my responsibility.”
Is the prime minister not paying attention to how badly people are doing? Does he think that the only angry people in the country are the ones who supported the convoys?
Contrast his answer with this one: “I fundamentally believe that a country as rich as Canada and a province as rich as Ontario shouldn't have people in tents in the middle of winter.” That was Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal talking about the city's modular homes, which provide housing for people experiencing homelessness.
We need more answers — and actions — like that.
We need elected officials who can meet this moment with urgency, able to show they’re not oblivious to their constituents’ suffering. And I’m pretty sure very little of that hardship has to do with “woke” Tim Hortons lids or “stealthy plants and bugs” in desserts.
Over the years, we’ve seen voter turnout decreasing for elections at every level of government, and voters have been blamed for this apathy. But maybe voters would be more likely to head to the ballot box if the politicians themselves seemed less apathetic and out of touch.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the cost of renaming Yonge-Dundas Square. TVO Today regrets the error.
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