The main opponent of the outgoing mayor, John Tory, in the Toronto municipal elections on October 24, Gil Penalosa, envies Montrealers, who have lived under the leadership of Valérie Plante since 2017. “I would have liked her to be mayoress here”, launches the internationally renowned urban planner in an interview at To have to. “She is completely different from John Tory,” said the man who entered the race for mayor of Toronto on July 14.
Thirty-one people are vying for the job of mayor of the Canadian metropolis, but Gil Penalosa, who has worked in more than 300 cities around the world, is the most serious opponent of John Tory, a centrist politician once leader of the Progressive Party -Conservative of Ontario. A recent Forum Research poll puts Mr. Penalosa’s support at around 20%, while Mr. Tory has 56%.
The planner is not running for mayor of Toronto for lack of challenges. He has plenty of work to do with 8-80 Cities, which he still chairs, and his expertise is in demand around the world. In 2015, he was a speaker at the Go Vélo Montréal festival. More recently, he was the guest of honor at the conference of the Association des architectes paysagistes du Québec.
John Tory’s main opponent says he has had a flame in him for a few years. “Toronto has potential it’s not taking advantage of. 25 years ago, the city was a leader in the country in almost all areas,” assesses the candidate. “She had the best public transport, the best libraries, the best parks. And all of a sudden, Montreal overtook her. Then Vancouver, and even Calgary, ”he judges.
The standard-bearer of the Toronto left wants to give a vision – as Valérie Plante did with the Quebec metropolis, according to him – to a municipality that does not have one at the moment. He also wants to create a sense of community in the Queen City. Finally, he also hopes that Toronto will make its place on the international scene, where its absence, he says, is “shameful”.
Progressive positions
Legs crossed, dressed in a blue shirt, the Colombian by birth lists his key ideas for catching up with the gap between Toronto and other major Canadian cities.
He and his main opponent agree on the need to make housing more affordable in the metropolis, where a one-bedroom unit costs an average of $2,474. But Gil Penalosa presents more radical measures to achieve this, such as the elimination of zoning that only allows the construction of single-family homes in several neighborhoods. An independent panel formed by the province in 2021 has already made such a recommendation.
Mr. Penalosa also wants to build more than 300 kilometers of protected cycle paths in four years. For the moment, the City of Toronto plans to build 100 more (protected or not) between 2022 and 2024. The founder of the organization 8-80 Cities wants to raise the speed limit to 30 km/h in all neighborhoods residential areas of metropolitan Ontario. “Montreal protects pedestrians better than Toronto,” says Gil Penalosa.
In 2015, the one who is now a candidate for mayor of Toronto said in an interview with Montreal Gazette that the Quebec metropolis could become the “best city in the world” if it showed less complacency. Since then, Montrealers have elected Valérie Plante, while Torontonians have chosen John Tory. The two largest cities in Canada then took different directions, laments Gil Penalosa from his campaign office.
Engage the electorate
Professor Zachary Spicer, a specialist in municipal politics at the University of York, believes that candidate Penalosa’s ideas may find takers in Toronto. His challenge, however, will be to make them known to the electorate. The candidate has gained ground since the launch of the campaign, but John Tory’s lead in the voting intentions is very important, he notes.
To have a chance of being elected in the Ontario metropolis, a serious candidate must have an organization that can convey his ideas and collect donations, notes Professor Spicer. “It’s the biggest municipal election in the country, you need a million dollars to finance it. »
With his contacts in the private sector, in particular, the outgoing mayor John Tory, who was formerly CEO of the cable division of the giant Rogers, can also count on a “massive” political financing machine, explains the ‘expert. “It’s difficult to compete with such an impressive team. »
Mr Penalosa’s chances of winning on October 24 are “very slim”, says Professor Spicer. However, he is happy to see that the mayor has a serious opponent. Especially since several experts believe that the difficulty of dislodging an outgoing mayor in Ontario is hampering the political momentum of many candidates.
Gil Penalosa, for his part, claims to be in the race for mayor of Toronto to win. “When Valérie Plante was elected for the first time, in 2017, it was not the favorite”, he underlines moreover. “A few months ago, I thought maybe I could only change the conversation, but as time goes by, I feel like I have a chance to win,” the planner confidently proclaims.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.