Put off retirement of old buses to help commuters: Chow

Leading Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow says Toronto should retain buses due for retirement and speed up commuting times by 10%. “It would immediately have less crowding and immediately make sure that families that are taking these buses arrive in dignity,” Chow adds.

She wants to keep buses earmarked for retirement to be put back into service as new articulated buses go in the next two years. There are 130 new buses that are being delivered now… don’t retire those buses as quickly,” said Chow.

Chow moved to Toronto from Hong Kong in 1970 when she was 13, working two jobs to help her family make ends meet. After graduating university, she taught English as a second language and worked to help newcomers settle in the city. In 1985, she was elected to the school board and earned a reputation as a champion for children. She married Jack Layton in 1988, and helped raise Mike and Sarah Layton.

It doesn’t matter where we came from or where we live – we all want a better future for our children, and that’s my core belief, whether I was a school trustee, a councillor, or a Member of Parliament…We don’t have to be so negative to each other. We can connect.

She was elected to the former Metro Council in 1991 and 1994, and to the new city of Toronto’s council in 1997, 2000 and 2003. Former Mayor Mel Lastman appointed her to the budget committee, where she helped deliver five straight balanced budgets. Mayor Lastman also named her the city’s first child and youth advocate, where she delivered better kids’ dental services, student nutrition programs and youth safety initiatives. She was key in getting the 911 service to work in 140 languages.

In 2006, Olivia was elected as an MP. A strong voice for federal investment in our infrastructure, she earned a reputation for working with MPs from all parties. She was re-elected in 2008 and 2011.

Olivia lives with her mother, Ho Sze, and helps care for her father, Wilson Wai Sun. She has two granddaughters, Beatrice and Solace. In 2014, her best-selling memoir, My Journey, was published.

Recognition for being one of our city’s most effective leaders include a Toronto Sun readers’ choice gold award for being a Top Torontonian, being named Canada’s Woman of the Year by Consumer Choice and best City Councillor nine times by Now Magazine.