By Alvin Curling

The next Mayor of Toronto must have a vision that leads to the long-term social and economic health of the city. That person -man or woman- must understand the

underlying issues that must be addressed to ensure that Toronto remains a safe and

livable City. Not someone who is just using this election as a stepping stone to

enhance their career.

On June 26^th Toronto will elect an “interim Mayor” who will oversee the many programs that have already been decided by the existing City Council. The best choice would be someone who is up to date with issues at City Hall.

Toronto is home to more people than three Canadian provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, as well as the three northern Territories added altogether, a population of almost 3 million.

As the economic engine of Canada and the fourth largest city in North America we must choose someone who has the ability to attract investors and continue to create jobs for our growing population.

While Toronto must be treated with respect by our other levels of Government, the next Mayor must command the respect of the Provincial and Federal Governments and stand up to the other levels of Governments when needed.

It’s also about creating a livable City for our grandchildren and their children. The next Mayor must have a vision for the long-term future of our City, not just 2 years.

It’s about dealing with the serious mental health issues of some of our citizens which is one of the leading causes of homelessness, youth alienation and violence, as outlined in the Report that Roy McMurtry and I prepared back in 2008.

We can’t arrest our way out of this or warehouse our people in makeshift accommodations. We must deal with the underlying issues. The next Mayor must know what the main causes of crime and poverty are and be prepared to take action to deal with them.

The biggest problem is access to affordable housing. We must build thousands of new affordable housing units using land already owned by the City, the Province and the Federal Government, but this only solves just part of the problem.

A comprehensive housing policy must include rent subsidies, changing regulations and age- and health-related needs and full cooperation from all levels of Government.

An updated Rent Control system is also needed as people struggle to pay their rent and put food on the table for their families. And it must be fair to both tenants and landlords.

It can be done. As Ontario Minister of Housing in 1985 we got agreement from all political parties in the Legislature and from tenants, landlords and developers to create 200,000 units of affordable housing. We must do this again. Now.

The next Mayor must also fully understand the importance of diversity in the city. Toronto is one of the most multiracial cities in the world, enriching Toronto with a cultural mosaic that rivals other great cities and benefiting from their talents and energy.

Visible minorities now make up more than 57 percent of all residents. All levels of Government must work together to continue to build a world class City that attracts almost half of all immigrants to Canada, more than 150,000 people a year to Canada.

The new Mayor must represent the entire City – Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke and East York, not just downtown Toronto, and must be committed to a fair distribution of resources across the City.

The main candidates have presented some excellent ideas during the election that should be considered by the new Mayor and City Council. And our new Mayor must become Mayor of all the people.

After reviewing stated policies of the seven main candidates for Mayor key issues, one candidate stands out – Ana Bailão. Ana has been effective and demonstrated the passion and project vision for the job.

I believe she can do it.

Alvin Curling is a former Minister of Housing, MPP for Scarborough for 20 years and a member of the Order of Ontario