A veteran journalist is running to become the next mayor of Toronto.
Anthony Furey, who serves as vice president of editorial and content at True North and will take a leave of absence when the campaign begins, announced on Tuesday he’s running to become mayor of Toronto – joining a race that ends on June 26.
“While we all love our city, the one thing more and more people are saying is that Toronto feels like it’s in decline,” said Furey. “I don’t believe the status quo people who got us to this point are the ones who can get us out.”
Furey said he’ll offer a fresh perspective and big ideas in the coming weeks, but Toronto’s addiction crisis needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
“Treatment. Treatment. Treatment.”
“Our brothers and sisters on the street need our help, and by helping them, we make our neighbourhoods safer.”
The Toronto Mayoral Race is shaping up to be a crowded contest, but Furey said he’s offering a fresh perspective that voters won’t find elsewhere – such as a firm stance against fringe activism.
The journalist joins several other candidates vying for Toronto’s mayorship role – which emerged after former mayor John Tory admitted to having an affair, and resigned.
Josh Matlow, who is serving a fourth term as a Toronto city councillor, on Tuesday announced he’s joined the race.
Matlow’s flagship idea is to create a “City Works Fund.” The program is designed to finance improvements in Toronto’s services – such as snow removal – through an annual property tax of about $67 for the average family.
Former police chief Mark Saunders has also joined the mayoral race.
Saunders said his leadership would focus on safeguarding Torontonians against violent attacks in the city – a problem which he said has instilled unprecedented levels of fear.
Former city councillor Ana Bailao announced last week she was running for mayor of Toronto. Bailao, who was a city councillor for more than a decade, said her focus is Toronto’s quality of life.
“I’m running with a plan to fix our city’s services, build housing, and make life more affordable,” she said in a Twitter post.
As the Toronto Star reported, one of Bailao’s priorities is improving Toronto’s transit system, which suffered setbacks during the pandemic – at one point having reduced its service by 93%.
Toronto councillor Brad Bradford signalled in February his intention to run as well. Bradford announced he gathered a diverse team, with perspectives from each side of the political aisle, as well as diverse sectors in the city.
Several individuals have also declared their intention to run for the Toronto mayorship, including retired police officer Blake Acton, third-place finisher in the 2022 election Chloe Brown, entrepreneur Frank D’Angelo, former NDP MPP Giorgio Mammoliti and runner-up in the 2022 election Gil Peñalosa.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Anthony Furey currently serves as True North’s Vice-President of Content and Editorial. He will be taking a leave of absence from True North when the Toronto Mayoral by-election begins in April.
