Tonight is Toronto’s first televised mayoral debate. The five leading candidates will be there: Mayor Rob Ford, John Tory, Olivia Chow, Karen Stintz and David Soknacki. But wait. What about Sarah Thomson? She recently rode down to city hall on a horse-and-buggy to launch her campaign and according to a poll she commissioned, she's actually part of that Big Five, not Soknacki. So, what gives? We tracked her down and gave her a chance to sound off on her competition and why she deserves to be in the debate. The debate will be televised live from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Citytv.
Would you cancel the Rob Ford-approved Scarborough subway?
Yes, I would cancel the extension in Scarborough and prioritize — the Yonge Street Relief line is the priority — all funds need to go there first. Once it is underway then we need to look at where we truly need subway. The experts say that the relief line is the only place we need a big heavy subway vehicle. I believe we should do LRT underground where the LRT plan for Scarborough has it along the hydro corridor.
What did you learn from the last election that you'll do differently this time?
In the last election I learned that getting donations and funding at the beginning is key. I learned that being authentic is extremely important and that passion and determination can drive a campaign forward. This election we have all our ducks in order.
You have not been invited to the televised debate tonight despite being ahead of David Soknacki (invited) according to a Forum Research poll you commissioned. Why won't you be there?
Citytv has refused to allow us to be there. They have chosen four conservatives and one NDP and I am not sure why they have chosen to exclude the only Liberal in the top five. Media bias? You be the judge.
What point would you hammer home with regards to Rob Ford?
Very few people I know would trust a drug addict with their money. Toronto voters should not trust him with their tax dollars. The city budget has increased by $400 million, taxes have risen by more than seven per cent since he promised to lower taxes in his 2010 campaign. He doesn’t know how to truly find efficiences. It takes real leadership, real ideas, real solutions, real change.
Do you think the candidates on the right will all split the vote?
I think too many people try to predict what outcomes will be when we truly have no idea. When the media try to manipulate the support and drive candidates out of the race the results are usually bad as we saw in 2010. If too many candidates are on the right it doesn’t mean that they will split the vote. The Forum poll released Sunday shows that trying to manipulate outcomes and position a number of right-of-centre candidates in the race doesn’t always work. Ford is stronger than ever.
What is your appeal in terms of suburban voters?
My appeal is stronger in the core and with lower income people, and strong with youth.
Okay, give us your elevator pitch.
I am the only candidate who has built a multi-million-dollar company from the ground up. And the only candidate who has changed the direction of an industry — the convenience stores in gas stations today are a result of work my company did 25 years ago. Toronto needs change at city hall we must create the drive to build our city. There is a cultural shift that needs to occur at there and we need a leader who knows how to bring this about. I have the experience. I have real idea, real solutions and will bring in real change.
