Mayoral forum on affordable housing derailed

Disruption caused by chanting in audience, uninvited candidates

What was meant to be a mayoral forum on affordable housing briefly descended into chaos Monday night as audience members stood and chanted, and uninvited candidates either dominated or refused to leave the stage.

The forum, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, was planned as a night for candidates to present their platforms on affordable housing.

Moderator Angela Robertson, executive director of the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, somehow managed to keep the night moving throughout and after the chaos.

“We need a mayor and candidates who will say yes to housing in my backyard. They must believe that cities must be a home” that belongs to all of us, she said as the forum began.

Among the invited guests were mayoral candidates Jennifer Keesmaat, Saron Gebresellassi and Sarah Climenhaga, and incumbent Mayor John Tory.

Tory was at another event and unable to attend. A spokesperson said his campaign asked for an alternate date, but one was not provided.

The disruption began a few minutes after the candidates took the stage, when some in the audience shouted in sup- port of allowing white nationalist candidate Faith Goldy to debate.

The chaos escalated when mayoral candidate Kevin Clarke — who had joined the speakers on the stage — began shouting that he would debate Goldy, given the chance.

The invited candidates then left the stage as police escorted some of the most disruptive audience members out of the auditorium, including Clarke.

Uninvited candidate D!ONNE Renée — who planted herself on the stage at the start of the night — remained there throughout the disruption. When things had calmed down, Robertson resumed control of the stage and invited back Gebresellassi, who then slammed Tory for not attend- ing and Keesmaat for not returning to the stage.

That decision to leave “should tell each and every one of us that this is no progressive champion for us.”

Climenhaga called for raising property taxes or finding additional funding streams for more housing. “The only way we will have housing is if we fund it.”

Renée chastised the media for not covering her campaign, calling it the most progressive of all the candidates. “If we say we are about centring issues of housing and homelessness, that is what we need to do.”

The event was organized by about 60 agencies that created an affordable housing pledge. It was sent to all mayoral and council candidates last month.

Included in the proposed steps: “No more homeless deaths, financial stability for Toronto Community Housing, make ‘affordable housing’ truly affordable, ensure new residential development includes everyone (and) mobilize Toronto’s resources to build more affordable housing.”

Keesmaat, Gebresellassi and Climenhaga have signed, but Tory has not. He sent the group a letter on Monday detailing his response to the issue.

Tory and leading contender Keesmaat have both pledged to boost affordable rental housing stock across the city, promising to create 40,000 new units in 12 years and 100,000 over 10, respectively. Both have also pledged to repair and protect ailing social housing stock.

EMILY MATHIEU AFFORDABLE HOUSING REPORTER