In 2018, Toronto mayoral candidate Sarah Climenhaga wanted to proclaim the right answers, but in 2022 she says people themselves are the answer.
“My first campaign was more geared about offering the right answer for everything. And this time, it's more offering to listen to try and to work together on what's going to benefit us every day,” Climenhaga told the Western Standard.
“I'm realizing that the mayor needs to be a lot more flexible, and responsive to changing conditions. It's a better way of doing things because we see promises get broken all the time in political campaigns. And we also see politicians or government at large saying they know what's best, but then making mistakes if they're not willing to look at how to evolve.”
Climenhaga says her more flexible, more open, and less prescriptive approach started by watching governments that handled the pandemic in the opposite way.
“I started speaking out against our response right from the beginning. And I was kind of rejected by a lot of the groups that I had felt affiliated with before,” she said.
“I'm the one who's being looked at as ignorant, as selfish, as all these negative adjectives that were raised in political discourse towards people who didn't agree with mandates.”
The experience led the mother of three to reflect on herself and change.
“That really caused me to question my own view of the world. Like, where am I making categorizations and saying that people are bad if they disagree with me on something? I started questioning my own labels of other people,” she said.
“It made me see that everyone has their own unique perspective and their own unique expertise. And it's so valuable to listen to all of those things.”
Climenhaga’s passions are more often associated with those on the left. Her LinkedIn profile reads, “Whether working at a non profit to protect endangered species and spaces, with a consortium of businesses to help their employees reduce their environmental footprint, or as a volunteer in my community on increasing transit access, road safety and green space, I've worked to create positive change in the world.”
On other issues, the former outreach coordinator for Cycle Toronto, sounds more like someone on the right. She says if governments want to deal with the high cost and low availability of housing, they should get out of the way.
“When we take away some of that red tape, when we take away some of those zoning hurdles, we can have a lot happening by all the people who want to build housing and who want to have housing,” Climenhaga said.
“Rather than having projects delayed, or canceled, or a small homeowner is unable to put in two apartments due to bylaws — there's all sorts of opportunities for housing in this city that I think the city could allow, rather than standing in the way of.”
Climenhaga knows most people don’t associate this kind of talk with an environmentalist. She says that too, needs to change.
“Why do I have to say that if I love parks, that means X, Y, and Z about me? Why does it say that if I believe in personal choice and bodily autonomy that that means A, B and C about me? I reject those kinds of group categorizations. And I think a lot of people do too,” she said.
“It's time for the media and our politicians to start representing what the larger population is like instead of fitting into these caricatures and boxes.”
In August, Climenhaga stated publicly the vaccine mandate for Toronto City employees should end. She believes much of the population is ahead of the politicians on the issue.
“It's only a lonely stance when you look at current politics. We’ve had too much of a one-size-fits-all approach around the whole world, and certainly in Canada. Now people are willing to start asking those questions,” Climenhaga said.
“We can also respect human rights, we can also listen to people, we can also welcome our city to everyone instead of these artificial categorizations of people based on their medical status that we never did before.
“I think there's a lot of willingness to start accepting people for who they are instead of trying to say there's good people and bad people, which is what we've kind of been doing these past couple of years.”
Even Climenhaga’s view of the media has changed, thanks again to the pandemic and genuine reflection.
“I used to go to one or two media sources and they were all kind of my worldview. And I tended to maybe dismiss others or just think they weren't applicable,” Climenhaga said.
“I have valued the voice of independent media so much these past two years. It's broadened my perspective. Now I see the huge value, so I am very grateful to [independent media] for the work it does.”
Toronto’s election will be held October 24.
(10) comments
She won't win in that liberal criminal infested s-h-i-t hole they call Toronto
She certainly seems to talk the talk now….but will she walk the walk when push comes to shove….perhaps we have all become too cynical after those 2 years of nonsense they put us through…perhaps she should have yelled louder during the pandemic so she would be more believable….time will tell…
I respect this politicians views even though they don't totally align with mine. I used to lean left in my world view too but Leftists today bear little resemblance to those of the past. The left used to be about a living wage for low wage earners, a welcoming attitude towards real immigrants, an environmentalism that was about protecting our rivers, lakes, and wild lands, and the provision of help to citizens who did not have the mental or economic resources to help themselves. Now the new Left doesn't seem to care at all about those things. They just aggressively peddle "equity" (i.e. equal outcomes regardless of ability), economy destroying climate hysteria, adult sexuality to kids, open borders, and a growing number of other increasingly insane and destructive initiatives. Also, you used be able to debate left leaning folks over a beer. Now, if you try to debate the new Leftists they will either burst into tears or begin to personally attack you.
I agree entirely. I used to consider myself usually centre-left on most issues, but now the left has just veered waaaaaaaaay too far into some bizzaro world direction. Now I'd be considered a conservative simply by virtue of wanting the government to GTFO my personal life.
to expand a bit on the term "anti-vax"--for example, I am NOT anti-vaccine. I have had several vaccinations in my lifetime. The problem is: THE COVID SHOT IS NOT A "VACCINE" AS THE WORD IS DEFINED. They CALL it a vaccine, but the core thing that a REAL vaccine against disease X does is prevent you from getting X after you have taken the shot. These jabs DONT DO THAT. At the present time, more people are in hospital from covid that have had the "vakseen" (lets change the spelling since it is NOT a "vaccine") than those that have NOT had the shot(s). Labelling those of us who are against the Covid jabs as "anti-vaxers" is nothing more than an attempt to implicitly suggest that these jabs ARE EFFECTIVE in preventing Covid (they are not) and further suggest that people like me are 'AGAINST" the use of (real) vaccines (which is NOT the case). Welcome to the world of Globalist Scum.
It is anti-mandate actually. I sont disagree with you that this shot is something different. However there's no simple way to pack that into a title. Anti-pseudo-vaccine mandate would not make sense to most people. Anti experimental jab might be more technically accurate but my line of inquiry wasn't along what she really thought of it. It was about her politics.
Please don’t use the term “anti vaxx” as this was a term coined by the demonic globalist big Pharma/ Media complex to purposely vilify anyone using common sense and questioning the more than obviously fraudulent covid “vaccine” narrative
This was also the favourite vilification/ persecution term of the maggot Trudeau and his vile CBC propaganda arm
It is anti vax mandate not anti vax. And if it was called anti mandate, there's too much context missing.
She sounds a lot like me and how my views about myself and other people have changed. I no longer categorize myself as left or right and I am so thankful that independent media like Western Standard have not censored different points of view so that I can learn and grow.
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