TORONTO — As Toronto voters prepare to head to the polls in October, they will do so against the backdrop of a city grappling with persistent affordability pressures, strained public services and aging infrastructure.While Mayor Olivia Chow can point to improvements in some areas, including reductions in homicides and increased housing approvals, many residents continue to confront a city that feels increasingly expensive, congested and difficult to navigate.The state of Toronto itself may become the defining issue of the election.Three years after Chow took office, food-bank usage has reached record levels, homelessness remains a growing concern, property taxes have risen sharply and the city continues to face billions of dollars in infrastructure needs accumulated over decades.The result is a mixed picture that critics argue reflects a broader decline in the quality of life across Canada's largest city..Affordability crisis deepensThe most troubling trend has been the continued deterioration of affordability.Food-bank visits have surged to unprecedented levels, with organizations reporting millions of client visits annually. More working residents are relying on food assistance than ever before, highlighting the growing gap between incomes and living costs.Toronto's housing market remains among the least affordable in North America. Despite new housing initiatives and development approvals, rents remain near record highs and home ownership remains out of reach for many young families.For many voters, daily life has become more expensive since 2023.Property-tax increases approved under Chow's administration have added further costs for homeowners, while renters continue to absorb rising housing expenses through the broader market..Infrastructure backlog continues to growPerhaps the most significant long-term challenge facing Toronto is its aging infrastructure.The city faces billions of dollars in deferred maintenance and capital needs involving roads, bridges, transit assets, community housing, water infrastructure and public facilities.Many Toronto roads remain in poor condition, transit infrastructure requires ongoing investment and city-owned housing continues to suffer from repair backlogs accumulated over many years.While city officials argue recent budgets have begun addressing these issues, the scale of the problem remains immense.Residents routinely encounter deteriorating roads, construction delays, aging transit facilities and public infrastructure that struggles to keep pace with population growth.Critics argue Toronto increasingly resembles a city attempting to manage decline rather than confidently planning for growth..Housing progress has yet to reach residentsHousing was the centrepiece of Chow's mayoral campaign.The city has accelerated approvals and secured major funding agreements with senior levels of government. Supporters view those measures as laying the groundwork for future supply.Yet for many residents, the promised benefits remain largely theoretical.Housing starts and approvals do little to help tenants facing immediate rent increases or families unable to enter the housing market. The affordability crisis remains largely unchanged despite significant political attention.The gap between policy announcements and tangible improvements on the ground could become a major issue during the campaign..Public safety improves, but perceptions lagCrime statistics offer one of the few areas where the city has seen measurable improvement.Homicides, shootings and several major violent-crime indicators declined during 2025, while emergency-response performance improved significantly.Yet public perceptions of disorder continue to shape political debate.Visible homelessness, mental-health crises and public drug use remain concerns in many neighbourhoods and transit stations. While these issues are not fully captured by crime statistics, they contribute to a sense among some residents that public spaces have become less welcoming..The election questionTo Chow's supporters, many of Toronto's current problems were inherited.The affordability crisis, housing shortage, infrastructure deficit and homelessness challenges all predate her administration by years, if not decades.To critics, however, voters are less interested in who created the problems than in whether conditions have improved.On that measure, the evidence is mixed.While housing approvals are up and violent crime has fallen, many of the indicators residents experience most directly — affordability, food insecurity, homelessness and infrastructure strain — continue to move in the wrong direction.That reality is likely to define the mayoral election.The central question facing voters will not be whether Toronto faces challenges. Few dispute that.Instead, voters must decide whether the city is on a path toward renewal or whether the visible signs of decline — aging infrastructure, rising costs and growing social pressures — suggest a change in direction is needed.
