Toronto’s Drift Toward a Playground for the Rich Drives a Mayoral Showdown
- Election pits Mayor Tory against his former chief planner
- Housing affordability, transit are top issues as city booms
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Toronto votes for a mayor on Monday to take command of a city in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
Incumbent John Tory, a quick-talking former telecom executive, has about a 30-point lead in the polls over nearest rival Jennifer Keesmaat, the city’s former chief planner. Whoever wins faces a booming metropolis at a critical juncture: Housing is becoming so unaffordable and transit so gridlocked it’s at risk of turning into just another global playground for the rich.