Victoria Davis

The Mayor and City Council

I will vote to expand on programs such as RentSafeTO to hold landlords accountable and homes safe. I would also support grassroots organizations such as Toronto Unhoused and Homelessness Union to improve on the shelter system. Expansion and mentorship of the MURA program will also help organizations get involved with housing solutions.

Housing

Ensuring washroom accessibility for everyone. People are planning their days out based on where washrooms will be, including restrictions of water consumption on hot days, which is dangerous. Some unhoused community members won't eat or drink for days due to not knowing if there will be a toilet that they are allowed to use. To force unhoused people to release outside is a violation of International Human Rights article 12: right to privacy. I will offer tools and grants, for entrepreneurs who want to create cleaning jobs.

Cost of Living

Expanding city resources and social services to any income level and not restricting to income testing. People of all income levels are struggling and everyone should have access to tools that help us to survive. I support the building of a city grocer, although I believe that leaning on supporting existing food banks will reduce the time and cost of the learning curve.

Safety in Public Spaces

Constituents shared that substance use makes people feel unsafe. We need to develop city-run Safe Consumption Sites, with leadership with lived experiences, while offering clients access to safer supplies. As much as people don’t want to see substance use, substance users don't want to be seen. We also need to offer various support to empower community members who are already doing the work of cleaning up their areas safely, and neighbourhood watch groups, as many people are finding police to be increasingly less safe.

Getting Around the City

Speaking with city planners from other countries has opened my perspectives for how the flow of traffic could be improved upon. I would like to invite planners from other cities who already live within the city, to offer new ways of evaluating the flow of traffic. New and fresh perspectives are important to maximize our ability to get around the city.

Confronting Hateful and Hostile Behaviour

Intersectional hate crimes are devastating to the psyche of those who experience it. We will have to invest in marketing campaigns and outreach to encourage kindness and welcoming as our city identity. I have heard the argument that newcomers don't integrate enough, with very little discussion on welcoming them into spaces that help to integrate. Specific hate-crime units can expand onto social media, sharing the consequences to these actions.