TORONTO, Sept. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is pleased to announce that it is endorsing Jennifer Keesmaat for mayor of Toronto.

Canada’s largest city can only prosper if there is a strong foundation of public services, affordable housing and affordable, accessible public transit.  Toronto will need strong leadership to tackle the key challenges the city faces, and Jennifer Keesmaat has shown a keen understanding of the issues combined with a bold vision for the future.

“Working people are being pushed out of this city because they can’t afford to live here. We need a mayor who is actually going to act on this issue. Jennifer Keesmaat has laid out a comprehensive and credible plan to put city land to work, creating thousands of new rental apartments that are reasonably priced, that an ordinary family can afford,” said Labour Council President John Cartwright.

“Many people spend hours trying to get around the city on our crowded transit system. We need to dramatically expand fast, dependable transit to every corner of the city, particularly for those who work in the service sector,” said Andria Babbington, Vice-President of the Labour Council.

Jennifer Keesmaat’s transit plan stands in sharp contrast to the stalled SmartTrack scheme.

Tory’s track record on a number of important areas has been disappointing – his plans to sell off Toronto Hydro and contract out solid waste collection were stopped at City Council, while his complicity in the lockout of workers at Exhibition Place soured both the CNE fair and the annual Labour Day celebration.

Tory also strongly promoted giving $364 million in tax grants this summer to wealthy downtown developers. Jennifer Keesmaat, on the other hand, recognizes that the Tax Increment Equivalent Grants program is out of touch with Toronto’s needs, giving millions to big corporations instead of funding critical community programs and services. 

“Since 1871, the Labour Council has been working for social and economic justice in this city,” said Cartwright. “We want to see leadership at City Hall that will inspire people of all walks of life to step up and engage in building a great city, serving every neighbourhood and creating good jobs in a sustainable economy in which every community feels genuinely included.”

“Labour Council went through a rigorous process in deciding whether to endorse Jennifer Keesmaat for mayor,” said Maureen O’Reilly, of the Toronto Public Library Workers Union and chair of Labour Council’s Election Planning Committee.  “We had a number of meetings engaging her in vigorous discussions, and finally a full debate among the Council Delegates to arrive at this decision.”

The Toronto and York Region Labour Council is a central labour body that combines the strength of over 150 local unions representing 208,000 women and men and who work in every sector of the economy.

For information visit labourcouncil.ca and follow @torontolabour on Facebook and Twitter.

Toronto & York Region Labour Council Media Contact:

John Cartwright, President, Toronto & York Region Labour Council
(416) 999 5663 or jcartwright@labourcouncil.ca

Kiruthiha Kulendiren, Communications Coordinator
(416) 575 8603 or kkulendiren@labourcouncil.ca