Anthony Furey: Olivia Chow embraces a lawless Toronto - National Post

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow acknowledges "the workers" during an event on the ground floor of the still-under-construction One Bloor West in June. Photo by Peter Power /Peter Power/Postmedia NetworkArticle contentToronto Mayor Olivia Chow has done a decent job sticking to a tight script during her bid for re-election. It’s a script that casts her as a centrist concerned about public safety and affordability — two of the electorate’s main concerns.

But at a recent debate she let the mask slip and reminded Toronto voters of her true colours — that she has never been an ally of the police. That’s not something you want to do, especially when we need law and order more than ever.

Chow’s re-election slogan is that she’s working for “a more affordable, safe and caring city.” The use of “safe” certainly gives the impression that Chow recognizes the city’s troubling state and intends to get tough on crime. But before accepting that conclusion, voters should unpack what she’s really saying.

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As one of her lead safety talking points, Chow has touted how the city hired dozens of additional 911 operators under her watch, which cut 911 response times in half.

This is good news and wise policy and it’s a scandal that we had that brief period where callers were put on hold for a service most people have long assumed answers immediately.

I unfortunately learned the other year what it was like to be put on hold by 911 for almost a minute, when I called to deal with another person’s medical emergency. The 45 seconds or so on hold felt like an eternity.

Answering the phone is only one part of the solution though. Are there sufficient resources to deploy to the emergency once the call is made? Far from it. The number of police officers today is fairly flat compared to a decade ago, yet the population has grown significantly. The resources are being stretched thin.

The Toronto Police Association (TPA) — the police union — released an unexpected statement Tuesday that will be interpreted as an endorsement for Chow’s re-election. They thank Chow for listening to them and say that “her support of the Multi-year Hiring Plan will be instrumental in creating a safer Toronto for everyone.” There is no doubt a lot of backroom politics going on here, along with some hedge-betting on the part of the TPA.