ACORN meets with Mayor Olivia Chow; advocates for remedial action, $1.25 million AC program expansion

Toronto, ON— On Wednesday, September 24, 2025, the six elected members of the Toronto ACORN Board: Marva Burnett (Scarborough), Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas (East York), Rama Fayaz (Downtown), Marcia Stone (Weston), Jacquie Mitchell (York West), and James Maroosis (Rexdale), met with Mayor Olivia Chow in her City Hall office to discuss some of our membership’s top priorities for her administration.

During the meeting, the Mayor provided us with some timelines for remedial action, and consulted with us on priority targets. We said that water damage, black mold, kitchen appliances, and pests, including bedbugs, cockroaches, and rodents, should be the City’s first priority. Remedial action is the process by which the City steps in to do repair work that a property owner refuses to undertake, and then adds the cost of the work to the owner’s property tax bill. While the City already has the legal power to do this, the current process is designed for simple remedial work like grass-cutting, and RentSafeTO is not currently equipped to do remedial work as complex as replacing pipes and drywall. A report from City staff outlining the first steps towards stronger remedial action is expected to come before City Councillors later this fall, and Toronto ACORN will continue to fight to give the RentSafeTO program some teeth to ensure everyone has a safe and healthy home.

The Mayor also supported our budget recommendation for a fivefold expansion of the Air Conditioner Assistance Program. Toronto ACORN is incredibly grateful for the Mayor’s quick response to our demand for a free air conditioner program for low income Torontonians in early 2025, before another summer of extreme heat putting lives at risk. Hoping to see more low income people able to access the program, Toronto ACORN Board members advocated for an expanded budget of $1.25 million for the Air Conditioner Assistance Program for 2026, which would allow the City to distribute 2500 air conditioners—a fivefold expansion of the program. We also asked that the eligibility for the program be expanded to other vulnerable low-income populations, while still reserving a portion of the AC units for seniors. While the City Budget is decided through the annual budget process, with consultations and hearings across the city, the Mayor committed to looking for the funding for the expansion. Such an investment would represent a significant step in protecting low income and working class communities across Toronto from bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, and a critical piece of the City’s response to extreme heat. Our membership looks forward to advocating for this and many more investments in the upcoming budget process.

We’re grateful to Mayor Chow for taking the time to meet with us and to hear some of our ideas for a better Toronto, and we look forward to continuing to work with her as we fight to secure tangible improvements for low-income and working class Torontonians from Rexdale to Malvern.

Live in Toronto? Looking to connect with your local ACORN chapter? Contact the Toronto ACORN office at (416) 461-9233 or [email protected].