The Chow Chronicles: A Scandal-Plagued Reign in Toronto

From Civic Saint to City Sinner?

By Eddie Hardie 🍁 Integrity Canada

Olivia Chow, Toronto’s mayor, rode into office on a wave of nostalgia and progressive promise, positioning herself as the principled heir to her late husband, beloved NDP leader Jack Layton. But behind the carefully curated image of the compassionate public servant lies a administration mired in controversy, questionable decisions, and a legacy inextricably tied to one of Canada’s most salacious political scandals. As Toronto grapples with a housing crisis, soaring budgets, and crumbling services, citizens are left wondering: are they being governed by a visionary, or misled by a master of political theater?

A Foundation Built on Sand: The Layton Striptease Sex Scandal

Before we dissect Chow’s mayorship, we must revisit the tawdry foundation. In 2009, a scandal erupted that would sear itself into the nation’s consciousness. Olivia Chow’s husband, the late NDP Leader Jack Layton, was caught in a shocking and bizarre video scandal at a Toronto massage parlor known as the “Happy Time Centre.”

• The Salacious Details: The security footage, which surfaced during a police investigation into the parlor, showed a man identified as Layton entering a private room. What transpired was not a standard massage. Reports and court documents from the subsequent trial of parlor owner Jian “Joe” Liu described a scene of striptease performances and lewd acts. While Layton was never charged with a crime, his presence at an establishment later revealed to be a front for illicit activities sparked national outrage and ridicule.

• The Chow Connection: Where was Olivia Chow during this personal and political catastrophe? As her husband’s reputation faced its most vile public test, Chow stood by him, presenting a united front. Critics, however, questioned her judgment and the couple’s private compromises. The scandal forever stained the Layton-Chow brand of moral, progressive politics, revealing a shocking hypocrisy between public image and private behavior. Source: National Post, “Police video shows Jack Layton at massage parlour,” 2009.

This early episode establishes a pattern: a jarring disconnect between a polished political narrative and a messier, more compromised reality.

What Happened in the Video?

• The footage was from a 1991 bachelor party for Layton’s friend and former Toronto city councillor Gordon Chong.

• It showed a stripper performing in front of attendees, including Layton, who was smiling and clapping along with others.

• The video was leaked to the media in 2009, nearly two decades after the event.

Why Was It Controversial?

1. Hypocrisy Allegations

   • Layton was known as a feminist and progressive leader, advocating for women’s rights and social justice. Critics argued that his presence at an event with a stripper clashed with his public image.

   • Some feminists, including Sunera Thobani (UBC professor), criticized him, saying it was “not appropriate” for a leader who championed gender equality.

2. Timing (During NDP’s Rise)

   • The video emerged when Layton was gaining momentum as a federal leader, and opponents (particularly Conservatives) used it to question his character.

3. “Private vs. Public” Debate

   • Critics countered that public figures should be held to higher standards, even for past behavior.

• Appointing close political allies, former NDP associates, and progressive activists to influential city roles rather than conducting open, merit-based hiring.

• Rewarding loyalists with high-paying jobs in the mayor’s office, agencies, and boards.

• Prioritizing ideological alignment over experience in key policy areas like housing and transit.

Key Examples of Controversial Appointments

1. Chief of Staff & Mayor’s Office Hires

   • Shortly after taking office, Chow appointed former NDP staffers and progressive activists to senior roles, including:

     • Mike Layton (her stepson, former Toronto city councillor) – Given an advisory role, raising concerns about nepotism.

       

     • Former NDP-linked strategists in communications and policy roles.

2. Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) & Affordable Housing Appointments

   • Chow pushed for allies in housing-related positions, including activists with ties to her housing advocacy network. Critics argued some lacked direct experience in large-scale housing management.

3. TTC (Transit) Board & Committee Appointments

   • Some of Chow’s picks for the TTC Board were seen as political rather than transit-experienced, including:

     • Councillors with strong loyalty to Chow but limited transit expertise.

     • Advocates from cycling/anti-car groups, leading to concerns about bias in transit planning.

4. Agencies & Boards (Arts, Parks, Public Appointments)

   • Some appointments to cultural and city agencies were perceived as ideological rewards rather than based on qualifications.

Criticism & Backlash

• “NDP Takeover” Narrative: Right-leaning critics (including some in media and the business community) framed the appointments as an attempt to “NDP-ify” Toronto’s bureaucracy.

• Lack of Transparency: Opponents argued that many hires were not publicly posted or competed fairly.

• Patronage Concerns: Some compared it to old-school political patronage, though no formal corruption has been proven.

While political appointments are common in City Hall, Chow’s choices have fueled perceptions of favoritism and ideological patronage.

Mayor Chow: A Catalogue of Crises and Contradictions

Since taking office, Mayor Chow has presided over a city in distress, with her policies and leadership often fueling the fire.

1. The Tax and Spend Tsunami

Chow’s first budget was a brutal shock to taxpayers already strangled by inflation. She championed the largest property tax hike in the modern amalgamated city’s history—a staggering 9.5%—while absurdly claiming this was a measure for “the little guy.” This was followed by proposed new taxes on home sales and other levies, making homeownership and living in Toronto an increasingly impossible dream for the middle class. Source: CBC Toronto, “Toronto council approves 9.5% property tax hike,” 2024.

2. The “Safe” Injection Disaster

Under Chow’s permissive directives, chaos reigns in city parks and neighborhoods. Unsafe injection sites, while well-intentioned, have become magnets for public drug use, discarded needles, and violent crime, leaving residents—including families and the elderly—feeling abandoned and unsafe in their own communities. The policy has failed to balance compassion with public order, creating scary and infuriating conditions for downtown residents.

3. The War on Cars and the Congestion Catastrophe

Chow has aggressively pushed a war on automobiles, canceling vital road projects and narrowing key arteries without adequate transit alternatives. The result? Gridlock hell. Commute times have skyrocketed, harming small businesses, increasing emissions from idling cars, and fueling widespread resentment among those who rely on their vehicles for work and family.

4. The Police Funding Fiasco

In a move that left citizens and law enforcement aghast, Chow and her allies on the police board have sought to strangle police budgets amidst a surge in random violent attacks, carjackings, and transit assaults. This ideological crusade against law enforcement has left officers demoralized and communities feeling deliberately unprotected.

5. The Sweetheart Union Deals

While taxpayers buckle under her tax hikes, Chow has cronyistically handed out lavish, multi-year contracts to city unions, locking in unsustainable costs for future administrations. This is not fiscal management; it is a blatant political payoff to her allies, mortgaging the city’s future for present-day support.

Olivia Chow seen here with quite possibly the most corrupt politician in Canada — Doug Ford

The “Juicy” Hypocrisy: A Life of Luxury on the Public Dime

While preaching austerity and shared sacrifice, Mayor Chow’s own lifestyle reveals a stunning hypocrisy. She resides in a luxurious downtown home, a far cry from the struggling tenants she claims to champion. This “do as I say, not as I do” attitude is a bitter pill for Torontonians who see their quality of life declining under her rule.

Conclusion: Toronto Deserves Better

Olivia Chow sold Toronto a fairy tale: the wise widow of a national saint, here to heal the city with compassion and principle. The reality has been a nightmare of higher taxes, declining safety, and ideological mismanagement. From the sordid shadows of the “Happy Time Centre” scandal to the angry protests over her budget, the Chow legacy is being written not in compassion, but in crisis.

Toronto is a world-class city being run into the ground by a mayor whose political savvy far outweighs her administrative competence. The scandalous past informs the disastrous present. It’s time for Torontonians to open their eyes and demand a leader focused on results, not radicalism; on service, not scandal.

The question for every resident is this: Are you better off now than before Chow took office? For most, the answer is a resounding and infuriated NO.

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The Chow Hike

Dramatic spike in  Annual Property Tax Bill for an average Toronto home