On September 14, Daily Bread Food Bank hosted the first debate of Toronto’s mayoral campaign. Moderated by CEO, Neil Hetherington, the event brought candidates together to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing Torontonians, including food insecurity, housing affordability and poverty.
Candidates who met the 5 per cent polling threshold were invited to speak at the debate. We were pleased to welcome Chris Alexander, Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow to Daily Bread, and thank each of them for taking part.
To hear the candidates’ opening statements and see their responses to our rapid-fire round, check out our recap below:
Right now, 1 in 10 Torontonians use a food bank, with food banks across the city seeing more than 300,000 client visits each month. Against this backdrop, there has never been a more important time to ensure food insecurity and poverty are part of the political conversation.
“We work with every politician at every level of government. We will continue to share with them why people are coming to food banks and what policies are needed to change this situation. That’s why we are proud to host this first debate,” said Neil.
The debate was broadcast live from Daily Bread’s warehouse on CP24. Nearly 400 guests joined us in person, and thousands more tuned in virtually. The strong turnout reflected the importance of issues such as food insecurity, affordable housing, public transit and poverty reduction to Torontonians this election.
We thank the attendees, candidates, volunteers, staff and community partners LAMP Community Health Centre and Scarborough United Neighbourhoods for such a great night of civic engagement.
Make your voice count in shaping the future of Toronto. Election day is October 26 and advance voting runs October 6-11. More information on how to vote can be found here.
Want to see more from the debate? Watch the 90-second highlight reel or the full recording.
