Last Wednesday, Toronto experienced a sudden darkening of the sky followed by heavy rain and powerful winds causing chaos in the city. City officials later labeled the event as a “100-year storm,” with meteorologists confirming that a month’s worth of rain fell in just a few hours, making it the wettest September 2 on record.
According to How-Sen Chong from the Toronto Environmental Alliance, the storm was intensified by climate change, and he cautioned that similar events could become more frequent in the future. Jason Thistlethwaite, an expert on climate resilience and the economy at the University of Waterloo, concurred, emphasizing the need for better preparation against such extreme weather occurrences.
Despite the city council’s approval of a long-term climate plan called TransformTO, Thistlethwaite pointed out that there is still no storm water tax in place, which could help manage stormwater effectively. This proposed tax, aimed at property owners like large non-porous parking lot owners, has faced criticism in Toronto city hall for being labeled as a “roof tax” or “rain tax.”
As the municipal election approaches on October 26, none of the mayoral candidates have committed to implementing such a charge if elected. One candidate, Brad Bradford, expressed support for Toronto’s existing climate plans while criticizing the current mayor for not increasing their ambition. He proposed seeking funding from other levels of government to undertake significant projects similar to the Don River revitalization.
While Mayor Olivia Chow’s campaign did not respond to questions about a potential climate plan release, Chris Alexander’s campaign indicated a forthcoming commitment to the issue. Alexander, who ranks third in recent public opinion polls, is expected to address climate-related concerns in his campaign.