Have you ever wanted to ask the mayor of Toronto a question? Your chance is coming up.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will be answering questions in an "Ask Me Anything" (also known as an "AMA") session on Reddit this Friday from 2 to 3 p.m.
In message posted to the Toronto subreddit (or sub-community) announcing the AMA, Chow said she would be answering questions about what is happening at city hall.
"Hello Redditors of Toronto! This is Mayor Olivia Chow. Instead of just lurking on this subreddit, I’d love to take some time to answer questions and talk to folks about what’s going on at City Hall," the mayor posted on Wednesday, along with a picture of herself pointing to a written announcement.
"Feel free to ask questions below in the meantime. I’ll try to get to as many as possible, so having some in advance would help us get through them all," the mayor wrote.
Some of the more questions that have already been posted — there are more than 1,500 comments already — include:
- "Is there anything being done on the municipal level about housing affordability?"
- "Would Toronto ever consider banning parking on major two-way streets like Queen and Dundas that also have streetcars?"
- "Will you be able to prevent the Ontario government from removing bike lanes in Toronto?" (This question had around 1,800 upvotes as of Thursday afternoon).
- "What do you think about the rising rates of homelessness and crime in the city, and what within your power do you think we should do to combat it?"
- "Any plans for the city to pedestrianize certain streets/areas? Kensington Market being the obvious ones, but I think Yonge from Queen to College could also greatly benefit." (This was another popular question with 1,100 upvotes as of Thursday afternoon.)
- "If you could receive funding, staffing, and council support for any one passion project, what would it be?"
- "What’s your favourite place to eat near City Hall?"
To participate in the AMA, users must have a Reddit account, which anyone can sign up for.
The Toronto subreddit typically features links to news stories, user-generated discussion topics, as well as video clips, photos, oddities, and even some historical content.
