Mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat officially launched her campaign Thursday night.
Mayor John Tory's most high-profile challenger for the city's top job says she has a vision for the city. Speaking to media after the launch, Keesmaat says she will not be bringing forward "empty slogans and promises that are meant to trick people".
"My objective is to take the politics out of transit planning once and for all. I don't think that's in the interests of ensuring that Torontonians can get around the city, to every corner of the city - that they can do that with ease, that they have lots of choices, that we can shorten the commute, clear up the roads. We can do that if we take the politics out of this."
She slammed Tory saying he hasn't built transit in the city during his first four-year term. She even went as far as to say Tory is, "not very good at his job."
Keesmaat says she'll release the full details of her plan to improve transit - which will touch on "all the ways people move in this city" - in the coming weeks. She added Thursday's event was about stating the approach to her campaign, which she says is very different from a political approach.
Keesmaat added, "I'm not a politician, so I'm not approaching this like a politician. I actually don't think that's what Torontonians want. They want real change. They want bold ideas. They want things that will be implemented and can be implemented, because people want to see transformation."
She says the city has been stuck for years, spinning its wheels on transit. She says a change in leadership will move the city forward.
Following the event, Tory's campaign released a statement. It reads:
"John Tory has shown leadership over the last four years working with the other levels of government to get things done for the people of Toronto. He's working to keep the city affordable, to build transit across the city right now and to keep Toronto safe.
The people of Toronto need real action, not empty talk. Ms. Keesmaat continued to make pronouncements and hollow promises tonight that demonstrate a lack of understanding of what Toronto really needs. The people of Toronto need to know if the NDP candidate in this mayoral race is going to raise taxes and introduce new ones. The people of Toronto need to know if the NDP candidate in this mayoral race is going to secede Toronto from Ontario, Canada."
With files from Tiffany Hendsbee