Ana Bailão talks building affordable housing on parking lots
Ana sits down with CP24 to discuss the benefits of converting public parking lots to land for affordable housing.
I am passionate about making cities more livable, inclusive, and affordable. With over 20 years of senior leadership experience in government, as well as in the private and non-profit sectors, I have dedicated my career to developing innovative partnerships between industry, non-profits, and government to tackle society’s greatest challenges.
After establishing a successful career in the private sector, I transitioned to public service and was first elected to Toronto City Council in 2010. I was re-elected three times.
During my time on City Council I was the Deputy Mayor and the City’s Housing Advocate. Through my efforts, I secured billions in funding from the federal and provincial governments, revitalizing the City of Toronto’s housing construction initiatives. By growing the affordable housing capital budget, I played a pivotal role in the realization of the 2020-2030 Toronto Housing Plan.
In 2023, I ran to be Toronto’s Mayor. It was the largest by-election in Canadian history and I finished second. One of the most rewarding experiences of the campaign was the opportunity to engage with thousands and thousands of Torontonians. Our conversations were inspiring and despite not achieving victory, I remain optimistic about the future of our city.
I now work with industry to get affordable housing built in Toronto and across Canada.
Ana sits down with CP24 to discuss the benefits of converting public parking lots to land for affordable housing.
Ana shares her excitement that the Premier and Mayor got on board with the solution she proposed in the mayoral race. Uploading the maintenance costs for the Gardiner and the DVP to the province will save Toronto $200 million a year.
Toronto is the largest contributor to Canada’s economy, generating 20% of our national GDP. We are growing rapidly, attracting talent from all over the world. But as provincial and federal responsibilities continue to be downloaded onto our city, our bills pile up while our wallet shrinks.
In a race that saw a staggering 102 candidates, Bailão had garnered 32.46 per cent of the vote by 10:30 p.m., with 1,444 out of 1,451 polls reporting. Bailão was, however, the shock story of election night, surging into a comfortable second place shortly after vote counting began.
We believe she could be trusted to lead the city sensibly, bridging the left and right factions on council to achieve progress on the city’s many challenges.
Bailão called serving as councillor and deputy mayor ‘the honour of a lifetime’
Yesterday evening, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) hosted a special Chair’s Dinner, “celebrating courageous leadership of members and municipal leaders.” Ana Bailão – Toronto’s Deputy Mayor, City Councillor for Ward 9, and Chair of the Affordable Housing Committee – was one of those honourees.