Talk about a black mark.
Saying “it doesn’t matter” that she didn’t attend the Oct. 7 vigil to honour those slain at the hands of Hamas because she “wore black” the entire day, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has now boxed herself into a corner.
There’s just too many stories, spins and unfathomable narratives to count.
She had already tried saying she didn’t receive the invitation from the United Jewish Appeal Federation (UJA) that everybody else did, that the email may have been “spammed,” that her staff are who direct her where to go, that she was in a bike lanes meeting in Etobicoke and that she was “exhausted” and she wasn’t sure she could make it anyway because things ran late in a meeting at that ended 5:30 p.m.
Normally it’s three strikes and you’re out. Chow keeps missing so many pitches it’s difficult to keep track.
When questioned by CP24 morning hosts Jennifer Hsiung and Nick Dickson on why she didn’t get to the candlelight ceremony that drew tens of thousands of mourners, Chow said the following:
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. On Monday, I wore black the entire day, even most of the weekend, because mourning the loss was top of mind … I count on my staff to tell me where I am going … I apologize to the Jewish community and will do better.”
This is akin to telling someone that you skipped a funeral but wore black the whole day while trying to also say you didn’t know about the funeral because you didn’t get notice of it. By saying she was wearing black on Oct. 7 and by saying in a statement there would be vigils, it’s unfathomable to suggest she wasn’t aware of this massive gathering at the UJA’s Sherman campus.
While odd and insulting, it got stranger.
“I just count on my staff to tell me where I’m going. And by late evening, when I finished it (at the Crooked Cue), I thought, ‘Hmm, this is it? So, then I may not have made it anyway.”
Former Toronto mayor John Tory made it, so did Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca.
Said Chow: “But it’s neither here nor there. I regret it not being able to be there. I apologize to the Jewish community and will do better.”
There’s much work to do there. But it has begun, says the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
“Following a lot of talk about the issue with others but not with us, we are pleased to hear that the mayor intends to write a formal letter to Jewish community to apologize for her absence at our Oct. 7 commemoration event and her office has confirmed a meeting with CIJA and UJA in the next few weeks,” CIJA Ontario Vice President Michelle Stock said.
“While an apology is a start to rebuild the relationship with the community, what we need more than words is meaningful action to reduce hate crimes against the Jewish community in this city, which we look forward to discussing with her,” she said. “The Jewish community deserves to feel supported and protected by the mayor.”
Canadian Women Against Anti-Semitism added they are “deeply disappointed” but “not surprised” since “antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed across Toronto, the mayor has consistently passed the buck … she has the power to bring civility, peace and respectful dialogue back to our town. Instead, she seems to opt for performative displays that leave the citizens of Toronto wondering whether she is working for our city or simply playing dress-up.”
Chow often wears clothing that represents the event she is attending. But this time she said she wore the appropriate attire while not attending.
All of Chow’s lame excuses would be troubling from anybody but are particularly untenable coming from an elected mayor.