Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has announced plans to increase the number of Toronto Public Library museum attraction passes available to families across the city if re-elected. In a campaign statement Saturday morning, Chow said an additional 1,000 family passes will be made available each month to Toronto residents. The Toronto Public Library pass was first introduced in 2007 and allows residents to visit cultural centres and museums across the city, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto Zoo and Royal Ontario Museum. “Taking the family out to a museum can cost you over $100 in admission tickets. It’s just so expensive. I will make it much easier for families to take advantage of what Toronto has to offer, for free,” Chow said in the statement. The announcement comes as the Toronto mayoral election campaign continues. Brad Bradford responds While speaking to reporters in North York, mayoral candidate Brad Bradford said that he supports the program and its expansion, but that Chow’s annoucenment was only commitment to make a request. “Let’s be clear, what Olivia announced today was a request to the Rom and to Library Foundation to add more free passes, and of course, I am happy to make a request and and would be a champion for more additional passes from the ROM and Library Foundation,” Bradford said. “But that is a commitment to make a request, and honestly, when I saw the announcement this morning, what that showed me was Olivia Chow has no ideas for Toronto.” Candidate Chris Alexander also spoke to Scarborough residents and reporters detailing his plan on building more affordable housing units in the city. The Toronto mayoral election is set for Oct. 27.
