Anthony Furey: Olivia Chow to spend property taxes on lunch for rich kids

Olivia Chow mayoral campaign signs along Rathburn Rd., east of 427, in Toronto on Monday October 5, 2026. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Postmedia

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Do you believe your property taxes should go up to pay for food for middle-class and wealthy families? That’s not a trick question. And there’s no typo in the above line.

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The answer will obviously be a resounding no for most people. Yet that’s the question Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow effectively put to voters on Monday at a re-election campaign announcement.

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Mayor Chow has announced a massive expansion of the current mid-morning snack program that’s currently available to all Toronto school students. That program provides a daily snack — often an individually plastic-wrapped muffin and cut-up veggies or fruit — to over 300,000 students. But in her next term — should she be re-elected — Mayor Chow promises to offer even more and implement a lunch program.

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Free lunch — for every kid, every single day. Rich or poor. Hungry or well-fed.

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Chow was clear that it’s a “universal” program. That means everyone gets it.

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This is in contrast to what’s typically referred to as a “means-tested” program, where the government first verifies that the recipient is financially in need of support.

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The most common criticisms of universal lunch programs are that they go to families that don’t need the financial support, that they lead to significant food waste, and that the food is typically mass-produced and not very nutritious.

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A meta-study released earlier this year that looked at dozens of studies found that “school-meal programmes in high-income economies have minimal impact on students’ behaviour, health and education” and that “means-tested programmes and breakfast initiatives yield the greatest benefits for children’s outcomes.”
What’s interesting though is that Chow isn’t even arguing it’s to feed hungry, low-income kids.

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“The cost of almost everything has gone up for almost everybody,” Chow said at the press conference. “When you’re packing your child’s lunch you have a lot on your mind.”

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She chose to make her announcement in the Danforth and Coxwell area, which is not considered one of Toronto’s lower-income areas.

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This announcement is really being touted as a middle-class savings plan instead of a plan to feed the needy. Chow claims it will save an average family $1,800 per year.

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It’s also being sold as a benefit for folks who just don’t want to put in the effort — as Chow adds it will give you “a little bit more time in your evening so you don’t need to stress about packing a lunch.”

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Seriously? If that’s the goal, can you also send over a city worker to fold my laundry?

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We know what it’s like as a family to scramble to put together a healthy lunch for our kids in the morning while still waking up with our first coffee.
That’s called family life though. It’s just one of the things you have to do when you have school-aged kids.

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It’s one thing to stress over providing a healthy lunch for your kids when you’re financially struggling and don’t have a lot of options in the fridge. It’s another to say you wish the government would do it for you because life is better when other people do your chores for you and pay for your basic supplies.