People blaming Olivia Chow for subway stabbing even though she isn't mayor yet

Another violent incident on the TTC has Toronto asking who is to blame for the decay of safety on public transit. Many are finding ways to somehow pin Thursday's stabbing and the broader crime problems with public transit on Mayor-elect Olivia Chow, who hasn't even taken office yet, in a bizarre disassociation from reality.

Chow was elected mayor on June 26, but will not take office until July 12. She has yet to implement any of her policies, including those regarding transit, however, that hasn't stopped her critics from blaming her for each and every incident that occurs on the TTC.

What they need on subways… are less criminals and scum bags. Social Workers? They would be terrified all the time and unable to handle a scenario like this. @oliviachow is as advertised. Soft on crime & incompetent.

— Magna Carta Mike (@Incommunicado22) July 7, 2023

Among Chow's most vocal critics is former mayoral candidate Anthony Furey, whose hard-right conservative stances only managed to sway 35,899 voters, or five per cent of the total.

A top concern I heard on the campaign trail was that people don’t let their kids take transit anymore. They don’t feel safe.

Olivia Chow consistently ignored or downplayed these safety concerns for partisan reasons. But the time has come for her to admit we need more police. https://t.co/wlutiD0Doz

— Anthony Furey (@anthonyfurey) July 7, 2023

Whether a case of trolling or genuine belief, comments blaming Chow flooded Twitter on Thursday afternoon following the subway stabbing that left one man in hospital and shut down Line 1 subway service for much of the day.

Olivia Chow basically committed that stabbing herself!

— Prof Synthesizer Rex MD, PhD (@PillboXXe) July 7, 2023

Chow has spoken out about the incident, suggesting that mental health issues are the root of the problem and stating that she plans to add social workers to the TTC — a stance her critics argue isn't enough to curb the trend of violence.

@oliviachow @anthonyfurey @JoshMatlow True to form, cerebrally vegetative Olivia Chow, in response to the recent stabbing on the Toronto subway, promises to put social workers on the TTC subway. I know that is going to go a LONG WAY towards allaying people's fears. Yay Olivia!

— Arn Hatfield (@ArnHatfield) July 7, 2023

Even hours before the stabbing, another video circulating of a man smoking crack on a TTC vehicle was met with similar comments stretching to blame the Mayor-elect. Of course, not everyone is sitting idly by and letting these opinions go unchecked.

Olivia Chow is not yet in office you people have rocks for brains pic.twitter.com/9wjDwFeG5U

— Dan Seljak (@anotherglassbox) July 7, 2023

Several comments have attempted to correct those blaming Chow and fearmongering about her coming mayoral term, reminding them that current issues the TTC faces happened under conservative municipal and provincial leadership.

12 years of Tory and Ford did this. But yeah, Olivia Chow is the problem. 🙄

— A.A Is OK (@teach_n_travel) July 7, 2023

There is no doubt that Chow has a different action plan for crime than her conservative critics, opting for a focus on mental health services addressing the root causes of these incidents over pouring more funding into armed police intervention. But it is a heck of a stretch to blame the problems of today on the policies of the future.

Just to note: conservatives everywhere are blaming Olivia Chow for lack of support, response, and the entire situation regarding the stabbing on the TTC today. Fact: she's not even sworn in yet and has no mayoral powers. This is conservatism in Canada, they merely sling mud. #TTC

— Leftist in TO (@Kapital2Marx) July 7, 2023

This misplaced blame for hot-button issues emerged almost immediately following Chow's securing of Toronto's top job, inspiring a hilarious meme where social media users jokingly reported new bike lanes built directly through their homes overnight.