Chloe Brown is a policy analyst at the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Future Skills Centre, which is supported by Employment Social Development Canada. Her role is to assess the outcome of projects to make recommendations for the future of work, while her mayoral platform emphasizes simultaneous usage of technology and equity advancement to make the city a better place to live .
“It’s become clear to me that the future of work does not include the working class,” Brown told the bridge. “At the core, there is a lack of democratic access to public services and public representation to the working class.”
Brown believes in the power of technology as a source for change and growth. She thinks the city government has not provided the working-class with enough access to technology, contributing to the city’s problems with transit, civic engagement and housing. Taking a technological approach to these issues could tackle them all simultaneously.
“Technology is a two-way mirror. When communities use technology to hold governments accountable, we can progress change forward,” she said. For example, Brown believes technology such as live cameras to track progress on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT could help hold Metrolinx accountable for the lengthy delays building it. Dashboard cameras for policing, and social media, are other examples.
Brown’s approach to homelessness begins with a short-term modular approach called Housing First. This involves rezoning land such as parking lots to rapidly build temporary housing using drones and artificial intelligence. These spaces would also have social services like medical staff and social workers.
Brown believes people should not need to prove their eligibility for housing, because it is a human right. “You need to give people hope in the form of decent shelter.”
Brown says the city government is “geared towards favouring executives and management consultants.” Corporate boardrooms are overrepresented in public services, Brown says, while countries such as Germany have equal representation of classes in their public sectors.
Brown wants to put corporations and agencies such as the TTC into citizens’ hands.
“I am really trying to create opportunities for the working class to not only have a seat at the table, but a plate full of food.”
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