A Chinatown grocer who Olivia Chow boasts about helping in campaign literature has endorsed John Tory for mayor.
Lucky Moose Food Market Owner David Chen announced his support for the former radio host following a meeting of the Chinatown BIA Thursday afternoon.
The endorsement is the latest blow for a Chow campaign that has consistently polled behind Tory and Doug Ford in recent weeks.
“In Chinatown we still have so many problems here, like parking problem, pest problem and robbery problem,” Chen said. “We need a good mayor to run the city to make it more nice.”
Chen rose to prominence in 2009 after he was arrested for forcibly detaining a shoplifting suspect until police arrived.
Chow, who was the Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina at the time, famously took on Chen’s cause in Ottawa, authoring a private members bill that aimed to loosen the laws around a citizen’s arrest, so property owners could detain suspects within a reasonable amount of time after an offence. Previously the law only allowed for citizens arrests to be made if the suspect was actively committing a crime.
On her campaign website, Chow lists her advocacy for Chen as one of her accomplishments while discussing her job creation agenda. It is also mentioned in Chow’s biography page.
“As an MP, Olivia stood up for the owner of the Lucky Moose grocery store after he was prosecuted for defending his store from thieves,” the biography states. “Her proposals gained all-party support, and were enacted by the Conservative federal government.”
Speaking with reporters, Tory said that he is “delighted” to have Chen’s endorsement.
“He was a leader when there was a significant legal issue. He stood up for himself but he also stood up for others in this community and brought about real change in the laws of this country,” he said.
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