Veteran Toronto city councillor and first amalgamated Toronto Transit Commission chair Howard Moscoe has died at the age of 86, Mayor Olivia Chow announced Saturday.
In a post to social media, Chow described Moscoe, who was born on Nov. 28, 1939, as a “friend to many people in the Toronto area and beyond.”
“Howard’s contribution to a better Toronto has been enormous,” she said. “The memory of Howard Moscoe is a blessing to us all. Rest in Peace, dear colleague and friend.”
According to Chow, he started as a high school art teacher in North York, where he later became president of the North York Teachers’ Federation and a governor with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation. He ran three times to become the MPP in the Wilson Heights riding as a member of the New Democratic Party.
Moscoe first started as a councillor in 1978, Chow said. In 2010, after 32 years on North York and Toronto city councils, Moscoe announced his retirement. At the time, he represented the western half of the Eglinton-Lawrence ward.
In her post, Chow noted some of Moscoe’s many accomplishments, including his support of rent-geared-to-income housing, rallying against the apartheid regime in South Africa, supporting human rights efforts in Nigeria and fighting for LGBTQIA+ issues in the 1990s at the TTC.
During his time in politics, Moscoe was chair of the city’s licensing and standards committee. He also became the first amalgamated City of Toronto chair of the TTC in 1998.
“Building a vibrant public transit infrastructure and promoting ridership growth were his key passion,” Chow said. “He read virtually every City Council and TTC report and had an encyclopaedic memory of their content that he brought to Council and TTC meetings.”
Moscoe had enthusiasm, humour: Chow
Moscoe was keen on advocating for WheelTrans and taxi drivers and was a strong supporter of giving the province control of the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, she added.
“His Councillor colleagues will remember him as a tenacious fighter for social justice, whether it was people living with disabilities, tenants, people without homes, transit users, and so many equity-deserving communities,” Chow said.
She added he used his creative thinking to demand that condo developers include a free Metropass for the first year of residency in their sales and his tenacity to purchase new subway vehicles built in Thunder Bay, which now serve Line 1 of the TTC.
“He never attacked people personally but would debate urban policy with great enthusiasm, and frequent humour,” Chow said. “And yes, he was mischievous from time to time to the delight of friend and to the fury of foe, all of which made for entertaining media.”
“At the root of all his pranks, clever strategies and tactics, he had a lifelong commitment to struggle for a fair, just and equitable Toronto,” she added. “He did it all in a ‘larger than life’ manner which made him a complete pleasure to work with on Council.”
TTC flags lowered to half-mast
In a post to social media, the TTC said it is deeply saddened to learn of Moscoe’s death.
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Moscoe’s family as they mourn his passing,” the TTC said. “All flags across TTC properties are lowered to half-mast in Mr. Moscoe’s honour.”
The transit agency said he served as the chair for five years and on the TTC’s board for 14 years.
“Mr. Moscoe took the helm at the TTC during a very challenging and complex year for the new amalgamated City of Toronto,” the transit agency wrote.
During his tenure, the TTC broke ground on the new Queens Quay streetcar line, began construction on the Sheppard Subway, built the Transit Control Centre at Hillcrest Complex, introduced the Ridership Growth Strategy and helped steer the transit agency through the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome crisis, as well as North America’s largest electricity blackout.
‘I will miss him dearly’: city councillor
In a post to social media, Coun. Anthony Perruzza (Humber River-Black Creek) said Moscoe was a dear friend and mentor, as well as a “true champion for the little guy.”
“He believed deeply in fairness, compassion, and standing up for those whose voices were too often overlooked,” he said. “Beyond being a consummate politician, he was a loyal friend, a devoted husband, and a loving father to his three daughters.”
Perruzza added his thoughts and prayers are with the family.
“His legacy will live on not only through the work he did for others, but through the family he cherished so deeply,” he said. “I will miss him dearly.”
Coun. Brad Bradford (Beaches-East York) also posted to social media, noting Moscoe had a “larger-than-life personality.”
“I had the pleasure of meeting him during my time as a TTC commissioner, and his warmth and gregariousness left a lasting impression,” Bradford said. “Howard was deeply involved in Toronto’s Jewish community, and his absence will be felt across the city.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. May his memory be a blessing.”
