By Hadiqah Khalil
Municipal elections are taking place Oct. 24. This year, there are nine candidates on the ballot vying to be the next City Councillor for Ward 13, Toronto Centre—Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) riding.
The Eyeopener dug into the candidate’s profiles so you don’t have to.
Of the nine potential councillors, six had their platforms readily available online or responded to The Eye’s request for comment.
The Eye does not endorse any candidate or their opinion.
Miguel Avila
Miguel Avila, an Indigenous activist, said in an interview with The Eye that his platform supports building social housing projects, raising the minimum wage to $25 an hour, improving traffic and road safety issues and taxing large corporations.
If elected, Avila will continue advocating for “social and environmental justice, with an emphasis on housing, food security, police accountability and animal rights issues,” according to his website.
“Toronto City Council does not have a leader to represent you at council chambers. There is an empty seat with my name on it…I want to be that Indigenous person at the table,” he said in the interview.
Avila also believes defunding the police is a way to hold them accountable. “We have been working steadily and fast to defund police by 50 per cent to have funds for Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities that are really needed right now,” he said.
If elected, Avila hopes to be a voice for free transportation. He said this will not only benefit the city in general, but specifically university students.
“Many [students] come from low-income families, having free transit will certainly help with the burden of student loans.”
Colin Johnson
Colin Johnson believes Toronto City Council would greatly benefit from his lived experience, according to his website.
He said that he too “has experienced homelessness” and plans to create safe and livable homes in the city.
According to the City of Toronto’s website, Ward 13 has the highest population density of any ward. If elected, Johnson hopes to make an impact on the housing and population density issues that are prevalent throughout the city of Toronto.
Johnson said he plans on doing this by advocating with the province to bring back rent controls and making sure that housing developers construct high-rise homes that can accommodate families.
Additionally, Johnson stands for public safety within Toronto’s transportation services and the general population, supporting small businesses and will advocate for the police to take proactive measures against hate crimes.
Chris Moise
Chris Moise, a longtime resident of Ward 13, has been a public school trustee for the last six years, as well as vice-chair of the Toronto District School Board. He was also a small business owner, a healthcare worker and police officer.
“A big part of [my platform] is around housing, quite frankly,” Moise said in an interview with The Eye.
His website states that he will be advocating for expanding housing opportunities for students, improving public safety and security and building on safe public spaces.
Moise believes that having people housed will reduce mental health struggles and crimes in the city. “As you may know there’s a lot of mental health and tension issues in housing,” he said. “As a result of the pandemic, many people have fallen through the cracks.”
He also hopes to work with the university to help housing accessibility for students on and around campus.
“Definitely one of the things I am looking at is housing at the university, I am strongly encouraging [the TMU administration] to build student housing,” Moise continued.
He added that he is very fond of community spaces and their importance in providing services to the general public. Moise wants to encourage our community to have public spaces where people can collectively gather.
“It is important to keep it vibrant and safe, a place where people can gather…If we are not doing well in Toronto Centre, the entire country suffers.”
Caroline Murphy
Caroline Murphy said in an interview with The Eye that she is passionate about prioritizing community safety, the environment and supporting local businesses.
“The main reason I am running is because it is time to effect good, solid change,” she said.
Murphy said she believes in putting the environment first by vitalizing green spaces and building sustainable infrastructures.
“When we look around today and we see garbage bins overflowing, people living in parks, the roads in despair, people worrying about rent versus the food on the table—that is not Toronto.”
She added that we have to start listening to what the youth are saying about the affordability and mental health crises. “Students shouldn’t have to choose between school supplies and food on your table.”
When asked about mental health services for university students, Murphy said, “I think solutioning the mental health crisis needs to be left up to the professionals. A politician can’t solution what a medical person is trained in but what we do need to do is listen to what the students are telling us with support mechanisms and money there.”
She said she is also determined to bring strength and accountability to city hall and ensure the public receives the services they paid for, adding, “Enough with name-calling, let’s actually do sustainable things.”
Nicki Ward
Over the last three decades, Nicki Ward said she has long been an advocate for the environment, 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as disability, human rights and community issues.
Her platform has three main goals: safety and accessibility, housing and mental health services.
“Number one is safety and accessibility. Being able to go to school as well as mechanical safety,” said Ward. “Because we have a lot of construction downtown…getting from Point A to Point B has been a real challenge.”
Long term, Ward plans to enforce a universal standard for street signs, turning distances at corners, traffic lights, road signs, bike lanes and visibility throughout all of Toronto.
Her goal is to also create and fund a watchdog group for individuals with disabilities. “I think people recognize that at the municipal level we need to take care of traffic lights, road safety, bike lanes and potholes.”
Ward adds that there is currently a “broken housing system,” especially for students. She believes that she can begin tackling the housing crisis by reforming the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC).
“[Ward’s TCHC strategy] is economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. Part of the platform is to turn some of the TCHC properties into co-op housing. This allows TCHC to restore existing properties in a state where people can actually live.”
Ward also hopes to increase mental health and addiction services. “We know our healthcare system is a provincial responsibility but we also know it is not being met,” she said. “We want to deal with this health crisis at our doorstep, with fast-tracking people who are wrestling with addiction and want the need for help.”
Ryan Lester
In an email to The Eye, Ryan Lester, a former City Councillor candidate, said he will not be seeking the position this year for personal reasons, adding that he will be endorsing candidate Nicki Ward for Ward 13 councillor.
Election day is on Oct. 24. Students can visit the City of Toronto’s website regarding candidate and voting information.
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