Not having a Ford on the municipal election ballot after 22 years has left some voters in Etobicoke North unsure who to support in the Oct. 24 election, but others say it’s an opportunity to choose a representative which will be more receptive and sensitive to the elections on October 24. complex needs of the diverse room.
At a recent all-candidates meeting in Rexdale, several people in attendance told CP24 they need someone on city council to work hard for them.
“It is not an easy job that we are appointing someone to do. It’s a lot to take on that role as a councillor,” said long-time area resident Kenny Uzoma, noting the struggles many people in Etobicoke North face to pay rent and bills and buy food, among other things.
“We don’t need a candidate who makes promises he can’t keep. … The person must be ready to face challenges.”
Uzoma said he believes the Ford family did good work over the years in the neighborhood, but said now there is an opportunity to have a new champion in their corner.
“We need someone who is able to fight for difficult tasks and who understands the challenges facing our community,” he said.
Local voter Yvonne Joseph said she’s ready for a non-Ford city representative in her ward, admitting things haven’t been the same in Etobicoke North since Rob Ford was the local councillor.
After Ford’s election as mayor in 2010, Doug Ford served one term as a ward councilor before leaving his younger brother to regain the seat in the 2014 election. Michael Ford was elected in an election partial after the death of Rob Ford in 2016.
“Now is an opportunity to have someone who can help us,” Joseph said.
“We need more support for older people and better transport.”
Longtime area resident Jacqueline Ambris said she was surprised not to see a Ford on the ballot this time.
“We’re just hoping that whoever we get delivers what they say they’re going to do. … There’s a lot of false promises at election time,” he said, adding that having a different city representative gives voters a chance to “push to hear more “.
“We will have a candidate who really had to work to get elected,” he told CP24.com.
A total of 16 candidates are vying to become the next ward 1 councillor, which is the highest number of names to be on the ballot in any of Toronto’s 25 wards.
The list includes former city councilor Vincent Crisanti, who lost to now-MP Michael Ford in the 2018 election after the provincial government reduced the number of municipal wards in Toronto from 44 to 25. Ford left his municipal seat last spring to run for provincial in York. southwest
Crisanti said he decided to put his name back on the ballot at the behest of people in the community, adding that he will be the approachable and solutions-based representative that the people of north Etobicoke want.
“I’m someone who’s practical. I’ll show up at the front door and address the issues,” he said, adding that because of his previous experience as a local councilman, he’ll “hit the ground running” once elected.
“I take this position very, very seriously. … I’ve been very active in the community and I know the issues,” he said. “I know this community very well. I live here and I’ve been here for 40 years.”
A Forum Research poll that polled 220 randomly selected voters in Etobicoke North last month suggested Crisanti has the support of nearly 47 percent of respondents. Avtar Minhas, who served as a TDSB trustee in Ward 1, came in second with 26 percent of voter support. CP24 made several attempts to contact Minhas for this article, but did not hear back.
Nearly a dozen councilor candidates in Etobicoke North participated in a debate Oct. 5 at the Rexdale Hub near Finch and Kipling avenues. The event, which also included a meet and greet with trustees and trustee candidates, was organized in partnership with the Rexdale Community Legal Clinic.
Yodit Edemariam, director of legal services at RCLC, said they organized the all-candidates meeting to encourage local voters to “get out and participate” in the political process, as in recent years it has been particularly difficult to get the people vote in Etobicoke North. .
Edemariam said the event earlier this month was an opportunity for people to make their voices heard about important issues in their neighborhood, particularly the need for better transit, good and affordable housing, health care of children, employment and poverty reduction.
“There are huge accessibility issues in Etobicoke North,” he said, noting that the social determinants of health are significantly disproportionate in Etobicoke North.
“We have a lot of frontline workers, newcomers and racialized communities here. It’s a multi-faceted room.”
Doug Holyday, a former Etobicoke councilor and deputy mayor, said the change is a good thing and hopes the right person will be elected in Ward 1, but said he hopes voter turnout is still lower than usual in the room since the Ford name is so well known and trusted.
“Whoever wins, I wish them the best,” Holyday said, adding that regardless of who is elected, he hopes the Fords will continue to have “some kind of influence” in what happens in Etobicoke North, as Doug Ford remains the local MPP.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another Ford in the wings somewhere. That wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.”
With her own son as a Toronto councilor and running for re-election in Etobicoke Centre, Holyday said while name recognition helps, elected officials have work to do, even before running for office .
“People look beyond a name,” Holyday said, adding that he ran three times before being elected in Etobicoke because voters wanted to see his true commitment to his community.