The nomination period for municipal election candidates across Ontario has officially closed as of 2 p. m. Friday, providing a clearer idea of the options voters will have when they head to the polls this fall.
Elections are set for Oct. 26, but some early contenders – including those vying for mayor in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont. – have already started their campaigns in earnest.
A lot happened right before the deadline on Friday, especially in Toronto where former councillor Mary Fragedakis returned and current University-Rosedale councillor Dianne Saxe registered to run for Toronto-Danforth.
Some entries were made just in time. In Windsor, Ont., incumbent Mayor Drew Dilkens got his name added to the official list with less than half an hour remaining.
Several notable figures have also jumped into the race, such as former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith and recently resigned Liberal MP Shaun Chen.
Political analysts have expressed concern about how many seats had only one candidate or none at all as the deadline approached.
Zachary Spicer, an associate professor of public policy at York University, points out that a competitive mayoral race can boost voter turnout in municipal elections, which typically sees lower participation than provincial or federal ones.
Conversely, he notes that a strong incumbent without serious challengers tends to create a “reverberating effect” on council campaigns, leading to fewer people showing up to vote.
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University-Rosedale Coun. Dianne Saxe registered as a candidate not for her ward, but for the ward of Toronto-Danforth after Coun. Paula Fletcher retired earlier this week. (Naama Weingarten/CBC)
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Mary Fragedakis, a former Toronto-Danforth city councillor, registered on Friday to run as a candidate in her former ward after current Coun. Paula Fletcher announced her retirement this week. (Naama Weingarten/CBC)
Saxe hopes there will be two environmental advocates on city council following the election – herself included. While she didn’t clarify who else she meant, former councillor Mike Layton is also running again for his old seat at University-Rosedale and has been an advocate for environmental issues throughout his career.
Saxe remarked that she’s aware of challenges facing the Toronto-Danforth community and has what it takes through her advocacy work and political experience to address them effectively.
“I’m a really good match for their challenges and I have proven my ability to deliver results when others don’t on exactly those challenges,” she said.
Gabe Blanc withdrew his candidacy on Friday from University-Rosedale but chose instead to endorse Layton. He noted he felt Layton had previously achieved positive outcomes regarding shared priorities and would continue doing so moving forward.
A big showdown looms over in Toronto too since veteran politicians like ex-federal Conservative minister Chris Alexander along with current council member Brad Bradford aim to unseat mayor Olivia Chow; recent polling shows residents want quicker decisions made by city officials while welcoming new ideas.
An online survey done by Ipsos involving around 800 adult Torontonians revealed that 59 percent believe speed remains lacking during decision-making processes while another 57 percent feel there’s insufficient openness towards trying fresh solutions.
The poll also discovered respondents regard high living costs followed closely by housing affordability then traffic congestion among their top three economic worries concerning their city; improvements related directly towards public transit ranked fourth place overall.
The Canadian Research Insights Council reminds us that online surveys cannot assign margins errors because random sampling isn’t utilized within populations surveyed during such studies.
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Toronto-Danforth Race Gets Competitive
This week Coun. Paula Fletcher announced she would not seek re-election for her position representing Toronto-Danforth. The list of candidates went from just a few names to 17 in just days following Fletcher’s announcement, with several registering afterwards including former councillor Mary Fragedakis and current University-Rosedale councillor Dianne Saxe. Fragedakis served Toronto-Danforth from 2010 until 2018 and stated that returning to council is her next career step. She mentioned she’s spent eight years working within communities on economic development among other issues – experience she believes is essential for decision-makers in the city.Might-See Mayoral Elections
Spicer indicated he’ll be watching Mississauga closely since it has seen more competition for mayor lately after being dominated by the late Hazel Mc Callion’s leadership for decades; he’s also paying attention to Hamilton where incumbent mayor Andrea Horwath faces “considerable challenges.” The upcoming race should also be intriguing in Guelph, Ont., where three-term mayor Cam Guthrie is stepping down from his role allowing new candidates an opportunity according to him.A big showdown looms over in Toronto too since veteran politicians like ex-federal Conservative minister Chris Alexander along with current council member Brad Bradford aim to unseat mayor Olivia Chow; recent polling shows residents want quicker decisions made by city officials while welcoming new ideas.
An online survey done by Ipsos involving around 800 adult Torontonians revealed that 59 percent believe speed remains lacking during decision-making processes while another 57 percent feel there’s insufficient openness towards trying fresh solutions.
The poll also discovered respondents regard high living costs followed closely by housing affordability then traffic congestion among their top three economic worries concerning their city; improvements related directly towards public transit ranked fourth place overall.
The Canadian Research Insights Council reminds us that online surveys cannot assign margins errors because random sampling isn’t utilized within populations surveyed during such studies.
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