As Toronto gears up for the municipal elections on October 25th, one thing that is becoming very evident is that while EVERYONE is following the mayoral race, many Torontonians don’t even know what ward they live in, let alone who their councillor candidates are.

This morning, I decided to do a little research to see if any of the candidates running in my ward are labour-friendly and progressive. What I found isn’t great. I live in Ward 25, which is one of the richie-rich wards in this city. According to their websites, my candidates don’t seem very concerned with tenant rights, affordable housing, public transit improvements or programs for newcomers.

Well, okay fine. Not one to just blindly swallow what’s presented to me on the internet, I’ve decided to write each of the candidates running for councillor in my ward to find out where they stand on key issues that concern me. Here’s the letter I sent; let’s see what kind of responses I get from the candidates (or their spin doctors).

Dear __________,

As a new ward 25 resident (I moved here from another Toronto ward in 2008), I am keen to learn what I can about the candidates running for ward 25 councillor in the upcoming municipal election.

I am interested in voting for a progressive, labour-friendly candidate who recognizes that while they are certainly in the minority*, not EVERY resident of Ward 25 lives in a McMansion, has a university degree and earns over 200K per year. I’m looking for a representative at City Hall who will look out for the best interests of ALL residents, not just the rich ones. Can you tell me where you stand on the following issues?

1. A proposed requirement that all new residential building developments include a portion of affordable housing units, which would promote gentrification and would give all Torontonians the chance to live in a beautiful, vibrant neighbourhood.

2. As you may remember, a cyclist was fatally struck by a City of Toronto transportation vehicle on June 8^th, 2007 at the corner of Bayview Avenue and Fifeshire Road, so I’d also like to know what you’ll do to make Ward 25 more bike- and pedestrian- friendly.

3. One mayoral candidate pledges, as part of his plan for food prosperity, a 25% increase in City funding for school nutrition programs. Statistics show that 31% of elementary school children do not eat a healthy breakfast.** What schools in your ward do you feel would most benefit from increased funding for nutritious snacks?

Finally, _______, can you tell me what federal political party you’re a member of?

I appreciate your time in answering my query. Not sure if we’ll have the chance to meet. I’ve noticed that no candidates have canvassed my street to date – maybe because it’s all apartment buildings.

Thanks,

Gwen Styles

* According to the Ward 25 profile on the Inside Toronto Votes website, 70% of residents aged 25 to 64 have a university degree, there are only 3,600 single parent families in the ward, and the average household income is $143,868.

** http://www.breakfastforlearning.ca