By Mathew Katz

Torontoist is ending the year by naming our Heroes and Villains of 2007––the people, places, and things that we’ve either fallen head over heels in love with or developed uncontrollable rage towards over the past twelve months. Get your dose, starting Boxing Day and running into the new year, three times a day––sunrise, noon, and sunset.

Even before November’s provincial election, Kathleen Wynne was a force to be reckoned with. As the Liberal Education Minister, she put her experience as a member of the Toronto Parent Network and similar organizations to good use and helped salvage our ailing education system, turning it into one that works for parents, teachers, and students. When John Tory decided to run in Don Valley West, Wynne had a serious threat to her seat, but she didn’t panic. She simply let her track record speak for itself and focused in on her riding, unlike Tory, who had to gallivant around the province. Her record as Education Minister paid off when she got the support of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation in the summer. She wasn’t covered much throughout the election, but she ran a fantastic campaign that embraced her riding’s local community as well as her ideas to further the province’s education system, all while Tory continued to shoot himself in the foot. Wynne even held her own against Tory in what was nearly a one-on-one debate over the religious schools issue. On election night, Tory’s embarrassment was complete when Wynne held onto her riding, defeating—though just barely—the Conservative leader. It’s no secret that we’re no fans of Tory, and we couldn’t help but be a bit glad when he was not only defeated, but defeated by a strong, female, Queer candidate.
Photo by Alex Tang from The Miss G_ Project.