politics
Who’s Running in the Ward 2, Etobicoke North By-Election?
One of these quirky characters will become the new councillor of the former Ford Nation today.
Photo by asianz from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.
Etobians head to the polls today to fill the shoes of late councillor Rob Ford in Ward 2, Etobicoke North. After more than a decade of Ford domination in the ward, many predict that the former mayor’s nephew, Michael Ford, will sweep the by-election—despite his young age and lack of political experience.
But Ford is not the only candidate vying for the spot, with 11 other names on the ballot.
Who are the candidates, and what will they do with the ward formerly known as Ford Nation? Torontoist breaks down the Etobicoke by-election so you don’t have to.
Michael Ford
He may be a fetus by comparison to other established City Councillors, but Ford, 22, is the frontrunner of the by-election, vowing to uphold his family’s call to action by returning every phone call he receives from residents of the ward and keeping taxes low. The former Toronto District School Board trustee (of just over one year) is also the candidate on the most social networks with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts (#millennial).
Jeff Canning
A resident of Ward 2 for a decade, Jeff Canning is arguably Ford’s biggest competitor in the race, with considerable support on social media. The businessperson’s platform focuses on improving the economy through community engagement (though no word on returning phone calls), greater educational opportunities, and higher levels of employment in the ward. Canning told the Star he’s aiming to engage voters who are looking for a way out of the Ford dynasty in Etobicoke.
Chloe Brown
Great interview with Stephen LeDrew. He asks the tough but right questions that the public needs to know #topoli pic.twitter.com/04Cw1bUV4g
— C.Marie (@ChloeForWard2) July 21, 2016
Chloe Brown has spent most of her life in Ward 2, studying and later working with the Toronto Youth Cabinet. Her platform focuses on community development, aiming to reduce violence in the area and employ smart technology to create more opportunities in Etobicoke. She’s also the best user of GIFs on Twitter out of the candidate pool.
Kevin Clarke
Perhaps even more so than Mikey Ford, Kevin Clarke truly loved the Rob Ford era of municipal politics. So much, in fact, that Rob is mentioned in a majority of his campaign literature. Clarke even dubs himself the “Black Rob Ford, except less vulger [sic].” He also aims to improve community relations and reduce violence Ward 2, when not rallying to succeed Ford.
Annette Lubinski
A life-long Etobian and wearer of power suits, Annette Lubinski is campaigning to make Ward 2 “a safe place to live, work, and play.” Lubinski has worked in education as a trustee in Halton, and aims to use her experience to transform the neighbourhood. “Serving the public is an honour [that] requires commitment, diplomacy, tenacity, and a very thick skin,” she writes. “These things come with age and experience, and I have them all.”
Glen Smith
Glen Smith will be your “420 voice for Toronto Council.” Need we say more?
Christopher Strain
Christopher Strain is the anti-Ford candidate in the race. In fact, Strain called on Ford to engage in a one-on-one debate with him in advance of the election, though a petition to do so only garnered 27 signatures. Perhaps the most civically involved candidate, Strain has formerly worked with Russ Ford in Ward 6, and has been endorsed by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. Jonathan Goldsbie of NOW magazine dubbed him the only candidate running a serious campaign. Oh, and he wants to kill the Scarborough subway project—though it may be a bit late for that.
Other candidates whose platforms have not been made available online include Stacey Agard, Chai Kalevar, Christopher Noor, Ken Street, and Jimmy Talpa.
Residents have until 8 p.m. to cast their vote. The City will be live streaming the results here.