Get up-to-date news on the Mayoral race to make the best decision for the future of the city

Written by Sammy Abdo

The biggest change to the election is the downsizing of the wards in Toronto, from 47 to 25. This increased the size of each ward and now creates new issues for voters to be correctly represented. As the decision came during election season, candidates for Mayor have scrambled to secure votes. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the Toronto 2018 election.

Where and when to vote

The City of Toronto’s MyVote allows voters to check voting locations, the list of candidates, and a list of acceptable items of identification. With the changes to the wards, this is a valuable tool to make sure there’s no confusion on election day, which is Monday, October 22. You can begin voting at  10 a.m. until 8 p.m., when ballots will begin to be counted and results will be broadcasted.

What you’ll need to vote

Voters are required to show one piece of identification with a name and a Toronto address. Some examples include a driver’s license, health card, or a motor vehicle permit. You have to be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident in Toronto and not prohibited from voting under law.

The candidates for mayor

You can check the candidates for your ward and make an informed decision. Though there are 35 candidates for mayor, there are a several that voters should know about.

John Tory

Running for re-election, Mayor John Tory was elected on promises to build his SmartTrack transit plan, end gridlock, create more bike lanes and add more jobs for youth. His SmartTrack plan has faced different setbacks over its development. He has not announced new transit plans during this race and is running on a broader mobility plan hashed out during his mayoralty. He plans to continue with SmartTrack.

Jennifer Keesmat

Widely seen to be Mr.Tory’s main rival, Jennifer Keesmat was Toronto’s chief planner from 2012 to 2017. She is proposing major overhauls of the transit plan, with her first goal on transit being to build the downtown relief subway line to lighten the load on the Line 1 subway. This project, she said, would start by 2020 and cost $50-billion.

Saron Gebresellassi

Saron Gebresellassi is a multi-lingual lawyer, scholar, and activist, with an extensive track record in advocating for the people of Toronto. She made her splash during Global News’ debate where she out-shined both Mr.Tory and Keesmat. Her focus is working on free public transit and sufficient housing prices.