About the Ward

Etobicoke North is located in the northwest corner of Toronto, stretching between the Humber River and Highway 427. Etobicoke North is a diverse ward—58 percent of the population is made up of immigrants, and 76 percent identify as visible minorities. Ward 1 was created in 2018, when Wards 1 and 2 were combined. A Ford family member has served as councillor for the ward from 2000 until this June, when Michael Ford resigned after winning a seat in the 2022 provincial election. Rosemarie Bryan won the vacant spot, but resigned shortly after when social media posts resurfaced that appeared to show her sharing anti-LGBTQ2+ content. Rose Milczyn was appointed interim councillor in August, but said that she never intended to and is not running for election.

Where the Candidates Stand

This is the first time in 22 years that the area will not be represented by a member of the Ford family. There are a total of 16 candidates seeking to fill the vacuum, including former councillor and Ford ally Vincent Cristani.

The matrix below provides a head-to-head comparison of where council candidates stand. The Local combed through city council records to review all the decisions made over the last four years and identified a dozen votes that are the most telling on key issues: homelessness, transportation, housing, policing, taxes, and the environment. The Local then asked all candidates to participate in a survey asking them how they would have voted on those same 12 motions.

Of the 16 candidates running, only six participated in The Local’s survey.

Here Are the Takeaways

  • While most of the six candidates took progressive stances on many issues, almost all were against raising taxes. Only one, Dev Narang, said he would hike it two percent and consider a personal vehicle tax.
  • Candidate Alistair Courtney appears to be the most progressive of those who responded to The Local’s survey, indicating support for making ActiveTO bike lanes permanent, a judicial enquiry into encampment clearings, and cutting the police budget to fund rent supplements.
  • Bike lanes are not particularly popular in Ward 1. Three respondents—John Genser, Dev Narang, and Ricardo Santos—were against making ActiveTO bike lanes permanent.
  • The candidate who voted most closely in line with John Tory was John Genser, who matched the mayor’s no votes on hiking property taxes to fund a TTC fare freeze, more affordable units for Housing Now, cutting the police budget, and raising property taxes.

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Information in Candidate Tracker was compiled and written by The Local’s team of journalists and fact checkers. City council candidates were emailed a questionnaire asking for information about their history, experience, and plans. They were also surveyed about their stances on twelve key votes that took place in the 2018-22 council term. Not all candidates were reachable or responded. The Local also conducted its own research to independently source and verify information about each city council and school trustee candidate. If you’re a candidate whose information is not here, please email us at elections@thelocal.to. Last updated: October 11, 2022.

Contributors: Inori Roy, Ann Marie Elpa, Nikky Manfredi, Danielle Orr, H.G. Watson, Emma Buchanan, Dhriti Gupta, Zeahaa Rehman, Neville Park, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Tai Huynh, Craig Madho, Steve Combes, and Lia Mattacchione.