Ward 12 — Toronto-St. Paul’s

Biography: Little information is available online about David Cottrell. He describes himself as an “executive operator” on LinkedIn.

Platform: Cottrell says his priorities are safe streets, affordable housing, and “real representation.” He says he’ll expand traffic calming and speed reduction measures on streets, improve lighting, invest in crime prevention programs, and support gentle density in housing.

Biography: Jenny Kalimbet works in the office of Etobicoke MPP Kinga Surma, who is a minister of infrastructure in Premier Doug Ford’s government. Kalimbet ran for federal office as a Conservative in Davenport in 2021, placing third. She came to Canada from Ukraine in 2005, says she’s helped resettle seven Ukrainian families in Toronto since the outbreak of war, has filled out visa applications for 200 Ukrainians, and has helped others find jobs in Toronto. A non-profit focused on women’s empowerment gave Kalimbet a community impact award in July for her political work and work with newcomers. Her LinkedIn says she also had an internship in the office of former councillor Ana Bailão.

Kalimbet supports mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.

Platform: Kalimbet’s platform is focused on public safety, responsible spending, and collaboration with other levels of government. She says she supports hiring more police officers and paramedics, and fighting hate-motivated crimes. She wants to end “wasteful programs and bloated bureaucracy” and focus city spending on roads, transit, parks, and public services. Kalimbet also says she will end drug use on the TTC, replace encampments with permanent housing, and expand affordable housing options that let families spend no more than 30 percent of their income on a place to live.

Biography: Little information is available online about Ahmed Kamal. He says he works in construction.

Platform: On his website, Kamal states that he is running for councilor to fix infrastructure, build reliable transit, and “ensure City Hall works for our community.” His platform says he’ll focus on road maintenance by filling potholes and better coordinate construction projects. He says development in the ward needs to be done alongside upgrades to infrastructure, and residents need a voice during planning processes.

Kamal also wants to reduce crowding on the TTC and advocate for small businesses. He has also said that he’s heard about how LRT construction and limited parking have hurt local businesses in Eglinton West and Little Jamaica. He also emphasizes the importance of protecting Little Jamaica’s heritage, preserving events like the Afro-Caribbean Farmers’ Market, and for more amenities and spaces that will bring people together.

Biography: Josh Matlow is the sitting councillor for Ward 12, a position he’s held since 2010. The councillor ran for mayor in 2023, coming fifth behind Olivia Chow, Ana Bailão, and former police chief Mark Saunders.

Once described as an “extreme” centrist, he now considers himself a “pragmatic progressive.” He has supported a maximum temperature bylaw for rental housing and the use of signal priority to increase travel times on LRT lines. He was also among the councillors most critical of the City’s 2021 crackdown on unhoused people living in parks. He has proposed multiple changes to the Toronto police, including a 10 percent budget cut, and an attempt to direct $900,000 from the police budget to fund 24/7 drop-in shelter programs. Matlow has been a key contributor to the Toronto Seniors Strategy and the RentSafeTO apartment building standards program, and originally proposed allowing drinking in parks.
As councillor, he voted to rename Dundas Square to Sankofa Square; however when he ran for mayor in 2023, he said he would put the plan on hold.

Matlow voted against the so-called “bubble zone” bylaw, which prohibited protests near places of worship and schools, because it didn’t go far enough, and additionally tried to do away with the bylaw’s application process in favour of less “performative” and overly “bureaucratic” measures instead. He has been reprimanded by council and investigated by the integrity commissioner for making comments about city staff, including publicly accusing staff of lying to him about park bathroom summer opening times.

Matlow is opposed to Premier Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under the 401, and has also argued against expanding Billy Bishop airport, saying it would increase traffic congestion downtown. He has publicly considered a run to lead Ontario’s Liberal party.
Before becoming a councillor, Matlow was a TDSB trustee from 2003-2010. Before that, he was active in the environmental movement, and worked as a campaign organizer for the Canadian Peace Alliance, where he protested the Iraq war in 2003.

Platform: Matlow has not released a detailed policy platform at the time of publication.

Biography: Bob Murphy previously ran for mayor in 2023, placing 48th out of 102 candidates. He came third in the race for city council in Toronto-St. Paul’s in 2022.

According to a Q&A from that time with the Cedarvale & Upper Village Community Group, Bob Murphy is a legal writer who has lived in the ward for 30 years. He says he worked on the campaign of Dianne Poole, a former Liberal MPP for Eglinton in the 1980s and ‘90s.

A person with the name Bob Murphy also serves on Toronto’s poverty reduction lived experience advisory group.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available online at the time of publication.

Biography: Mina Nadimi says she has work experience in non-profits, retail management, administration, and research. She stresses that she is a “non-partisan” candidate. On LinkedIn, a person with the name Mina Nadimi lists experience as a conference manager for an economic research institute.

Platform: Nadimi lists some of her top issues as transportation, traffic gridlock, high rent prices, high property taxes, and “underserved voters.”