Ward 15 — Don Valley West

Biography: Rachel Chernos Lin is the current councillor for Ward 15—Don Valley West. She won in a by-election after the death of city councillor Jaye Robinson in 2024. She currently sits on the Infrastructure & Environment Committee and Board of Health, and is chair of the City-School Boards Advisory Committee. In key votes on council, Chernos Lin has almost always voted with the mayor.

Chernos Lin was a significant player in the contentious debate about the “bubble zone” bylaw, which restricts specific acts of protest around areas of worship and child care. She put forward successful motions that substantially changed the staff-prepared bylaw to require less scrutiny toward the locations applying to be protected from protest under a bubble zone, and extend the time frame for which the bubble zone would be applied.

She has also put forward motions to investigate what City regulations and processes apply to AI datacentres, to strengthen protections for trees, and to develop a plan to revitalize the Peace Garden. She has expressed support for Toronto school board trustees stripped of their powers. On her website, she mentions having supported the growth of the police force, expanded street safety measures, and advocating for tenants’ rights.

Prior to being on council, Chernos Lin was a Toronto District School Board trustee, elected 2018. In that role, she advocated for mandatory vaccination in the wake of COVID-19, and for restrictions on cell phones and social media.

Platform: Chernos Lin says she will prioritize pedestrian safety, “perhaps the most common issue raised by Ward 15 residents”, and support public transit and cycling infrastructure. She is in favour of more affordable housing near transit, and new developments with “unit sizes that make sense”. She also mentions protecting the tree canopy, promoting renewable energy, and studying the potential impacts of AI datacentres.

Biography: Sheena Sharp is a climate-focused architect who worked on Toronto’s first net-zero building, the Mount Dennis child care centre. Sharp leads Coolearth Architecture, a firm that specializes in environmentally friendly designs, and has served in multiple leadership roles at the Ontario Association of Architects. She is also on the board of directors of Toronto 2030 District, a public-private project that brings together building owners, managers, and tenants to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions.

Sharp previously ran for the Don Valley West council seat in 2024 and 2022, most recently coming fourth out of 16 candidates. She also ran as the Green Party candidate in the ward’s 2022 and 2025 provincial elections, as well as the 2025 federal election.

Platform: Sharp’s policy banner is “climate ready city.” On housing, Sharp says Toronto should reject inclusionary zoning, simplify the planning process for buildings shorter than six storeys, support people to become small landlords, fight systems that use AI to set rent prices, push to stop rent increases between tenants, and favour non-profits and co-ops for subsidization programs. On taxes, rather than cut spending on services she deems necessary, Sharp says the city should instead raise more money from other sources. She does not take a stance on either increasing or decreasing Toronto police’s budget, but says the city needs to push the force to release details of what exactly it spends its funding on. Sharp supports a ranked-ballot voting system for Toronto elections and supports the “bubble-zone bylaw” restricting protests outside places of worship with some conditions.

Biography: Denis Tsang is a registered dietician and chair of the board of the College of Dietitians of Ontario. According to his LinkedIn, he also leads quality improvement and performance at Alliance for Healthier Communities, a health equity organization.

Platform: Tsang’s platform includes more housing, expanded transit, and better transparency in government.