Biography: Sharmarke Ali is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics.

Ali’s campaign website says he has a background in computer science.

Platform: If elected, Ali says he will work on creating stable housing and increasing affordability. His campaign website says that he will quicken the pace of creating affordable housing, including rental housing, and support policies that protect tenants.

Ail also says that he supports small businesses, and promises to simplify city permits and licensing. He wants to make local transit frequent and reliable, and support safe street design for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Ward 5 candidate also aims to plant more trees in urban areas, invest more in parks and recreation, and work on building more mentorship programs and employment for youth.

Biography: Matthew Boateng’s campaign website says he’s a reverend and a music teacher.

Platform: If elected, Boateng says he will advocate for affordable rental housing within the ward, be tougher on illegal rent increases, unfixed repairs and renovictions, and support fair TTC fares.

When it comes to community safety, Boateng says he will aim to be preventative by funding youth programs, including late-night recreation programs. He also says he will fix public infrastructure like street lights, Toronto Community Housing buildings, and neglected public spaces. Boateng also says he will increase mental health crisis response services.

The Ward 5 candidate says he will also invest heavily in stormwater and flood mitigation within the Rockcliffe-Smythe neighbourhood and other flood-prone areas.

Biography: Daniel Di Giorgio is the chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, and trustee for Ward 10. In 2022 he was cleared by the board’s integrity commissioner in an investigation following complaints of alleged misconduct. They found that Di Giorgio made offensive remarks about social justice policies backed by other school trustees in an Italian-language newspaper in late 2021. The integrity commissioner quit, believing that the school board violated its own policies and the Education Act when it moved into a private session during a special meeting to defer its investigation report.

During his time as trustee, Di Giorgio voted in favour of amending the TCDSB’s code of conduct to include four terms: “gender identity”, “gender expression”, “family status,” and “marital status.” He also voted in favour of having the Pride flag flown during Pride Month in 2021.

Di Giorgio ran for MPP as a Liberal in York South-Weston in the 2025 provincial election. He came in second place out of six candidates, losing by a margin of 0.5% per cent.

In January this year, Di Giorgio criticized the city’s plan to close down Weston Lions Arena and replace it with an MLSE launch pad, arguing that the city did not consult the ward’s residents and that it “would have never happened in a more affluent area of the city.” He also claims that the province and the city could fund both the arena and the MLSE launch pad.

Di Giorgio also started a petition earlier this year that opposed the city’s plan to allow the redevelopment of the Keele North Park Plaza into a mixed-use space with mid-rise buildings, residential units and a public park.

In June, Di Giorgio said he’s in support of mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.

Platform: If elected, Di Giorgio says he will fund more police, with a goal to hire 1,000 new officers over four years.

The Ward 5 candidate says he would also bring a commercial parking levy for retail plaza owners and large parking lots.

According to his campaign website, Di Giorgio says he will prioritize “rising crime,” traffic, transit, property taxes, parks and public spaces, and “thoughtful” development.

Biography: Little information is available online about Maryama Farah. Someone of the same name was a representative of the Black Law Students’ Association of Osgoode Hall Law School for the 2024-2025 academic year. She is listed as a “student-at-law.” at a Toronto-based law firm and a student member at large within the Ontario Bar Association. The Local was not able to confirm that this is the candidate in question.

Platform: Information about Farah’s platform is not available at this time.

Biography: Little information is available online about Ahmed Mawel. His campaign website says that he works as a legislative assistant at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. His name was mentioned in a 2023 parliament session report, where he is referred to as the assistant to the now-former Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod.

Platform: Mawel’s campaign website says that he will push for more affordable housing within Ward 5, and advocate for better transit service and connections.

He also says he will push for consistent park maintenance, and maintain street lights, sidewalks and roads.

When it comes to supporting local businesses, Mawel says he will “cut red tape” as a means for them to thrive and create more jobs.

Biography: Frances Nunziata is the current councillor for Ward 5, a position she’s held since 1997. She began her political career when she was elected school board trustee in 1985. She was the mayor of the City of York from 1994 to 1997, before the city was amalgamated in January 1998. During the 2022 election, she won by a slight margin of 94 votes.

The city councillor is also on several committees and boards, including the planning and housing committee where she’s also vice chair.

Nunziata was generally aligned with John Tory on city council, voting the same way as the mayor on a majority of the votes during his tenure.

During her time in office, Nunziata has worked on the future of the Weston Lions Arena in her ward, has been in favour of building affordable housing through the multi-unit residential acquisition program (MURA), pushed negotiated with the province to establish a stop in Weston along the Union-Pearson Express line, and supported plans to expand George Brown Polytechnic to her riding.

She also advocated for a “no-fault grant” to support residents impacted by flooding in flood-prone Rockcliffe, and expressed her support to build a Somali Community Cultural and Recreation Centre.

In the winter of 2023, Nunziata voted against declaring homelessness a public health crisis and providing 24/7 warming spaces till spring. In 2025, she voted in favour of removing encampments that were “within 200 metres of a school, daycare, or playground within 24 hours of being reported.”

In 2024, the Office of the Integrity Commissioner Toronto released a report claiming that Nunziata’s campaign team sent out emails to constituents during the 2022 election, with some asking for their vote, going against council’s code of conduct. The report states that Nunziata’s chief of staff gathered roughly 8,000 email addresses without consent. Nunziata expressed “sincere disappointment and regret” about her office’s code of conduct violation.

In 2026, she voted in favour of asking the provincial and federal government for more funding for supportive housing.

Platform: Nunziata’s campaign website says that she’s in favour strengthening renters’ rights via RentSafeTO, a bylaw enforcement program, and investing in youth employment. She is opposed to defunding the police.

The Ward 5 incumbent also says she will prioritize building “more than 1,400 new homes and 600 affordable units.” However, Nunziata says she will not “engage in political stunts” that she believes are harmful to tenants.

Biography: According to her website, Nekpen Obasogie is an author and a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. Her website states that she is also the founder of the Canadian Council for Family Services, an organization that the site describes as catering to newcomers, families, and youth.

Platform: Obasogie’s campaign website says she’s in support of affordable and equitable housing, improving public infrastructure including transit, creating “an accessible and equitable community centre,” and supporting local businesses in the ward.

Biography: According to her website, Chiara Padovani works with the North York Harvest Food Bank as a social worker. She is also the former co-chair of and one of the founders of the York South-Weston Tenants’ Union, an organization that supported tenants fighting for affordable rent, among other rights. The union has since expanded citywide.

In 2025, Padovani criticized the province’s Bill 60, arguing that it would harm tenants’ rights and make it easier for landlords to evict tenants.

Padovani has run for councillor in Ward 5 twice. In 2018, she came in third place with 20 per cent of the votes. In 2022, she came in second place, losing to long-time incumbent Frances Nunziata by 94 votes.

In a video posted on X in 2024, the Ward 5 candidate claimed that Frances Nunziata’s campaign team “cheated,” after the city’s Integrity Commissioner released a report claiming that constituent contact information had been transferred to her 2022 campaign. The report found that approximately 8,000 constituent email addresses were recorded and “personally transferred” by Nunziata’s chief of staff and that some were used to send campaign messages soliciting votes, a violation of Council’s Code of Conduct.

In July of this year, the Labour Toronto & York Region Council endorsed Padovani, as did Progress Toronto. Padovani was also endorsed by former York South-Weston MPPs Paul Ferreira and Odoardo Di Santo, both part of the New Democratic Party.

Platform: While Padovani has yet to release a platform online, in June she organized a block party to educate residents in flood-prone Rockliffe about flood prevention, while also consulting with them on how to better support the community.

She posted a video series on how she would improve the Weston Road and Lawrence Avenue West intersection, which includes raising the intersection to the height of the sidewalk.

On Facebook, she proposed the City mandate rent-control on all buildings on city-owned land, enforce harsher penalties for neglectful landlords, and hire more RentSafeTO inspectors.

Biography: Sileen Phillips is a children and youth coordinator within the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, including within the ministry of the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle. Her campaign website says that she’s also a minister at a church in North York. She is described on the site as having “25 years of federal experience in the compliance, interpretation, and enforcement of legislation,” though it is unclear in what capacity. She says she has worked in elections administration.

Platform: Phillips’ campaign website says that she’s in favour of community land trusts, better protections for tenants, and flood prevention for homes. She also says that she will prioritise reliable transit, supporting local businesses, and preserving green spaces, among other issues.

Biography: Stacey Cline joined the TDSB as a trustee in 2025, winning in a by-election following the resignation of Rachel Chernos Lin. Previously, she spent nearly a dozen years in the TDSB as a teacher, and ran an education consulting company. She is also currently working as the Director of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement to Deputy Mayor Mike Colle.

Platform: Cline’s platform includes advocating for equitable access to programming, increased provincial funding, mental health supports, and parental involvement. She wants to ensure parents have a “meaningful voice” at the board.

Biography: Saherla Osman’s website says she is a psychotherapist (qualifying) and currently a candidate for a master’s in counselling psychology. She has an Ontario College Graduate Certificate in autism and behavioural science. She was previously a member of NDP MPP Faisal Hassan’s York South-Weston Youth Council. She has been endorsed by Hassan. 

Platform: Osman’s platform mentions access to mental health and support services, advocating for reductions in class sizes, individualized student supports, and investing in school repairs and maintenance. She wants to foster safe schools and protect public resources like school lands and facilities. 

Biography: Sarah Smithies most recently worked in a leadership role at Specialty Data Systems, a media software company. She is completing a PhD in Communication and Culture from TMU and York University. She says she has a child and a grandchild in the TDSB, and is running out of concern for the effects of funding cuts on their education.

Platform: Smithies’ platform includes advocating for increased funding to address class sizes and the repair backlog, re-instating the powers of school trustees, and keeping police officers out of schools. She opposes the selling of TDSB land or the closure of schools, and wants to reduce class sizes and expand child care programs.

Biography: Little information is available online about John Vassal. On X, he describes himself as a “political and social activist”. He previously ran to be a TDSB trustee in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

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

Biography: Rosanna Araujo is the co-founder and executive director of West Toronto Hustle, a non-profit that provides youth in Weston Village with basketball opportunities. She is also the community engagement and facilities director at the Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples, an organization in Toronto that supports Spanish speakers in the city through programs like a sexual and mental health clinic and legal clinic. She says she has worked on parent council in the TCDSB.

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

Biography: According to her website, Teresa Colonna is the Catholic School Parent Councils chair and a TCDSB delegate. She says she’s the founder of a non-profit for marginalised individuals (though this non-profit is not named). She also says that she has worked as a program coordinator supporting people with physical and developmental disabilities.

Platform: Colonna says that, if elected, she would work to ensure a safe and inclusive school environment, keep Catholic values in Catholic schools, maintain clear communications, and work closely with families.

Biography: Stephanie Loor Ruiz has worked as a constituency assistant for Judy Sgro, the Liberal MP for Humber River—Black Creek. According to Loor Ruiz’ website, she now has a leadership role with the Weston Village Community Association and she says that in 2025, she helped revive the Weston Santa Claus Parade.

Platform: Loor Ruiz says that if elected, she would strengthen literacy and numeracy, ensure equitable access to specialized programs, support newcomers and multilingual learners, support mental health resources, support anti-bullying initiatives that are rooted in Catholic values of dignity and compassion, and champion equity.

Biography: Sal Piccininni is a TTC operator. He was previously Ward 10 TCDSB trustee from 2000 to 2018, and served as the board’s vice-chair for two of those terms.

Platform: Piccininni does not have a platform available online at the time of publication. He told Corriere Canadese, the city’s Italian community newspaper, that he is running to be able to reset the board’s relationship with the province. He describes some of the sitting trustees’ decisions as “puzzling,” and characterizes them as having a “lack of leadership.”

Biography: Paul Salvatori is a journalist and educator. He works as a senior producer at TRT World, the global news wing of Turkish state-run television, and has also previously written for outlets like Broadview magazine and NOW Toronto. He specializes in advocacy about Palestine.

In 2018, Salvatori ran for TCDSB trustee in Ward 10, coming fifth out of seven candidates.

Platform: Salvatori has not yet published his own platform, but on the Toronto Public Library’s Know Your Vote website, Salvatori says that the most important thing for him is “ensuring every student has a safe and engaging educational environment.” He says that he would advocate for staffing levels and smaller class sizes so students can receive one-to-one or small group instruction.

Geneviève Oger is the incumbent trustee for Conseil scolaire Viamonde Ward 4 – Toronto Ouest. Oger ran unopposed for the Viamonde ward and has therefore been elected by acclamation.

Biography: Oger has served in the role since 2018, when she unseated current Ward 3 candidate Jean-François L’Heureux. She subsequently won the 2022 election by acclamation as a result of running unopposed. She was elected vice-chair of the school board from 2019 to 2021 and chair from 2021 to 2024. In addition to working within Conseil scolaire Viamonde, Oger also works as a bilingual communications manager within Ontario’s Ministry of Francophone Affairs.

Platform: Oger lists her priorities as consulting with parents, and creating inclusive environments for francophone students from any background. She wants to create opportunities for parents to pass down francophone culture to their children.

Biography: Josiane Aboungono is a tenant council member of Toronto Community Housing, representing Champlain Place. Aboungono also says she’s worked as an executive assistant to the parliamentary assistant within the province’s francophone affairs department. Her campaign website also says that she volunteered at Matthew House Toronto, an organization that provides shelter and support to refugee claimants.

Platform: On her website, Aboungono says she wants to strengthen Catholic identity in schools as one of her priorities, alongside hiring French-speaking staff. Aboungono also wants to showcase francophone culture through supporting “cultural, artistic and sports activities in French.” She pledges to be transparent with decision-making, while also listening to the input of staff, parishes, and parents.

Biography: Yelena Nichilo says she’s worked in the financial services sector for over 20 years and has two children attending École élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Cœur. Nichilo is the president of the parent council at her children’s school, where she has advocated for things including transparency from the school board regarding changed design plans for the school’s soccer pitch. In her role at parent council, Nichilo also says she led a parent engagement survey which led to more community events, free snacks for students, more French-language extracurricular programs, and parent communication groups for each classroom.

Platform: If elected, Nichilo says she will prioritize transparency, communication, and consultation with parents. She mentions responsible management of public funds, and meaningful accountability at every level of the school board.

Biography: Angela Ogang is a lawyer who practices in both English and French. She runs her own law firm and her website says she teaches at Université de l’Ontario français. Ogang sits on the steering committee of the National Association of Women and the Law, was the 2025-2026 chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Forum. She served as the director of communications for the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers. Ogang also says she provides legal services for Pro Bono Ontario, Ontario Action Against Violence Against Women, Southwestern Ontario Women’s Network, and the Law Society of Ontario’s mentoring network.

Platform: Ogang says she is running because she wants children to be able to “fully exercise their language rights.” She supports French education as a means to protect the language, but also to promote and transmit francophone culture, and help students develop a francophone identity and a sense of belonging in the community. Ogang promises to put students at the heart of her decisions and create opportunities to genuinely consult parents. She places an emphasis on meeting the needs of diverse francophone families, including if they are new to Canada or have one non-francophone parent.