Ward 9 — Davenport

Alejandra Bravo is a community organizer and the director of leadership and training at Broadbent Institute, an organization that advocates for ideas and policies that will “help create a secure, sustainable future.” She is also the founding director of Power Lab, an organization which enables community organizers to “realize a shared vision of an economy” by giving them resources to research, experiment, and network. Bravo was formerly a manager of leadership and learning at the Maytree Foundation, a non-profit committed to strengthening civic engagement and finding systemic solutions to poverty. She ran for the MP position for the Davenport riding in the 2021 federal elections under the NDP slate, placing second with 19,695 votes—165 less than incumbent Liberal MP, Julie Dzerowicz, which led Bravo to ask for a recount. Bravo also ran in the 2003, 2006, and 2014 municipal elections, coming in second to incumbent councillor, Cesar Palacio, each time. Her platform prioritizes affordable housing, which she will accomplish by investing in repairs, building more affordable housing through inclusionary zoning, and supporting non-profit housing development models. Her platform also includes fighting for climate change by funding the ClimateTO plan, improving community support by fighting for more child care subsidies, expanding non-profit and public municipal child care spaces, ensuring that trained crisis workers, social workers, and other unarmed personnel are the first responders to crisis calls, and defending public services from budget cuts. Bravo also wants to improve transportation by fighting for lower fares, building better biking infrastructure, and creating traffic-calming solutions.

Bravo has been endorsed by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, Progress Toronto, and the Toronto Star.

Simon Fogel is a long-time resident of Junction Triangle with a background in geographic analysis. Fogel previously worked as a geographer at the city’s Cycling & Pedestrian Projects unit. Fogel ran as an independent MPP during the 2022 provincial elections and came in tenth with 78 votes. As part of his platform, Fogel has stated that the government should have less oversight over developments in the city, so the free market can supply the housing needs, and allow more low-rise multiplex development. Fogel believes that the city should venture into commercial real estate and collect rent from retail and service shops built at subway stations so residents can pay less property tax. Fogel also wants to increase buses and bus drivers in the city and decrease waiting times, allow fare integration with GO Transit, the UP, and transit systems in the GTA. Fogel opposes COVID lockdowns, has expressed anti-vax sentiments, stating that if elected he would “reroute all funding for COVID vaccines to municipal food banks stocked with fresh meat and vegetables.” Fogel has also stated that unhoused people, if given housing without any conditions, would likely destroy it due to their “serious psychological problems.” Fogel allegedly demanded to be platformed at a Pizza with Politicians event hosted by the Stop Community Food Centre in Davenport, and went on an anti-vax rant when allowed to speak, though he denies the allegations. In tweets made the week before the election, Fogel said that “flu shots are a ridiculous concept,” and separately suggested that it “isn’t farfetched” to assume processed foods contain unknown ingredients like human remains.

Grant Gonzales is currently the manager of government relations at the Ontario Retirement Communities Association, an organization that advocates for a strong retirement sector. Prior to this, he worked at Metrolinx and Council Public Affairs. He has also worked as a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, AirBnB, labour unions, and professional associations like the Ontario Library Association and Chiropractic Association, among others. Gonzales has been the co-chair of Pride Toronto since 2020. He is also the 2021 DiverseCity Fellow at CivicAction, an organization that works to boost civic engagement, and has served as president of the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre. In 2021, Gonzales co-founded the Filipino Canadian Political Association, a non-profit organization that encourages more Filipino-Canadians to engage in politics. During his campaign, Gonzales stated his plans to build more housing and transit—especially affordable housing—and has expressed support for worker unions. He has been endorsed by Mayor John Tory.

Information about this candidate could not be found at time of publication.

Shaker Jamal is a community advocate who has worked as a union representative for the United Steelworkers since 2015. Jamal moved to Davenport in 2013 after earning his master’s degree at The London School of Economics and has previously worked as a project coordinator at Public Health Ontario and as an urban fellow with the city. In 2017, Jamal co-founded BetterTO, an organization that hosted quarterly salons to discuss issues within the city. Jamal’s platform prioritizes affordable housing, improving transit, ensuring community safety, and enhancing green spaces. During his campaign, Jamal has opposed the city’s evictions of park encampments as well as the province’s decision to bestow strong powers on the mayor. He has stated that he will make public washrooms more accessible, expand cycling infrastructure, and push for increased funding for TransformTO.

Stephen Leca describes himself as a lifelong Davenport resident as well as a realtor; he currently works with Keller Williams Co-Elevation Realty. Leca’s platform prioritizes affordable housing by creating a first-time homebuyer initiative as well as expanding Davenport’s arts and culture offerings, investing in senior care, supporting local businesses, adding community improvements like increased parkland, and establishing “community policing” by partnering police with “community members, local businesses, faith-based organizations, nonprofit groups, and other government agencies” to keep the community safe.

Jacob Maydanksy graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2017 with a BA in International Economics and Finance and is currently working in the film industry. Maydansky’s platform prioritizes housing, which he plans to solve by arguing for equal zoning across the whole city. He also seeks to advocate for renters, home owners and builders to find common ground, and tackle low and middle income housing challenges. He references helping seniors, people on disability and fixed income with rising cost of living. Maydansky also wants to expand the TTC service to better accommodate passengers, work with small business to stimulate local economic growth and holding politicians accountable, especially for wasteful spending.

Lazare Shorter is a community organizer who worked at Hyatt Regency, where he was a night auditor and elected shop steward. In an email to The Local, Shorter says that the continued challenges faced by the hotel sector during the pandemic led him to help create the Digital Quarantine Working Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a community-led testing platform. He is currently co-chair of the group, and wrote that he is running, in part, to solve the testing problem for organizations who need to plan in “high-risk congregate settings”. He also told The Local that his platform prioritizes laneway revitalization and improvements in the ward. He proposes the implementation of better and more efficient COVID testing of guests in the hotel sector by training hotel employees to administer tests and share data with public health authorities using QR codes, thus taking the burden off healthcare workers, and additionally says that the QR code testing strip system can be used as “a platform for non-medical professionals across our city to offer testing services.” Shorter has a background in political science and has previously worked as an English language instructor at China Pharmaceutical University and as a research consultant at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine.

Allie Spencer is a communications and PR professional who has held media relations positions at various government organizations. Spencer most recently worked as the executive assistant to former MPP Jane McKenna during McKenna’s tenure as the Minister of Children and Women’s Issues. She was previously the MPP liason for MPP Todd Smith while he served as Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, and a stragetic communications specialist at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario before that. Spencer volunteers for several non-profits, such as Fight4Freedom, which advocates for individuals exploited by human trafficking. As part of her platform, Spencer wants taxpayers to see their money reflected in improved infrastructure, social services, roads and transit systems. She also wants to support small businesses, and address increased homelessness, alcoholism and drug use in the city, as well as have places of worship to be included in the development of the city