Ward by ward: A look at candidates running in a new 25-ward system

It’s been a rocky ride to get to this point in Toronto’s municipal election.

Marred by Premier Doug Ford’s push to shrink the size of city council from 47 to 25, this campaign has been new territory for many sitting councillors and candidates alike.

Back in August, the city pushed back on Ford, ultimately deciding to take the province to court.

By September, a judge had found that the bill violated voters and candidate’s freedom of expression rights but the victory was short lived – Ford and his government won a stay of appeal just over a week later.

The new 25-ward system combines a number of boundaries from the previous system and, in many cases, pits one incumbent against another.

But, like any typical municipal election, the campaign has brought out new faces and longtime politicians.

We broke down the candidates vying for a seat in the new 25 ward council:

Ward 1 Etobicoke North

(From left to right): Coun. Michael Ford and Coun. Vincent Crisanti.

Incumbents Michael Ford and Vincent Crisanti face off in Ward 1 Etobicoke North.

In 2017, Crisanti lost his position as deputy mayor after endorsing then-mayoral-challenger Doug Ford over Mayor John Tory.

Crisanti is now running against Doug Ford’s nephew, Michael, who is the sitting councillor in Ward 2. Ford was previously a Toronto District School Board trustee for the area.

A Mainstreet Research poll released on Oct. 15 suggests the race between Ford and Crisanti is “too close to call.”

Ford has a 2.8 per cent lead over Crisanti among decided voters, according to the poll.

The poll, conducted on Oct. 10 and 11, is considered accurate plus or minus 4.76 per cent.

Other candidates vying for the seat: Carol Royer, Peter D’Gama, Farah Naiima, Michelle Garcia, Christopher Noor, Shirish Patel, and Gurinder Patri.

Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre

(From left to right): Coun. John Campbell and Coun. Stephen Holyday.

The incumbent race continues in Toronto’s west end, where two sitting councillors, John Campbell and Stephen Holyday, are going head-to-head in Ward 2.

Campbell, elected in 2014, represented the previous Ward 4.

Holyday was elected to the previous Ward 3 in 2014. Holyday is the son of Doug Holyday, a former councillor and the former mayor of what was then the municipality of Etobicoke.

According to a Mainstreet Research poll released Oct. 17, the incumbents are in a statistical tie, with Campbell leading by 2.1 per cent among decided voters.

A total of 595 people in the ward were surveyed. The margin of error is plus or minus four per cent.

Other candidates in the ward include: Bill Boersma, Angelo Carnevale, and Erica Kelly.

Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore

(From left to right) Coun. Mark Grimes, candidate Iain Davis, candidate Amber Morley.

Sitting councillor Mark Grimes is seeking reelection in the Etobicoke Lakeshore area, newly-renamed Ward 3. He was first elected in 2003.

Grimes is up against numerous other candidates, including Amber Morley, who has worked at city hall since 2013, and Iain Davis, whose father Bruce Davis was a Toronto District School Board trustee from 2000 to 2010.

Other candidates include: Svitlana Burlakova, Pamela Gough, Robert Gunnyon, Michael Julihen, Michael Loomans, Peggy Moulder, Patrizia Nigro.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article, published on Friday, included Mary Campbell as a frontrunner in the Ward 3 race. Campbell withdrew her application as a candidate on Sept. 21, 2018. CTV News Toronto regrets the error.

Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park

(From left to right) Coun. Gord Perks and candidate Kalsang Dolma.

Gord Perks is seeking re-election in Parkdale-High Park.

Perks was an outspoken opponent of Premier Doug Ford’s plan to cut the size of city council. On Oct. 15, Perks received an endorsement from mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat.

Longtime city councillor Sarah Doucette opted not to challenge Perks in the ward, following the decision by the provincial government to slash the size of council.

Perks is up against long-time Parkdale resident Kalsang Dolma, a teacher and settlement worker who sits on the Parkdale Community Legal Services board.

Other candidates include: David Ginsberg, Valerie Grdisa, Taras Kulish, Mercy Okalowe, Nick Pavlov, Alex Perez, Evan Tummillo and Jose Vera.

Ward 5 York South-Weston

(From left to right): Coun. Frances Nunziata and Coun. Frank Di Giorgio.

Another major incumbent race is brewing in the west end with veteran incumbent councillors Frances Nunziata and Frank Di Giorgio.

A Forum Research poll released Oct. 18 found Nunziata has a substantial lead, with 39 per cent of decided and leaning voters supporting her. Di Giorgio and candidate Chiara Padovani both received support from one-fifth of the respondents. The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Nunziata has been holding her lead for weeks. According to a Mainstreet Research poll, Nunziata held a ten-point lead over Di Giorgio back in September, with the support of 40.4 per cent of decided and leaning voters at the time.

The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 4.01 per cent.

Other candidates include: Keaton Austin, Deeqa Barre, Joey Carapinha, Fred Fosu, Harpreet Gulri, Cedric Ogilvie, Lekan Olawoye, Chiara Padovani, and Luis Portillo.

Ward 6 York Centre

(From left to right): Coun. James Pasternak, candidate Louise Russo, Coun. Maria Augimeri.

Two incumbents are fighting for another term on city council in North York.

James Pasternak, who represents Ward 10, is up against Maria Augimeri, who represents Ward 9. They are both seeking election for the new ward known as Ward 6 York Centre.

In an interview with CP24, Pasternak and Augimeri agreed they feel “sad” about having to run against a respected colleague.

Also running for the spot is Louise Russo, who became an advocate against gun violence after she was paralyzed in a drive-by shooting 14 years ago.

The only remaining candidate in the ward is Edward Zaretsky, an 84-year-old Torontonian who took it upon himself to make sure crews patched up a gaping pothole on Torresdale Avenue back in March.

Ward 7 Humber River-Black Creek

(From left to right): Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti, Coun. Anthony Perruzza, candidate Tiffany Ford.

A dramatic incumbent race has taken shape in another part of North York.

Giorgio Mammoliti has held Ward 7 since 2006. The new 25-ward system combines Ward 7 with 8, where Anthony Perruzza is sitting councillor.

Both are seeking re-election.

Back in September, a Mainstreet Research poll found that Perruzza had a nine-point lead among decided and leaning voters, over the controversial councillor Mammoliti and Toronto District School Board Trustee Tiffany Ford.

A total of 452 people were polled at the time. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.59 per cent.

A Forum Research poll from October found similar standings. It showed Perruzza had support from 42 per cent of decided and leaning voters, Mammoliti had 22 per cent, and Ford had 12 per cent.

The poll surveyed 401 Humber River-Black Creek residents and is considered accurate plus or minus five per cent.

Mammoliti has generated some controversy during the campaign. He drew backlash after suggesting in a campaign ad that he would knock down social housing in his ward. His comments on faith and politics have also come under criticism, even prompting a response from comedian Ricky Gervais.

Other candidates include Kristy-Ann Charles, Amanda Coombs, Winston La Rose, Deanna Sgro, and Kerry-Ann Thomas.

Ward 8 Eglinton-Lawrence

(From left to right): Candidate Mike Colle and Coun. Christin Carmichael Greb.

Christin Carmichael Greb is seeking re-election in the Eglinton-Lawrence area, which is now known as Ward 8.

Carmichael Greb currently represents Ward 16 Eglinton-Lawrence.

The new ward combines both Wards 15 and 16. Josh Colle, who is not running for re-election, had held the councillor post Ward 15 since 2010.

Colle’s father, Mike Colle, is now running against Carmichael Greb. Mike Colle is a former city councillor and former Liberal MPP.

Other candidates include: Jennifer Arp, Darren Dunlop, Lauralyn Johnston, Beth Levy, Randall Pancer, Josh Pede, Peter Tijiri, and Dyanoosh Youssefi.

Ward 9 Davenport

(From left to right): Coun. Ana Bailão, candidate Mark Balack, candidate Nahum Mann.

Ana Bailão is running in the newly-defined Ward 9, which consists of portions of Wards 17, 18 and 19.

Bailão was elected as Ward 18 councillor in 2010. She is the chair of the city’s affordable housing committee.

Bailão is not facing a fellow incumbent, as Ward 17 Coun. Cesar Palacio withdrew his candidacy after the 25-ward system was implemented and Ward 19 Coun. Mike Layton is running in the new Ward 11.

Other candidates for Ward 9 include Mark Balack, Nahum Mann and Troy Young.

Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York

(From left to right): Coun. Joe Cressy and candidates April Engelberg, Kevin Vuong, and Karlene Nation.

In Toronto’s downtown, incumbent Joe Cressy is up against a number of new faces.

Cressy, the Ward 20 councilor, was elected in 2014. Cressy sits on the Toronto Board of Health and the Toronto Community Housing board of directors.

He is the only sitting councillor vying for the new Ward 10.

Among the other candidates is political newcomer Kevin Vuong, lawyer and transit advocate April Engelberg and the outspoken opponent of the King Street Pilot Project, restaurateur Al Carbone.

Other candidates include: Michael Barcelos, Ahdam Dour, Dean Maher, Andrew Massey, Rick Myers, Karlene Nation, John Nguyen, Edris Zalmai, Andrei Zodian, and Sabrina Zuniga.

Ward 11 University-Rosedale

(From left to right): Coun. Mike Layton, candidate Marc Cormier, candidate Nicki Ward.

Sitting councillor for the former Ward 19, Mike Layton, is the only incumbent seeking election in the new Ward 11.

Layton was first elected to Toronto city council in 2010. He is the son of former federal NDP leader and Toronto city councillor Jack Layton.

Nicki Ward, a board member of The 519 community centre, has also thrown her hat in the ring along with teacher Marc Cormier.

Other candidates include Michael Borrelli, Joyce Rowlands, George Sawision and Michael Shaw.

Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s

(From left to right): Coun. Josh Matlow and Coun. Joe Mihevc.

The battle of the incumbents continues in the new Ward 12 with Joe Mihevc and Josh Matlow

Mihevc, who previously represented Ward 21, recently received an endorsement from incumbent mayor John Tory, who commended him for his poverty reduction work.

Matlow, who served as councillor in the adjacent Ward 22, has been critical of Tory’s one-stop subway extension into Scarborough, pushing for the city to reconsider a light-rail network instead.

A Mainstreet Research poll released on Oct. 16 showed Matlow and Mihevc in a statistical tie, with Matlow approximately 1.8 per cent ahead.

The poll was conducted between Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, prior to Tory’s endorsement of Mihevc. A total of 608 people were surveyed in the ward. The poll has a margin of error of 3.96 per cent.

A Forum Research poll released two days later showed Matlow holding a six-point lead over Mihevc amongst decided and leaning voters, just above the poll's five per cent margin of error.

Other candidates include: Elizabeth Cook, Artur Langu, Ian Lipton and Bob Murphy.

Ward 13 Toronto Centre

(From left to right): Kristyn Wong-Tam, candidate George Smitherman, Coun. Lucy Troisi.

It is a somewhat unusual incumbent race in another downtown ward.

Ward 13 sees councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam and Lucy Troisi facing off.

Troisi was appointed to her position in 2017 after the death of longtime councillor Pam McConnell.

The former executive director of the Cabbagetown Youth Centre is running for election in Ward 13, despite previously saying she would not.

Wong-Tam has been a councillor since 2010.

George Smitherman, a former Ontario cabinent minister and failed candidate for Toronto mayor, has also entered the race.

According to a Mainstreet Research poll from September, Wong-Tam held a nearly 17-point lead over Smitherman, amond decided and leaning voters. Troisi, meanwhile, had just 7.7 per cent of the support.

A total of 566 people were polled at the time. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 per cent.

A Forum Research poll released in October also showed Wong-Tam on pace for a big win. The poll, which surveyed 405 Toronto Centre voters, found Wong-Tam leads Smitherman with 52 per cent support from decided and leaning voters, compared to his 22 per cent. The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus five per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Other candidates include: Darren Abramson, Khuram Aftab, Jon Callegher, Richard Forget, Tim Gordanier, Jonathan Heath, John Jeffery, Walied Khogali Ali, Gladys Larbie, Barbara Lavoie, Ryan Lester, Kyle McNally, Catherina Perez, Jordan Stone, Megann Willson, and Rob Wolvin.

Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth

(From left to right): Coun. Paula Fletcher and Coun. Mary Fragedakis.

A pair of councillor friends are being pitted against each other in the new Ward 14.

Mary Fragedakis, the Ward 29 councillor, and Paula Fletcher, the Ward 30 councillor, have rarely differed in policy and vote.

Under the new 25-ward system, their wards have been combined.

The two longtime councillors – with a combined 23 years on council between them – stood in solidarity in the wake of the mass shooting on Danforth Avenue

They were both opponents of Premier Doug Ford’s strong-armed move to cut the size of city council.

Other candidates include: Lanrick Bennett, Chris Budo, Dixon Chan, Marisol D’Andrea, Ryan Lindsay, Lawrence Lychowyd, Chris Marinakis, and Alexander Pena.

Ward 15 Don Valley West

(From left to right): Coun. Jaye Robinson and Coun. Jon Burnside.

Incumbents Jaye Robinson and Jon Burnside are competing for the Don Valley West.

The incumbents, currently representing Ward 25 and Ward 26, are vying for the newly-formed Ward 15.

Burnside was elected in 2014 and is a former police officer and founder of a health-based food delivery service.

Robinson was elected in 2010 but spent many prior years working at city hall. She is the Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.

According to a Forum Research poll, Robinson leads with 48 per cent support, compared to Burnside's 37 per cent support among decided and leaning respondents.

"Robinson looks to have a solid advantage over Burnside going into the final week of the campaign," Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff said. "She is likely to win this seat."

A total of 407 people were polled. The results are based on a margin of error of plus or minus five per cent.

Other candidates include: Tanweer Khan, Minh Le, and Nikola Streker.

Ward 16 Don Valley East

(From left to right): Coun. Denzil Minnan-Wong and candidate David Caplan.

A longtime incumbent is going head-to-head with a former Liberal cabinet minister.

Denzil Minnan-Wong is being challenged by David Caplan for the new Ward 16, which is partly made up of Minnan-Wong's Ward 34.

Minnan-Wong is deputy mayor and a stalwart supporter of Mayor John Tory. He has served on council since 1997. In the 2018 provincial election, Minnan-Wong came second as a candidate for the riding of Don Valley East. During his run for provincial office, Minnan-Wong decided to hold on to his council position.

Caplan represented the ridings of Oriole and Don Valley East from 1997 to 2011, and served as a provincial cabinet minister in the Dalton McGuinty government.

According to a Forum Research poll conducted in October, Minnan-Wong and Caplan are "effectively tied" with 39 per cent and 35 per cent support, respectively, among decided and leaning voters. That difference is within the margin of error.

"Minnan-Wong and Caplan are deadlocked, and see results that are effectively equal," Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, the president of Forum Research, said in a release. "While Caplan isn't an incumbent, his name recognition in Don Valley East is clearly a factor with voters, though at this point it's difficult to say which candidate will prevail."

The poll surveyed 410 Don Valley East voters and is considered accurate within plus or minus five per cent.

Other candidates include: Aria Alavi, Diane Gadoutsis, Stephen Ksiazek, Pushpalatha Mathanalingam, Dimitre Popov and Michael Woulfe.

Ward 17 Don Valley North

(From left to right): Coun. Shelley Carroll and candidates Ken Lister, and Christina Liu.

Shelley Carroll is making somewhat of a comeback in Don Valley North.

Carroll was first elected to Ward 33 in 2003 but stepped aside in April 2018 to run provincially for the Liberal party. Jonathan Tsao was appointed to fill her seat, but is not seeking re-election.

Carroll announced in June that she would run again for Ward 17.

Other candidates include: Steven Chen, Kasra Gharibi, Ian Hanecak, Stella Kargiannakis, Kostas Kokkinakis, Ken Lister, Christina Liu and Erin O’Connor.

Ward 18 Willowdale

(From left to right): Coun. John Filion, candidates Norm Gardner, Danny De Santis, and David Mousavi.

Willowdale was due to be split in two, prior to Premier Doug Ford’s 25-ward system, and at the time, incumbent John Filion had announced he would leave municipal politics. He made an about-face on his retirement announcement however, when Ford’s bid to cut council size was successful.

Filion faces a number of political newcomers in Ward 18, most notably former councillor and Mackenzie Institute chair Norman Gardner, and former Toronto Taxi Alliance spokesperson Sam Moini.

According to a Forum Research poll released on Oct 18., Filion holds 39 per cent support. Candidates Lily Cheng, Sonny Cho and Danny De Santis were tied, each getting the support of one in 10 decided and leaning voters. The poll surveyed 403 Willowdale voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus five per cent.

Other candidates include: Farah Aslani, David Epstein, Andrew Herbst, Marvin Honickman, Albert Kim, Gerald Mak, Sam Mathi, David Mousavi, Jin Chung Park, Winston Park, Hamid Shakeri, and Saman Tabasi Nejad.

Ward 19 Beaches-East York

(From left to right): Candidates Brad Bradford, Valerie Maltais, Diane Dyson, and Matthew Kellway.

A ward in the city’s east-end is shaping up to be one of the most notable.

The riding, comprised of Wards 31 and 32, is one of two new wards without an incumbent candidate.

Ward 31 Coun. Janet Davis and Ward 32 Coun. Mary Margaret McMahon are not seeking re-election.

A number of new faces have stepped up to the plate, including Brad Bradford, who received an endorsement from John Tory.

The endorsement gave Bradford a boost in the polls, according to an Oct. 16 Mainstreet Research survey, but he still trails candidate and former MP Matthew Kellway.

The poll found that Kellway sits at 43.7 per cent with Bradford at about 32 per cent, among decided voters.

There were 572 voters polled in the ward. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.08 per cent.

A Forum Research poll, conducted in October, found similar results. Kellway had majority support among decided and leaning voters, with 44 per cent, while Bradford earned 27 per cent.

The poll surveyed 410 residents in the ward and is considered accurate plus or minus five per cent, 19 times out of 20

Other candidates include: Norval Bryant, Paul Bura, Dragan Cimesa, David Del Grande, Diane Dyson, Donald Lamoreux, Brenda MacDonald, Joshua Makuch, Valerie Maltais, Frank Marra, Paul Murton, Morley Rosenberg, Adam Smith, and Veronica Stephen.

Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest

(From left to right): Coun. Michelle Holland Berardinetti and Coun. Gary Crawford.

An incumbent race is brewing in Scarborough.

Ward 36 Coun. Gary Crawford is up against Ward 35 Coun. Michelle Holland-Berardinetti. Their ward boundaries were merged to create the new Ward 20.

A Mainstreet Research poll released on Oct. 16 indicated that the race was too close to call.

The poll put Crawford ahead of Holland-Berardinetti by a mere 2.8 per cent among decided voters.

Mainstreet surveyed 615 people in the riding, which created a margin of error of plus or minus 3.93 per cent.

Other candidates include: Gerard Arbour, Mohsin Bhuiyan, Paulina Corpuz, John Letonja, Robert McDermott, Suman Roy, Curtis Smith, and Bruce Waters.

Ward 21 Scarborough Centre

(From left to right): Coun. Michael Thompson, candidates Randy Bucao, and Fawzi Bidawi.

Ward 21 has only one incumbent in the race.

Coun. Michael Thompson, who represented Ward 37, is seeking re-election.

Other candidates include: Paul Beatty, Vivek Bhatt, Fawzi Bidawi, Randy Bucao, Zia Choudhary, Ismail Khan, Zamir ul hassan Nadeem, Arfan Naveed, Raphael Rosch, Nur Saifullah.

Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt

(From left to right): Coun. Jim Karygiannis and Coun. Norm Kelly.

Another high-profile incumbent race in Scarborough pits Ward 39 Coun. Jim Karygiannis against Ward 40 Coun. Norm Kelly.

Karygiannis has been a councillor since 2014 and Kelly since 2000.

An earlier poll, released in September by Mainstreet Research, found that Karygiannis and Kelly were locked in a tight race. Karygiannis had 37.3 per cent support (all voters with leaning totals). Kelly stood at 33.8 per cent support.

Mainstreet polled 625 people in the ward. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 per cent.

A Forum Research poll released in October, also suggested a tight race. Among decided and leaning voters, 41 per cent supported Karygiannis and 37 per cent supported Kelly, which is within the poll's five point margin of error.

Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff said it seems the incumbents are "dueling to the end."

Other candidates include: Jude Coutinho, Michael Korzeniewski, Vincent Lee, Roland Lin and Jason Woychesko.

Ward 23 Scarborough North

(From left to right): Maggie Chi, Ashwani Bhardwaj, and Cynthia Lai.

This ward, previously known as Ward 41 Scarborough Rouge-River, is one of two without an incumbent candidate.

A range of candidates make up this ward, including Real Estate Council of Ontario board member Ashwani Bhardwaj, newcomer Maggie Chi, and community activist and entrepreneur Cynthia Lai.

Other candidates include James Chow, Dameon Halstead, Anthony Internicola, Sheraz Khan, Mahboob Mian, Neethan Saba, Felicia Samuel, and Sandeep Srivastava.

Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood

(From left to right): Coun. Paul Ainslie, candidate Priyanth Nallaratnam, candidate Morlan Washington.

Ward 43 Coun. Paul Ainslie is the only incumbent running for the new Ward 24.

Ainslie has been on council since 2006.

Other candidates include Itohan Evbagharu, Reddy Muttukuru, Priyanth Nallaratnam, Keiosha Ross, Sajid Saleh, Michelle Spencer, Emery Warner and Morlan Washington.

Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park

(From left to right): Coun. Neethan Shan, candidates Cheryl Lewis-Thurab, Jennifer McKelvie, and Amanda Cain.

The new Ward 25 (a combination of Wards 42 and 44) sees incumbent Neethan Shan fighting for re-election.

Shan was elected in 2017 and has sat on both the York Region and Toronto District school boards.

Shan is up against environmental scientist Jennifer McKelvie and advocate Cheryl Lewis-Thurab, among others.

A Forum Research poll released on Oct. 18 shows Shan is trailing newcomer McKelvie. He saw support from 27 per cent of decided and leaning voters. She had the support of 50 per cent.

The poll surveyed 405 Scarborough-Rouge Park residents and is considered accurate within plus or minus five per cent., 19 times out of 20.

Other candidates include: Amanda Cain, Paul Cookson, Daniel Cubellis, Jasper Ghori, Reza Khoshdel, Cheryl Lewis-Thurab, Dave Madder, Christoper Riley and Joseph Thomas.