Crowded field vies for council seat in Don Valley West

A former journalist and the chair of the Toronto District School Board are among a crowded field of candidates vying to fill a city council seat left vacant after the death of veteran politician Jaye Robinson.

Advance polling begins in Don Valley West, Ward 15, this weekend ahead of the Nov. 4 byelection to replace the former TTC chair and civil servant. Robinson died last summer after a public fight with cancer. Fourteen candidates are seeking the spot on council, and you can check out the full list at the bottom of this story. 

The race has drawn two recognizable names as conservative former journalist Anthony Furey competes with Toronto District School Board Chair Rachel Chernos Lin.

The pair appear to be locked in a close fight for the job. A Liaison Strategies poll conducted last week shows that Furey has a five point lead over Chernos Lin, with 38 per cent of the vote to 33 per cent.

The interactive voice response (IVR) survey was gathered on Oct. 17-18 from 547 eligible voters in the ward. Community organizer and business owner Lesley Stoyan was third with 11 per cent support, and Sam Robinson, the former councillor's son, had six per cent support.

The poll also shows that 30 per cent of respondents were undecided. 

CBC Toronto cannot accurately calculate a margin of error for IVR polls, but for comparison purposes only, a probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of 4.3 per cent.

Furey says key issues are bike lanes, fiscal responsibility

Former Toronto Sun columnist Anthony Furey has made waves in the race, jumping in a little over a year after he surprised pundits by finishing fourth in last year's mayoral byelection with over 35,000 votes. 

He says keeping bike lanes off major streets, fighting congestion and ensuring city hall is spending responsibly are among his priorities. 

"I want to turn the city around," he said. "I'm the father of three small kids. I care about the community. I grew up near the south end of the ward. And this is a great area, Don Valley West. We've got to have a champion to bring some common sense and practical solutions to city hall."

But Furey has been criticized by former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, who told CTV Toronto that she thinks the former newspaper columnist is a "far-right bigot." Candidates in the race have said he doesn't live in the ward and is using the race as a platform to mount another mayoral bid in 2026.

Wynne endorsed Chernos Lin on the same day that two candidates in the race, Dhruv Jain and Evan Sambasivam, dropped out and swung their support to the TDSB trustee. Despite the move, both candidates' names will remain on the ballot, but they have suspended their campaigns.

Furey said he's brushing off the criticism and focusing on the race.

"I will say when it comes to the shameless smear attacks on me, Kathleen Wynne, I mean oh boy, I feel bad for her that she's stooped this low," he said.

Chernos Lin focused on community safety, congestion

Chernos Lin said she is not a member of the Liberal Party, despite earning endorsements from a number of high profile members of the party. She says those pledges of support are a recognition that the race will come down to the wire.

"It's a two-horse race between me and another candidate," she said, not mentioning Furey by name. "And really, if we were going to make sure that we have a strong local candidate and a strong local voice in place at city hall for Don Valley West, they needed to support me and ensure I bring a united vision for all of us." 

Chernos Lin said she has lived in the ward for over 20 years and that it is home to the Bridle Path and Thorncliffe Park, meaning its residents' needs are wide-ranging.

Issues like community safety, congestion, and the impact of large-scale development are coming up as she goes door to door, she added. 

"People want livable communities," she said. "They've loved having that in this ward. But they are concerned about the future."

Candidate pushes for grassroots representation

Local community organizer and business owner Lesley Stoyan said she's been knocking on hundreds of doors across the ward during the campaign.

She says she's lived in the community her entire life and is running her campaign out of her apartment. Her grassroots campaign team is made up largely of family, she added. 

Stoyan's pitch to voters is that she isn't aligned with any of the major political parties, but has been working for years to improve local parks and the community behind the scenes.

"I saw that Ward 15 was potentially going to be controversial and that big partisan politics were going to come in and make waves in our community," she said of her decision to run. "I am very very much for the fact that municipal politics needs to be non-partisan, independent, by community change-makers, people who love their city, like me."

Robinson family will remain on the ballot

While Jaye Robinson may no longer be on the ballot, her 26-year-old son, Sam, filed his papers to get into the race in September, months after registration opened, saying he took time to think about how to best carry on his mother's legacy.

The Queen's University graduate says he's running on a platform of battling congestion, increasing road safety and investing in city parks. 

"Why I'm running is basically to continue my mom's work and legacy," Robinson said. "I saw the other candidates that are running. I don't think they will continue the work to the same degree that I will be able to."

Election day is set for Nov. 4 with voting open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advanced polls take place this weekend from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can find out more on how to vote here. 

The full list of 14 candidates campaigning for the Don Valley West council seat is as follows:

• Rachel Chernos Lin
• Habiba Desai
• Anthony Furey
• Peter Handjis
• Syed Jaffery
• Mario Lamanna
• Cleveland Marshall
• Sam Robinson
• Shakhlo Sharipova
• Sheena Sharp
• Jason Stevens
• Lesley Stoyan
• Daniel Trayes
• Calvin Xu