5 candidates already registered to run in Don Valley West byelection
CBC
Nominations opened Monday for the vacant council seat in Don Valley West and five people have already registered to run.
The Ward 15 byelection will be held on Nov. 4 to replace Coun. Jaye Robinson, who died on May 16 at the age of 61. Robinson represented the ward from 2010 until her death. City council officially declared the seat vacant on June 26 and decided to fill the vacancy through a byelection.
The nomination period will close on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.
As of 7 p.m. Monday, the five people registered to run are:
Advance voting will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
On election day, voting locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ward 15 is bordered by Yonge Street to the west and Leslie Street to the east. The ward is bordered by Highway 401 to the north, with its southern border running roughly along the Don River, just above the Evergreen Brickworks.
Furey, a former Toronto Sun columnist, ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Furey identified what he thinks are the main issues in the campaign.
"I want to join council to advocate for common sense, practical solutions to issues like congestion, which is frustrating all of us; tackle rising crime, like car thefts, which have gotten out of control; and I want to be a voice for responsible budgeting. We just can't have another couple years of 9.5 per cent or 10 per cent tax increases," he said in the post.
"And we cannot be spending tax payer dollars on things like renaming Yonge-Dundas Square and adding more and more bike lanes to major roads," he added.
Furey said in an interview at city hall that he wants to be a community advocate for the residents of the ward.
Architect Sheena Sharp, who is running for councillor in the ward for a second time, said she wants to focus on building more housing if elected. Sharp came in a distant second to Robinson.
"People say they don't want their kids living in their basement forever and they want their children to have opportunities and to be able to move out and flourish. The city is not providing that right now," Sharp said.
Sharp said she is also committed to climate action.