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.

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.