Polls close in Don Valley West byelection for new Ward 15 councillor
CBC
Polls have closed in the Don Valley West byelection after residents voted on Monday to replace former Ward 15 Coun. Jaye Robinson.
The field of candidates includes conservative former journalist Anthony Furey and Toronto District School Board Chair Rachel Chernos Lin. Furey and Chernos Lin appear to be locked in a close fight for the job.
The byelection was called after Robinson, a former TTC chair, died of cancer last summer.
Furey, who once wrote a column for The Toronto Sun, jumped in the race 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.
Other candidates, however, have said Furey doesn't live in the ward and is using the race as a platform to mount another mayoral bid in 2026.
Chernos Lin, meanwhile, has said she is not a member of the Liberal Party, despite earning endorsements from a number of high profile members of the party, including former premier Kathleen Wynne.
She says those pledges of support are a recognition that the race will come down to the wire.
Earlier on Monday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow urged voters in the ward to make time to cast ballots for a new city councillor.
"Send a message that you want more housing built. Send a message that TTC can provide better public transit and let's feed more kids. Let's do that today. And this is your chance to elect someone that shares those values," Chow said.
Chow said city council will welcome the person elected on Monday night to represent Don Valley West.
"Whoever wins today, the good people of Don Valley will make the right decision," she added.
Voters in the ward said they would like to see the new city councillor deal with such issues as traffic congestion, bike lanes, high rent, affordable housing and support services for newcomers and youth.
Norman Light, a voter, said there are many issues in the ward but property taxes are on the mind of voters because it's not clear if there will be an increase this year and how much it will be.
When Stephanie Gamble watched her mother model the first dress she made, smiling wide and walking an imaginary runway, she knew that was what she wanted to keep doing in her life.
'Tis the season for cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watching holiday movies. And for people in B.C.'s Interior, that can increasingly mean seeing their home communities on display.
Every year, snowy owls spread their wings and migrate down to the Prairies, where they enjoy access to plenty of rodent prey in vast open spaces.
This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.
N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.
P.E.I.’s auditor general says he’s concerned and disappointed that the projected deficit has doubled what government initially estimated it would be — and he's urging the province to balance its budget.
A man found not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party is getting more freedoms but not an absolute discharge.
A man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Toronto mother outside a supervised consumption site in Leslieville.
Russian olive trees — sometimes known as silver berry or oleaster — are small, ornamental plants with silvery leaves and black bark, and small yellow flowers and silver fruit that look like miniature olives. They’re pretty, but they’re a problem.
The Yukon Legislative Assembly’s fall sitting ended on Thursday after the territorial government introduced and passed a supplementary budget.
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, who stands accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was involved in an investigation into allegations that a leading Canadian defence journalist was a longtime Russian asset.
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
People won't be able to travel along B.C.'s Highway 3 without significant delays and detours over the holiday season, says the Ministry of Transportation.