The ward of York South-Weston has long been a battleground council race in Toronto’s municipal elections and in the 2022 election it was the closest race in the entire city, decided by only 94 votes.
This year, it’s a rematch of that close race with incumbent Frances Nunziata facing Chiara Padovani again. But there’s also a dark horse in the running: Daniel Di Giorgio, who has prior experience representing the area as a two-term school trustee.
York South-Weston is home to the new Mount Dennis light-rail transit station, Little Jamaica, Keelesdale and the Brookhaven-Amesbury neighbourhood.
Some residents say the recent developments in the area aren’t enough.
Nic Boshart, who lives in the Harwood neighbourhood, told CBC Toronto Saturday he’d like to see more done for the local community.
“The parks have been stagnant, we’ve had some updates but nothing big,” he said. “We need better transit.”
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José Medeiros, another resident of the ward, said he wants to see more potholes on the roads fixed.
“It’s a disaster,” he told CBC Toronto on Saturday, speaking in Portuguese. “They don’t fix them.”
Last election, Nunziata, who has been councillor for the ward for more than three decades, won the riding by just 94 votes, with Padovani coming in a close second place.
CBC Toronto reached out to Nunziata for comment.
Earlier this month, she denied a news report that said she was dropping out of the municipal race. At the time, her campaign told CBC Toronto she’s “not finished fighting” for the ward.
“My focus remains exactly where it has always been: on the people who make York South—Weston such a special place to call home,” she said in a statement. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together but I know there is much more work to be done.”
“I have the experience, the determination and the drive to continue to deliver for the community I love,” Nunziata added. “I have embraced change, faced challenges and worked tirelessly to stand up for the people of York South—Weston. That commitment has never wavered, and it certainly isn’t stopping now.”
York South-Weston is home to the new Mount Dennis light-rail transit station, Little Jamaica, Keelesdale and the Brookhaven-Amesbury neighbourhood. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)
Padovani, a social worker in the community who is running a third time, said she initially decided to run because she kept having to put people on waitlists for recreation, housing and senior support as part of her job.
“I got to the point where I was like, ‘I’m going to keep trying my best to work within this system or I can try and run for office to try and change it,'” she told CBC Toronto Sunday, adding she was born and raised in the ward.
Despite losing the last election, Padovani said she decided to keep her campaign office open, so she could keep working with community members as a volunteer.
“I’m not a politician yet. First, I’m a social worker, I’m a neighbour, I’m a resident of this community,” she said. “I care about this place and I know that we deserve better than what we’ve been getting.”
“I’m really proud of what I was able to do even though I didn’t win the last election,” she added. “There was a huge appetite for change in the last election and we came really, really close to doing it.”
Padovani says her priorities include helping seniors with property taxes, benefits and services, helping residents who are being evicted from their homes and improving infrastructure to avoid basement flooding — an issue she says is common in the ward due to geography.
She also plans to speak out against rising grocery prices and address public safety, especially on roads — an idea that came from the road safety audits she’s been doing across York South-Weston.
Former Toronto Catholic District School Board trustee Di Giorgio said he believes the ward needs a councillor who engages more with residents and includes them in the decision-making process.
“Too many decisions in York South-Weston are being made without the community at the table,” he said in a statement to CBC Toronto. “We need a councillor who is proactive, not reactive, who brings residents into the process early.”
Di Giorgio said his priorities are affordability and housing, community safety, transit, infrastructure and external stakeholder influences.
Advance voting in this year’s election saw the biggest turnout in over a decade, with more than 222,000 people voting between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11. The numbers showed a nearly 72 per cent jump from turnout in the 2023 mayoral byelection, which saw over 129,000 early votes, according to the city’s website.
There are nine candidates running to be York South-Weston’s next councillor and you can see the full list here.
CBC Toronto will carry an election special live at 7 p.m. Monday. Information on how to watch can be found here.