Toronto City Council to fill Ward 1 seat vacated by Michael Ford

Toronto residents in Ward 1 are will be getting a new interim city councillor but they won’t get to have their say on who gets appointed to the role.

The successor for the seat in Etobicoke North will be chosen by city council in a special meeting on Monday. There are 21 applicants currently vying for the open slot.

Among those hoping to win the appointment is Alison Canning, who ran for trustee with Toronto’s Catholic School Board in 2018.

“I want to fight and advocate for the parents and individuals, many of them being new immigrants, who can’t, or are simply too tired to advocate and speak for themselves on the barriers they are facing ” says Canning.

Another hopeful is Devanshu Narang, an actor and activist who wants to tackle hate, transit, and infrastructure in the community.

“I want to be there for the people at all times,” says Narang. “I want to ensure that I work with the city staff to bring our roads, our parks, our government housing back into shape.”

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Walter Alvarez-Bardales is a federal public servant and a disability and anti-poverty advocate. He says he wants to give back to the people of Toronto.

“My main concern right now, first and foremost, I think they need a voice in city council. It’s urgent,” he says.

Another public servant says she wants to pick up where the former area councillor Michael Ford left off.

“My priority would be jobs, public safety, and some municipal licensing and property standards,” says Rose Milczyn.

The interim councillor will serve the remainder of the term ending in mid-November.

Toronto residents will cast their ballots in the next municipal election on Oct 24. So far, there are eight candidates in the running for Ward 1 in the general election, including Narang.

Alvarez-Bardales says he also plans on running. Rose Mulczyn says she will not. Canning says she doesn’t know yet.

“If the opportunity comes up and if I am asked, I will address that then,” she says.

It’s the second time councillors have had to fill the Ward 1 seat  left vacant by Michael Ford since he was elected to the Ontario legislature in June. Rosemarie Bryan resigned hours she was appointed to the role after several homophobic and Islamophobic posts from her surfaced on social media.

Mayor John Tory, who also cast a vote in favour of Bryan, said it was appropriate for her to resign noting that councillors are expected to set an example when it comes to “consistency with our shared values.” He called on city officials to review the overall appointment process going forward.

The deadline to declare as a candidate in Toronto’s municipal election is Aug. 19.