What do the future voters want in the next Toronto mayor

While they may not be able to vote in this election, young residents will be the future of the City of Toronto. CityNews spoke with students about what they need for a better, more livable city.

Grade 7 and 8 Scarborough students who have been studying civic engagement this year and their concerns echo concerns across the city that have become issues in the Mayoral campaign. Violence is one of them, especially on transit.

“Half of our school relies on transit, with recent incidents like stabbing attacks, it makes it more scary and unreliable to use transit,” said Evan Hamif, a Grade 8 student.

When asked what he thinks would make transit safer, Hamif said an increased police presence. “Maybe that would stop more attacks. If you go to the subway now, you see people’s backs against the wall, very tightly. They’re really afraid to be close to the tracks.”

“You could be walking anywhere you never know what can happen next … a lot of violence happens in high schools, near high schools … some people die in the attacks,” added Parveen Pathan, another Grade 8 student.

There is also frustration with transit.

“Sometimes I have to wait 20 minutes for the bus to come and it would be faster walking. I also have a friend who has to take three buses to go home, it’s that far away,” said Grade 7 student Safwan Islam.

Housing and affordability are also key issues for these students.

“I’m the daughter of two immigrant parents,” said Zara Mirza, another Grade 7 student. “It was easy for them to find housing but not for lots of people. We should definitely build more houses and affordability.”

Their teacher, Tevya Reid, also grew up in Scarborough and is now raising his own children here.

“If I could talk to the mayor, I would say get to know the people from every corner,” shared Reid. “Surround themselves with the right people to solve these problems.”

Even though these students see the problems, they also have hope for Toronto.

“This is a beautiful diverse city and if we can manage to get the problems out of the way then it’s a beautiful city to grow up in,” said

“I feel like Toronto is one of best cities to live in because of all the job opportunities and how different cultures are represented in Toronto,” said Pathan.

One final message from the students was to vote. Only 30 per cent of Toronto residents cast a ballot in last year’s municipal election. They say if you don’t vote, don’t complain.