We launched our ”If I Were Mayor” series to coincide with the municipal election, asking what you would do if you were elected chief magistrate of Toronto when polls close in October.
In our most recent instalment, roughly two dozen preteens shared creative ideas for what they would do if they held city hall’s top job. Some tackled cleaning up the TTC, creating more shelter space for unhoused residents and property tax changes. Others dreamed of scattering treasure chests all over the city, putting up more green space and fixing up potholes.
We’ll publish more ideas like these in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 26 municipal election, and hope that you’ll send yours so we can share it with the rest of the city. Everything you need to know to send in your submission is at the bottom of this page.
Here are a few of our favourite recent submissions:
Joanna Auguste, nurse and founder of The Face Lab
If I were mayor of Toronto, sunscreen would be free. You would find SPF everywhere — parks, transit stations, festivals, community centres, and outside every patio in the city. Red light masks would become acceptable evening attire, and failing to reapply your SPF might even earn you a warning.
I would introduce an annual wellness stipend that residents could put toward self-care. Gym memberships, therapy, movement classes, massages, and yes, maybe even a little Botox. While botulinum toxin and cosmetic treatments are not exactly a public health priority, many of the things that help people feel their best are often the first to disappear when budgets get tight.
Our city has spent millions addressing problems after they happen. I would rather invest in prevention of skin cancer, stress, and most importantly … wrinkles. As the cost of living continues to rise, wellness is often treated like a luxury instead of an investment.
As a nurse for over 18 years, I see every day how confidence, wellness, and health are interconnected.
When people feel better, they often take better care of themselves, engage more with their communities, and show up differently in the world. Toronto is already one of the greatest cities in the world. A little more prevention, a little less stress, and a little more support for wellness could make it even better. Fewer wrinkles, fewer sun spots and significantly less people frowning at each other will at the very least make Torontonians appear to be happier.
Afrim Pristine, culinary director of Municipal Goods
If I were mayor, I would want to rejoice and celebrate Toronto being one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet. The Saturday before the summer solstice (mid-June) would now be known as “Mosaic Day Toronto.”
No businesses would be open that day, and it would be a paid holiday by the government (not employers). My government would create a QR code passport highlighting all the amazing neighbourhoods within the GTA.
To make this citywide celebration truly immersive, every neighbourhood would showcase the heritage, daily life and creativity of each culture. It would feature food, drink, wellness, traditional apparel, textiles, and languages.
On this glorious day, travelling through Toronto would be like navigating the globe. One moment you are strolling Spadina in Chinatown, and the next moment you are dining on the Danforth in Greektown.
I feel this is a great way to really understand who we are in Toronto and how we can learn about the cultural neighbourhoods in our amazing city.
I love you, Toronto. You have given me absolutely everything and I’m eternally grateful.
Mitchell Marcus, vice-president of place and destination development at Northcrest Developments
If I were mayor, I would prioritize infusing culture, creativity and play in every single Toronto neighbourhood.
Every empty pocket of land or underused building is a potential canvas for creativity. I would make it easy for our city’s most innovative minds to transform them into temporary hubs for arts, recreation, retail and fun, creating easy-to-access incubation opportunities.
Second, I would infuse our beautiful parks with programming — from drop-in sports, to seniors’ chess matches, to community picnics. Utilizing a model that is highly successful in other countries, not-for-profit conservancies could be set up to deliver high-quality programming and raise the funds to remove financial barriers for participation.
Finally, I would appoint one artist in each ward as “Artist-In-Community” to deliver, facilitate, and catalyze creative gatherings and installations at a hyperlocal scale.
Most importantly, this agenda would be prioritized outside the downtown core, to ensure that everyone has accessible cultural infrastructure no matter their postal code. Because when people experience joy and imagination where they live, the city starts to feel a lot more like home.
