Voters will elect a new city council member when they head to the polls for Toronto’s Ward 15 – Don Valley West by-election on Monday.
A total of 16 candidates are registered to be on the ballot, however polling shows a close race between frontrunners Rachel Chernos Lin and Anthony Furey.
Chernos Lin is a trustee and chair of the Toronto District School Board who has been endorsed by Liberals like former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and MP Rob Oliphant, who represents the Don Valley West riding in the House of Commons
Furey is a former columnist and editor of the Toronto Sun, who ran for mayor of Toronto in 2023. He’s gained the endorsement of Conservatives like Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce.
Both candidates were spotted canvassing local neighbourhoods over the weekend in a final push for votes before election day.
Out near Wanless Park, north of Lawrence Avenue, Furey said he is committed to being a voice for “common sense” policies at City Hall.
“Public safety, fiscal accountability, getting traffic moving, these are the things that families in Don Valley West and across Toronto tell me they want to see a focus on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chernos Lin was out near East York Town Centre on Overlea Boulevard where she reiterated her message of being a strong local voice who is hoping to tackle big ticket issues like traffic, crime and urban development.
“We have an awful lot of applications for 46 storey towers especially around the Bayview area without planned infrastructure to go with that,” she said.
The byelection comes after the death of councillor Jaye Robinson following a battle with cancer back in May. Robinson represented the ward for nearly 14 years.
Voting gets underway at various polling stations in the area beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday and wraps up by 8 p.m.
Find more information here.
