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explainer

The basics

  • Torontonians head to the polls today for municipal elections that were thrown into disarray this summer when Premier Doug Ford cut the number of city wards to 25 from 47. The legal battle over that hasn’t been fully settled; an appeal court okayed the cuts, superseding an earlier ruling that struck it down, but the appeal court still needs to hear the province’s full case.
  • You can read City Hall reporter Jeff Gray’s profiles of the two main mayoral candidates, incumbent John Tory and challenger Jennifer Keesmaat. Here’s what the two had to say at an Oct. 9 debate moderated by The Globe and Mail’s deputy national editor, Nicole MacIntyre.
  • Ahead of the election, The Globe conducted a survey of its database of Facebook political ads, and found candidates and at least one third party had attacked Mr. Ford in their advertising, rallying potential voters against the cuts to city council. The ads were collected through a tool built by the U.S.-based non-profit ProPublica.


The issues: Required reading

HOUSING AND URBAN PLANNING

Open this photo in gallery:

Mark Blinch/Reuters

The need for more affordable housing has been a resounding challenge to mayoral and council candidates this fall, as city-dwellers have grown increasingly frustrated with soaring rent prices. Mayoral candidates like Jennifer Keesmaat and Knia Singh have suggested implementing a rent-to-own program, while their fellow candidate Saron Gebresellassi pledged to call a state of emergency. Incumbent Mayor John Tory and Ms. Keesmaat have often sparred over how many units of affordable housing could be built: Ms. Keesmaat is pledging 100,000 new units in the next decade, while Mr. Tory is pledging 40,000 new units over the next 12 years. That rounds out to a goal of around 3,500 a year for Mr. Tory, and 10,000 a year for Ms. Keesmaat.

Keesmaat proposes luxury-housing tax to fund rent-to-own program

Keesmaat pledges 100,000 new affordable housing units over next decade

Tory pushes for city, Queen’s Park to work together on future of Ontario Place

Alex Bozikovic: The central city needs parks. What about Exhibition Place?

TRANSIT

Open this photo in gallery:

Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press

The major question for constituents on transit is whether to stick with the current plan or not. Mr. Tory has not announced new transit plans in his campaign, still touting his signature plan, SmartTrack: a crosstown extension along Eglinton, the refurbishment of eight GO stations and the construction of six others. Ms. Keesmaat has been a staunch critic of SmartTrack. Her own $50-billion plan includes a downtown relief line built by 2028, a light-rail line on Jane Street and the removal of a station proposed for the GO rail line in Scarborough. The transit file as a whole is being eyed up by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has said he wants to upload Toronto’s subway network and take over planning for major transit projects.

Doubt, confusion hang over Toronto Mayor Tory’s SmartTrack transit plan

Keesmaat’s transit plan pitches fast-tracked relief line and enhanced bus service

Doug Ford wants to take over Toronto’s subways. Would that work? A reality check

ROAD SAFETY

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J.P. Moczulski/The Canadian Press

More than a hundred cyclists and pedestrians have been killed on city streets since Toronto unveiled a plan to stop such deaths in 2016. It’s a figure Mr. Tory has called “unacceptably high” – but he’s also argued that council is doing what it can. “We’re probably spending as much and doing as much as we physically could,” he said. As with the transit file, Mr. Tory is sticking to his original plans on road safety. Meanwhile, Ms. Keesmaat wants to drop the speed limit on residential streets to 30 kilometres per hour and make design changes around schools and Toronto’s 100 most dangerous intersections.

Lack of progress on road safety becomes a Toronto ballot-box issue

Keesmaat promises to lower speed limits, target road safety

Road safety advocates issue 15-point plan, say issue is at ‘a crisis point’ in Toronto

Five changes Toronto could make to improve street safety for cyclists, pedestrians

Gun violence

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Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press

This year is edging ever-closer to an annual record for homicides in Toronto, with 85 killings as of early October. (The record, 89 homicides, was set in 1991.) Gun violence in particular is elevated – there have been more than 300 shootings this year, more than 40 of which were fatal, and several on crowded streets. In response to the surge, Mr. Tory promised additional neighbourhood policing; Ms. Keesmaat has said she will ensure police staffing levels no longer “yo-yo up and down.” Both support a handgun ban currently being considered by the federal government. Mr. Tory has been challenged by Ms. Gebresellassi for adding 200 officers to the local force this year, and planning to add another 200 in 2019.

Toronto Police expanding neighbourhood policing program

Toronto police to shrink number of drugs and gangs units

Keesmaat, Tory spar over gun violence in Toronto mayoral debate

Who’s running for mayor?

John Tory

Open this photo in gallery:

Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail

On paper, Mr. Tory has many similarities to current Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whom he bested for the Toronto mayoralty in 2014. Both are millionaires whose fathers were part of Toronto’s business establishment; Mr. Tory was leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives from 2004 to 2009; and both came to their respective offices with promises of low taxes and fiscal responsibility. To a city tired of the upheaval of the Ford years, Mr. Tory presented himself as a conciliator who could bring conservative and liberal voters together. His re-election platform promises to stay the course on a 2016 public-transit plan and keeping property taxes at or below the rate of inflation.

Jennifer Keesmaat

Open this photo in gallery:

Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail

For five years, Ms. Keesmaat was Toronto’s chief urban planner, publicly butting heads with Mr. Tory over various issues until she resigned in 2017. Now, she’s running as the mayoral candidate on the left, supported by a number of councillors who’ve called for higher tax increases and more ambitious city services. She is proposing major overhauls of the transit plan, more affordable housing and urban-planning changes she says will make the city’s roads safer.

New wards vs. old: A visual guide

After heated legal battles between the province and City of Toronto, it’s official: On Oct. 22, there will be 25 city council seats up for grabs, down from 47. Check the city’s MyVote site to search by address for your ward and the candidates running there.

Here's a map of how the old wards compare with the new:

TORONTO ELECTORAL WARD BOUNDARIES

47 ward boundaries

New 25 ward boundaries

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

TORONTO ELECTORAL WARD BOUNDARIES

47 ward boundaries

New 25 ward boundaries

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

TORONTO ELECTORAL WARD BOUNDARIES

30

29

43

8

1

44

7

7

45

18

17

22

23

28

10

31

6

1

42

9

25

2

27

46

32

41

40

14

8

47

13

12

24

16

15

5

21

2

4

11

33

26

12

38

39

3

35

15

16

20

11

34

9

17

19

4

24

25

5

14

23

18

37

13

36

3

19

21

20

47 ward boundaries

10

6

New 25 ward boundaries

22

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL; SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

And here's a map of the new wards, with a list of what they're called:

7

22

1

15

12

9

13

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

18

17

7

22

23

1

6

25

15

8

24

21

16

5

2

12

20

9

19

4

11

14

13

3

10

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

7

18

17

22

23

6

1

25

21

15

8

24

16

5

2

12

20

9

19

4

11

14

13

3

10

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL; SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

Ward 1: Etobicoke North

Ward 2: Etocioke Centre

Ward 3: Etobicoke Lakeshore

Ward 4: Parkdale-High Park

Ward 5: York South-Weston

Ward 6: York Centre

Ward 7: Humber River-Black Creek

Ward 8: Eglinton-Lawrence

Ward 9: Davenport

Ward 10: Spadina-Fort York

Ward 11: University-Rosedale

Ward 12: Toronto-St. Paul’s

Ward 13: Toronto Centre

Ward 14: Toronto-Danforth

Ward 15: Don Valley West

Ward 16: Don Valley East

Ward 17: Don Valley North

Ward 18: Willowdale

Ward 19: Beaches-East York

Ward 20: Scarborough Southwest

Ward 21: Scarborough Centre

Ward 22: Scarborough Agincourt

Ward 23: Scarborough North

Ward 24: Scarborough-Guildwood

Ward 25: Scarborough-Rouge Park

Ward 1: Etobicoke North

Ward 2: Etocioke Centre

Ward 3: Etobicoke Lakeshore

Ward 4: Parkdale-High Park

Ward 5: York South-Weston

Ward 6: York Centre

Ward 7: Humber River-Black Creek

Ward 8: Eglinton-Lawrence

Ward 9: Davenport

Ward 10: Spadina-Fort York

Ward 11: University-Rosedale

Ward 12: Toronto-St. Paul’s

Ward 13: Toronto Centre

Ward 14: Toronto-Danforth

Ward 15: Don Valley West

Ward 16: Don Valley East

Ward 17: Don Valley North

Ward 18: Willowdale

Ward 19: Beaches-East York

Ward 20: Scarborough Southwest

Ward 21: Scarborough Centre

Ward 22: Scarborough Agincourt

Ward 23: Scarborough North

Ward 24: Scarborough-Guildwood

Ward 25: Scarborough-Rouge Park

Ward 1: Etobicoke North

Ward 2: Etocioke Centre

Ward 3: Etobicoke Lakeshore

Ward 4: Parkdale-High Park

Ward 5: York South-Weston

Ward 6: York Centre

Ward 7: Humber River-Black Creek

Ward 8: Eglinton-Lawrence

Ward 9: Davenport

Ward 10: Spadina-Fort York

Ward 11: University-Rosedale

Ward 12: Toronto-St. Paul’s

Ward 13: Toronto Centre

Ward 14: Toronto-Danforth

Ward 15: Don Valley West

Ward 16: Don Valley East

Ward 17: Don Valley North

Ward 18: Willowdale

Ward 19: Beaches-East York

Ward 20: Scarborough Southwest

Ward 21: Scarborough Centre

Ward 22: Scarborough Agincourt

Ward 23: Scarborough North

Ward 24: Scarborough-Guildwood

Ward 25: Scarborough-Rouge Park

Most boundaries cross over multiple previous wards, with some areas taking on the residents of three or four areas. That means several of the councillor races will pit two incumbents against each other. Here’s a more in-depth look at the wards to watch:

7

22

1

15

12

9

13

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

18

17

7

22

23

1

6

25

15

8

24

21

16

5

2

12

20

9

19

4

11

14

13

3

10

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

WARD

7

WARD

22

18

17

23

WARD

1

6

25

21

WARD

15

8

24

16

5

2

WARD

12

WARD

9

20

19

4

11

14

WARD

13

3

10

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL; SOURCE: CITY OF TORONTO

  • Ward 1: Vincent Crisanti vs. Michael Ford
  • Ward 7: Giorgio Mammoliti vs. Anthony Perruzza
  • Ward 9: Ana Bailão running, Cesar Palacio drops out of the race
  • Ward 12: Josh Matlow vs. Joe Mihevc
  • Ward 15: Jon Burnside vs. Jaye Robinson
  • Ward 18: John Filion re-enters the race
  • Ward 22: Jim Karygiannis vs. Norm Kelly

Once the election is over, each councillor will have more constituents than their counterparts in any other populous Canadian city.

Ford has cut the number of city councillors

from 47 to 25

How Toronto's council numbers stack up against

other Canadian cities

APPROXIMATE POPULATION PER COUNCILLOR

Toronto (25 councillors)

109,000

Toronto (47 councillors)

58,000

Calgary (14 councillors)

86,000

Edmonton (12 councillors)

78,000

Vancouver (10 councillors)

63,000

Winnipeg (15 councillors)

47,000

Ottawa (23 councillors)

41,000

Montreal (46 councillors*)

37,000

Hamilton (15 councillors)

36,000

Halifax (16 councillors)

25,000

Saskatoon (10 councillors)

25,000

Note: Mayors not included

*Montreal has an additional 18 borough mayors that sit

on city council. The 46 councillors represent districts

within these boroughs. There is a total of 64 elected

officials in Montreal’s city council, excluding the mayor.

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY WEBSITES, POPULATION DATA

IS FROM 2016 CENSUS

Ford has cut the number of city councillors from 47 to 25

How Toronto's council numbers stack up against

other Canadian cities

APPROXIMATE POPULATION PER COUNCILLOR

Toronto (25 councillors)

109,000

Toronto (47 councillors)

58,000

Calgary (14 councillors)

86,000

Edmonton (12 councillors)

78,000

Vancouver (10 councillors)

63,000

Winnipeg (15 councillors)

47,000

Ottawa (23 councillors)

41,000

Montreal (46 councillors*)

37,000

Hamilton (15 councillors)

36,000

Halifax (16 councillors)

25,000

Saskatoon (10 councillors)

25,000

Note: Mayors not included

*Montreal has an additional 18 borough mayors that sit on city

council. The 46 councillors represent districts within these boroughs.

There is a total of 64 elected officials in Montreal’s city council,

excluding the mayor.

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY WEBSITES, POPULATION DATA

IS FROM 2016 CENSUS

Ford has cut the number of city councillors from 47 to 25

How Toronto's council numbers stack up against

other Canadian cities

APPROXIMATE POPULATION PER COUNCILLOR

Toronto (25 councillors)

109,000

Toronto (47 councillors)

58,000

Calgary (14 councillors)

86,000

Edmonton (12 councillors)

78,000

Vancouver (10 councillors)

63,000

Winnipeg (15 councillors)

47,000

Ottawa (23 councillors)

41,000

Montreal (46 councillors*)

37,000

Hamilton (15 councillors)

36,000

Halifax (16 councillors)

25,000

Saskatoon (10 councillors)

25,000

Note: Mayors not included

*Montreal has an additional 18 borough mayors that sit on city council.

The 46 councillors represent districts within these boroughs. There is a total

of 64 elected officials in Montreal’s city council, excluding the mayor.

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

SOURCE: CITY WEBSITES, POPULATION DATA IS FROM 2016 CENSUS

The Ford factor: How we got here, explained in five steps

Four years ago, the tumultuous mayoralty of Rob Ford came to an end as the ailing politician stepped away from his re-election campaign for cancer treatment. Doug Ford, his brother and right-hand man, ran for the mayoralty instead, but lost to Mr. Tory. Now, Doug Ford is Premier of Ontario, and to his critics, he’s using that role as a mayoralty by other means, instituting drastic and hotly contested changes to how the city is governed. Here’s the story so far.

Open this photo in gallery:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail

1. THE BIG CUT, PART 1

Only weeks after taking office, Mr. Ford threw a wrench into candidates' plans for the Toronto municipal election by deciding to cut the number of city councillors from 47 to 25. At the time, he said the changes were to cut costs and “dramatically improve the decision-making process,” but many councillors saw it as an undemocratic move meant to settle scores from his own days in municipal government.

The law, named the Better Local Government Act, passed in August at the end of the summer legislative session, but meanwhile, Toronto politicians and the city’s lawyers mounted a defence against it. Several candidates filed a lawsuit against the province, while Mr. Tory urged the Premier to put the changes on hold and let voters decide on the number of councillors in a citywide referendum.

Adam Radwanski: Doug Ford’s mid-campaign meddling is callous, chaotic and chilling

2. THE COURT BATTLE, PART 1

Mr. Ford’s plans hit a snag on Sept. 10, when Justice Edward Belobaba of the Ontario Superior Court ruled in favour of the council candidates, saying that the province had “clearly crossed the line” and Mr. Ford had no justification for cutting the council in half so soon before the election. In Judge Belobaba’s ruling, the case weighed not on the candidates' or voters' democratic rights – city governments aren’t explicitly covered by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the way provincial and federal governments are – but on the right to freedom of speech, which is covered by the Charter.

Mr. Ford was dismissive of the court ruling, and said the province would appeal it. “I believe the judge’s decision is deeply, deeply concerning,” he said at a news conference hours after the decision. “He’s the judge, I’m the Premier.” The appeal process was formally set in motion on Sept. 12, with government lawyers due in court a week later.

3. THE NOTWITHSTANDING CLAUSE

In an unexpected move, Mr. Ford chose the nuclear option to contest the court ruling: He promised to use the Constitution's notwithstanding clause to force through the council cut despite the judge's objections.

The clause was a compromise crafted by premiers during the 1980s repatriation of the Constitution from Britain. It allows Ottawa or the provinces to pass temporary laws that override certain constitutional rights, such as freedom of expression, which is at the heart of Judge Belobaba’s decision. Such laws come with a five-year sunset clause, the idea being that a new government could dispense with a previous government’s unconstitutional laws.

The notwithstanding clause has rarely been used outside Quebec, and never before in Ontario. Usually it's been used to deal with language-rights questions or education, not to force changes to a municipal government. Mr. Tory described Mr. Ford's decision as “using a sledgehammer on a fly.”

Explainer: What is the notwithstanding clause and how can Ford use it?

4. THE BIG CUT, PART 2

Open this photo in gallery:

Sept. 12, 2018: A protester in the Ontario legislature's public gallery shouts at MPPs during Question Period as they debated Bill 31, the Ford government's new attempt to slash the size of Toronto's city council.Chris Young/The Canadian Press

Mr. Ford recalled MPPs on Sept. 12 to quickly push through new legislation – Bill 31, or the Efficient Local Government Act – that includes the notwithstanding-clause wording. It passed first reading, with MPPs voting along party lines, and Mr. Ford held unprecedented weekend and overnight sessions of the legislature to speed the bill toward royal assent. NDP MPPs resisted the move with civil disobedience in the legislature, and are trying procedural challenges to stall or stop the legislation. The legislature was also the scene of large-scale protests early on Sept. 17, when MPPs met just after midnight and kept going until the early morning.

Toronto city council explored its legal options to stand up to the province, and even asked the Trudeau government to disallow Bill 31 if it passed. The Canadian government has some powers under the Constitution to block provincial legislation, but it mostly stopped using them in the 20th century. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Toronto’s municipal affairs weren’t his business: "I’m not going to weigh in on the actual debate over the size of the municipal governments in Ontario, in Toronto,” he said. “I don’t think that’s a role that the federal government needs to take on.”

5. THE COURT BATTLE, PART 2

While Bill 31 was making its way through the legislature, the government also urged the Ontario Court of Appeal to issue a stay on Justice Belobaba’s ruling, which it did on Sept. 19. Three judges – Associate Chief Justice Alexandra Hoy, Justice Robert Sharpe and Justice Gary Trotter – argued that Justice Belobaba had crossed a line in using freedom-of-speech rights to strike down the original law. “While the change brought about by Bill 5 is undoubtedly frustrating for candidates who started campaigning in May 2018, we are not persuaded that their frustration amounts to a substantial interference with their freedom of expression. The candidates were and are still free to say what they want to say to the voters.”

With the original law restored, at least temporarily, the Ford government had a chance to back down on using the notwithstanding clause, which a lawyer for the Attorney-General had said the province would do if the stay was issued. But the legal saga over the council cuts is not over: The appeal court still needs to issue a final decision on the province’s appeal, which might not be until months after election day. The city could also appeal the stay to the Supreme Court of Canada, but there is no guarantee it would agree to hear the case.

Watch: Ontario Government House Leader Todd Smith and NDP Leader Andrew Horwath react after the Ontario Court of Appeal sided with Premier Doug Ford on Sept. 19.

How do I vote?

  • Am I registered? Any Canadian citizen can vote if they’re at least 18 years old and live in Toronto, or own or rent property there. The city has sent out information cards to those already on the list, explaining where they need to go and when. You can also check the city’s online tools to get on the list or update your information.
  • When do I vote? Polls open at 10 a.m. on election day. Advance voting opened Oct. 10 and closed Oct. 14. 
  • What do I need to vote? When you go to the polling place, you'll need identification showing your name and address. It doesn't have to be photo ID: A utility bill or pay stub from work should do. It isn't mandatory to bring your voter information card, but it'll speed things up.
  • When do we know who wins? Polls close at 8 p.m., but a decisive result will depend on how close the race is and how quickly the ballots are counted. Check back at globeandmail.com for full election-night coverage.

Analysis and commentary

Marcus Gee: Despite the stay, there’s still no proof a smaller Toronto council will improve efficiency

Doug Saunders: Why our municipal crisis goes beyond Doug Ford and Toronto

Lorraine Weinrib: Doug Ford can’t apply the notwithstanding clause retroactively to impede democracy

Gordon Gibson: Those who rewrote the Constitution would be glad we’re finally using Section 33

John Ibbitson: The War for Toronto is generational. The last one was much worse

Marie Henein: Doug Ford, no power grab is worth undermining Canada’s solid foundation

Carissima Mathen: Doug Ford’s powers are not limitless – thanks to a system he neither understands nor values

Compiled by Globe staff

With reports from Victoria Gibson, Jeff Gray, Oliver Moore, Justin Giovannetti, Sean Fine and The Canadian Press

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