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The Toronto election is on this Monday, October 24. City councillors, school board trustees, and the mayor will be voted in. The mayor of Toronto already holds a lot of power, and now has even more due to Doug Ford's new “Strong Mayors” legislation. While there are several local debates being held among city councillor candidates, there are very few being held among mayoral candidates.
John Tory has been mayor for eight years, and is running again. Earlier in his political career, he was leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, the party now led by Doug Ford.
The only challenger posing any substantial threat to Tory is Gil Peñalosa. Peñalosa founded and ran an organization called 8 80 Cities, which has a “goal of promoting walking, bicycling, parks, and public spaces as a means to building healthier, happier, and more equitable communities,” according to its website.
In addition to Tory and Peñalosa, other candidates participating in the only remaining debate before the election are Stephen Punwasi, Chloe Brown, and Sarah Climenhaga. The debate is happening in-person on Monday, October 17th, hosted by the Toronto Chamber of Commerce.
Here are some highlights of how the platforms and records of Tory and Peñalosa compare.
