Ottawa: Even only two weeks have left to submit a nomination, over a quarter of Toronto’s municipal wards don’t have any challengers in the forthcoming election.
According to the data, over a dozen candidates have signed up to run for mayor but seven out of 25 wards have only one candidate in the fray so far during the three-month nomination period.
Registration for candidates opened on May 2 and will close on August 19 at 2 pm.
The Ontario Municipal Elections Act states that if a candidate is running in a ward without a challenger, he/she will be declared winner immediately after nomination close.
Professor emeritus at Toronto Metropolitan University Myer Siemiatycki said that it is a sorry state of affairs for Toronto. When people don’t participate, democracy doesn’t work well and that’s what we are looking at now.
Michael Thompson Longtime Scarborough Centre councillor said, I am stunned to find himself unopposed this late. I am happy to have competition.”
Incumbent Stephen Holyday of Etobicoke Centre is the only candidate.
He said that the city has almost three million population with 25 council seats and it is unrealistic to think to get elected unopposed, said Holyday.
Similarly, the Don Mills Residents Inc. president Stephen Ksiazek is also hoping to fill the Don Valley East seat.
Meanwhile, incumbent councillors Shelley Carroll, Paul Ainslie, Brad Bradford and Paula Fletcher are also running unchallenged so far from Beaches-East York, Scarborough-Guildwood, Toronto-Danforth and in Don Valley North.