Toronto 2010 Council races

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Lord Palmerston

Well you're free to believe that and not tolerate that kind of relationship, but if other people (including politicians) do that it's none of anyone's business.


Augustus, you need to devote more time to catching up with the threads before you dive back in.

For entertainment value we require something more than automated spewing of talking points.


Augustus wrote:

The point is that it is not acceptable for someone to be having multiple relationships with other people when they have a permament partner at home.


It could be that the permanent partner knows and approves - not that that's what happened here but it could.


As I recall former Tory Premier Ernie Eves was pretty open about screwing Isabel Basset while he was still married and then he very openly dumped his long suffering wife who had raised his two kids into a garbage heap so he could co-habit with Isabelita and go to high society parties! Of course Isabel was smart enough to make sure that Ernie would never get his grubby hands on her fortune and wouldn't marry him.

That's family values Tory style!


Not to cheaply Tory-bash, but wasn't it sort of similar with Mike Harris, Sharon Dunn, etc?

swallow swallow's picture

[url= Ward 27 runner-up Enza Anderson running again[/url]



Spotted at City Hall today: A Layton.
No, not Jack -- his 31-year-old environmentalist son, Michael, who visited the monthly council meeting to drum up support for a possible run in Joe Pantalone's old fiefdom.
Layton the younger is weighing a bid in Ward 19 Trinity-Spadina, one of the few municipal ridings without an incumbent in the 2010 race. (Mr. Pantalone has said he won't parachute back into the council race if his mayoralty bid falters.)
Michael, the deputy outreach director for Environmental Defence, has lived in the ward west of downtown most of his life. He's been busy meeting with local groups since Mr. Pantalone announced he's running to replace David Miller.
Michael expects to make his final decision in the next couple of weeks.

[url= & Mail Inside City Hall blog: Michael Layton mulling run for Ward 19[/url] 

Scott Piatkowski Scott Piatkowski's picture

Michael had been rumoured as a candidate in the northern part of Toronto-Danforth (currently represented by the retiring Case Ootes).

Given that the left came within 20 votes of knocking off Ootes in 2006, I trust that someone else progressive will be running there.

aka Mycroft

Ken Chan, Smitherman's former aide and lickspittle, is now officially running in Ward 27.
Chan has returned to Toronto after a stint working for BoJo in London.
Bad enough that Smitherman looks set to be Mayor but do we really need Smithers on council as well?

social democrat

Speaking of Ken Chan and Ward 27, the Kristyn Wong-Tam facebook fan page now lists her launch event for 6pm next Monday.

Scott Piatkowski Scott Piatkowski's picture

Mike Layton has scheduled an event (dubbed "A Toast to Trinity-Spadina and the City of Toronto") on March 5 and indicated that he has news to share.


Ward 27 is turning into a bit of a mess - it seems like everyone's running.


Yup ten candidates, and with September seven months away the list is bound to grow.It would be interesting to see how the vote might split and the victor getting elected with like 20% or something.

Mammoliti's seat isn't far behind with seven hopefuls.

Also it seems that the defeated Nippissing PC '07 provincial candidate is running against Perks in ward 14.

Lord Palmerston

Kristyn Wong-Tam is having her campaign launch tonight.

Also, Michael Layton announced that he is running in Ward 19.

Maysie Maysie's picture

I will be there at KWT's party tonight. Oakham House 55 Gould Street at 6pm. If anyone is going let me know, and come and say hi to me if you like.

I've known Kristyn for years and she is a kick-ass activist and advocate. 

Lord Palmerston

I ended up going as well.  It was a good event.  Lots of young people, a diverse crowd, certainly lots of excitement.  Adam Vaughan was there to introduce her.


TheEtobian, no...the Bill Vrebosch who's running against Gord Perks in Ward 14 isn't the same Bill Vrebosch who is the mayor of East Ferris and ran against Monique Smith in '07. He is the other Bill Vrebosch's son, however.


Oh okay, it seemed like such a coincidence with the name and all. It seems that there are three of them running, Dad again in East Ferris, Bill junior in PDHP 14 and daughter for council in North Bay. There all have one website and it states the all run on the same principles, so it would appear that indeed it is the same Vrebosch .Oh yeah and check this out matching orange signs

The ward 27 list of candidates is now up to 12! Meanwhile in South Etobicoke, Peter Milczyn is currently the only candidate in ward 5, while in my neck of the woods in ward 6 incumbent Mark Grimes has still not registered. There seems to be a few wards with no challenger. I certainly hope that at this point in time the second decade of the twenty first century there will be  no acclamations in this race. 

St. Paul's Prog...

My councillor, Joe Mihevc, is running unopposed so far. 


I recently heard some disturbing news, that Alejandra Bravo has decided not to run again in Ward 17 against Cesar Palacio. Instead, she apparently plans to run as a school board trustee in Ward 9. This is terrible news! Alejandra is a great candidate. She speaks fluent Spanish, Portugese and I think Italian and she is a rising star in the NDP, which desperately needs strong ethnocultural candidates to loosen the near Liberal monopoly on the Toronto ethnic vote. She came so close last time, losing to Palacio by less than 200 votes. The only reason she didn't pull it off is that David Miller refused to put his machine behind her, for fear of alienating the awful Palacio who occasionally votes with the progressives on Council and is not quite in the Rob Ford/Denzil Minnan Wong camp, though he often straddles their line. Joe Mihevc did lend some of his labour machine support in the form of a seconded OPSEU organizer, but it wasn't nearly enough. I think she would have been a shoo-in next time around, especially if the public sector union machine forgets the mayoral race this time around and devotes all their resources into electing more progressives to council so that Smitherman can be kept in line. Alejandra would be an amazing addition to Toronto City Council.

What's especially puzzling is her decision to run in School Board Ward 9 against Maria Rodrigues, who is a solid NDPer, even if she's not the hardest working trustee out there. Still, she always votes the progressive line and often leads the good fight at the Board. She's nowhere near as good as Alejandra but it seems such a waste to knock off one progressive for another.

Anybody heard about this? Is there still a chance to talk some sense into Alejandra? 


Sounds like a smart move, actually. It's not going to be the best election for progressives and being a school trustee is a great place to start for next time.

Lord Palmerston

Anyone know what's going on in Ward 19?  Mike Layton seems to have the NDP brass lining up behind him, but there is also a progressive Chinese Canadian candidate, Karen Sun, who announced first.  Could we be in for another Tam Goossen vs. Helen Kennedy type situation?


In a word NO. There is no comparison. Tam Goosen had a big following in the NDP and was backed by a lot of people in the NDP and there was that very divisive nomination battle etc...and there was a third person like Adam Vaughan benefitting from the situation. My impression is that Karen Sun doesn't have nearly the following that Tam Goosen had, the Chinese population in ward 19 is almost non-existent (they are much more concentrated in ward 20). She also (as far as i know) has no ties at all to the NDP and may even be a Liberal so whatever support she gets will be from the usual big "L" Liberals.

Lord Palmerston

Ward 19 has quite a large Chinese population, actually.  I think the Chinese and Portuguese communities in Ward 19 are now about the same size.

Also, I really don't think Karen Sun is a Liberal.  Most of her supporters are NDPers as far as I can tell, and she also attended the launch from Kristyn Wong-Tam who is is the de facto NDP candidate in Ward 27. 

Adam Vaughan seems to have moved closer to the NDP as well.  He supported Cathy Crowe in the byelection, and was there to introduce Kristyn.


I looked up the demos of that ward. Its interesting that while pantalone has been the councillor there for so many years - only 2% of the ward residents speak Italian. A little over 10% speak Portuguese and a little under 10% speaks some Chinese language - but the overwhelming majority are anglos.

I guess that what will be interesting in Ward 19 is whether the local Liberals try to set someone up to run who has ties to Smitherman and to the Ianno clan or whether they just sit this one out.

Lord Palmerston

Little Italy is only about 10% Italian I think.   It's about as Italian as the (very touristy) Little Italy in Manhattan.

The Portuguese community is centered further west now, more in Davenport than Trinity (i.e. Dovercourt to Lansdowne).

And Chinatown has sort of pushed past the Bathurst St. border into the area where the signs on Dundas say "Portugal Village" but there are as many Chinese businesses (and residents) as Portuguese.

Lord Palmerston

My view so far on Ward 19 is that unless it can be demonstrated that Mike Layton is a vastly superior and/or more progressive candidate - I prioritize increasing diversity on Council than supporting the choice of the NDP machine.


I don't think this is about anyone being the "choice of the NDP machine". I only wish that the NDP actually had a "machine" - it would imply having vastly more volunteers and members than we have. What do you thikn this is Tammany Hall or Mayor Daley's Chicago in the 60s?

I'll support who I know and who I think has good qualifications etc...Mike Layton has done a lot of good work with the environmental movement and has done a lot of good work at Environmental Defence. I don't know the other candidates, but all things being equal I will back the person I know over the person I don't (of course I don't live in the ward so I can only offer moral support). Another consideration for me would be who will try to work in tandem with Rosario Marchese and Olivia Chow to keep Trinity-Spadina in NDP hands at all levels as opposed to being "neutral" or even being pro-Liberal.

Lord Palmerston

My point is given that there really isn't a party system in Toronto - whether or not someone is a card-carrying member of the NDP or not matters little to me.



Stockholm wrote:

What's the likelihood of an "official" NDPer running against Adam Vaughan now?

Lord Palmerston

Highly, highly unlikely. 


While there are no "official" parties in Toronto, there are unofficial secrets and its common knowledge that Smitherman is trying to get people with big "L" Liberal ties to run everywhere who will then do his bidding if he becomes mayor. I don't blame him, if I were him I'd do the same. Coming to a neighbourhood near you will likely be people who give the appearance of being progressive but who will give Smitherman the votes he needs to go wild privatizing public services etc... caveat emptor

Lord Palmerston

Funny how Karen Sun is supporting Kristyn Wong-Tam, who is running against Smitherman's aide Ken Chan in Ward 27.  Clever man Smitherman, getting his own candidates to pretend they support his rivals.


Who said anything about Karen Sun? I know nothing about her. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone runs in Ward 19 who is there to be a stalking horse for Smitherman and the Liberals - I don't think that person is a candidate yet - but I'm sure someone will be there - its just a matter of time.

OldManActivist OldManActivist's picture

Is no one interested in Toronto elections now that NDP'ers first pick Giambrone has self-destructed?


Here are links to how many are running in various wards and who:


... and about Karen Sun:

and the bountiful other ward 19 candidates: (Himy Syed), (heir apparent?),


 Hot races beginning everywhere.....

aka Mycroft

Giambrone has announced he will not be running for re-election to city council but he may run federally or provincially in the future. I think he can rehabilitate himself and return to politics in four or five years (if he can show he's grown up and changed) and that it's wise of him to leave the arena for a time. If he tries to come back too soon though he'll just face a rehash of this year's scandal.


Yeah, and apparently his executive assistant will run in his ward instead.


Yes, Giambrone's executive assistant is preparing to run in Davenport.  As some may recall, his assistant is the one who had to finish reading the speech that Giambrone was unable to cope with.


Gimabrone's decision to quit municipal politics is the best decision he has made so far this year.  He has been involved in an unending series of controversies, and has become almost as much of an embarrassment to his party as Helena Guergis is to hers.

Scott Piatkowski Scott Piatkowski's picture

Augustus wrote:

The page of his statement had been mistakenly left on the printer. That's why he didn't finish it.


Isn't having an aide/assistant run in your place pretty normal in the way of things?


Augustus wrote:


Nice try, but Giambrone is in the non-partisan Toronto City council. There is no caucus. The only one he can embarrass is himself. Unlike Guergis who is a federal Tory cabinet Minister and icon. Its also absurd to compare having an affair and possibly questionable $10 taxi chit - with cavorting with drug dealers and biker gang members and insulting an entire province.

OldManActivist OldManActivist's picture

"the non-partisan Toronto City council" ???


LOL - Anyone who has spent any time watching council votes will see the same blocks. Millerites (=NDP) vote one way, the righteous opposition (=Conservatives) vote another. Most Liberal types sided with the lefty Millerites.

Anyone who thinks there is no party stuff going on at Toronto council is kidding themselves.


OldManActivist wrote:

Most Liberal types sided with the lefty Millerites.


With the exception of Mammoliti (and yes I know he was an NDP mpp, but his last membership was with the federal Liberals)

Yes of course Toronto (Megacity)city councillors have party affiliations or at least affinities, it is a political body after all, so naturally there will be some semblance of partisanship. However all councillors are elected as independants, without any official partisan affiliation. Yes of course they may or may not have partisan ties but they do not run under party banner. Other municipalities do have parties Vancouver and Montreal for instance, and even then they are strictly municipal parties with municipal issues geared platforms and ideology. When I recieve my ballot it's just the candidates names and no parties after them,  there are no party whips and councillors are not seated by party affiliation and so on and so forth.

Additionally my councillor Mark Grimes (Ward 6 Etobicoke--Lakeshore) is often described by the media as centre right and supports the Mayor a good deal of the time.

I think above all in the Megacity council nine times out of ten the members of the Megacity council will do what they think is best for the constiuents or their respective wards and to an even larger degree what's good for their respective (former) constiuent municipality. If they do otherwise they're out of a job and out on their ass.



Also at least Giambrone owned up to his mistake and quit on his own and in a timely manner after the whole scandal was exposed. The same can't be said about Helena who acted like a petulant child.


Scott Piatkowski wrote:

Augustus wrote:


One normally checks to make sure one has all the pages of a speech before presenting it.

Or at least that's what I do.

Scott Piatkowski Scott Piatkowski's picture

I think he might have been under a little bit of stress at the time. But, if you want to judge him for that, go ahead.


I certainly will, and I think most of the public has as well.

It reflects on his ability to be a leader and handle important matters and crises.  If you can't even make sure you have all the pages of your speech ready, you can't exactly make the case that you can run a city.  

There is a lack of maturity which concerns Toronto voters.  It's the same type of problem that was reflected in the pushups in his office video he posted on YouTube.  He is not ready for prime time and he wisely realized that this week.


That video instantly got a face palm from me from the get go, and I'm in that core demographic that he was seeking as his base! Hoodathunkit?? Way too campy for my liking. Well whatddaya know I'm agreeing with Augustus.

voteoutfluoride voteoutfluoride's picture

Let's make the removal of an industrial waste pollutant and the 500 million cost to taxpayers in Toronto's water supply an election issue. It's called HFSA-an industrial waste pollutant achieved from brushing off the stalks from the phosphate fertilzer industry in Florida and China. Each 40,000 truck load of HFSA carries up to 8lbs of LEAD and 1 lb of ARSENIC. City Council is simply calling it "Fluoride" but this is a GROSS and DECEPTIVE name for what it actually is and why it's being masked in an industrial waste product. Why aren't any of the candidates speaking? Local Environmental and Social Justice groups including the Regenesis project, Citizens for Safe drinking water, Toronto Council of Canadians, and people for the environment have joined on to the Toronto Coalition Against Fluoridation (TCAF) to educate the candidates and their constituents, including a presentation for potential savings to tax payers. They are not talking. Do they think this is a fringe issue that will loose your support? Do they think you lack the intelligence to understand what this issue really means for your health and wasted tax dollars?


Read below.


1. Artificial Water Fluoridation Products are Unregulated, Unapproved, Uncontrolled, and Illegal to Manufacture and Sell in Canada

To date, Health Canada has never regulated or approved the fluoride products used in artificial water fluoridation to ensure that they are safe for Canadians or that they prevent cavities, as claimed.i According to the law, products sold without this regulatory approval cannot be legally sold in Canada. Canadians deserve to be protected by this regulatory approval process. Only this process will ensure quality and security to the millions of Canadians who are exposed to these natural health products in their drinking water. Front Page News: Waterloo Chronicle, April 14, 2010:

2. Artificial Water Fluoridation does not prevent cavities

Fluoridation may not do much for cavities. Globe and Mail April 16, 2010 by Martin Mittelstaedt.

New Zealand Health Ministry Finds that Fluoridation Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay. World, April 30th, 2010.

This is in agreement with 2 recent reports from the USA presented to Health Canada by National Research Council author Dr. Thiessen: No Benefit - Definite Harm by Dr. Thiessen

The above data is in agreement with 3 very recent studies from Canada:
Swallowing Fluoride Does Not Prevent Cavities1

The above data is in agreement with the historical data:

WHO data

4 North American Trials

50 years later - Kingston-Newburgh Trial

Dean 21 city graph

3. Artificial Water Fluoridation irrefutably causes harm

Even a child knows that you cannot control how much water a person drinks in a day. If you cannot control how much people drink, you cannot control the daily intake of fluoride. The National Research Council 2006 Review of Fluorides in Drinking Water Table 2-4 ( shows that susceptible groups consume up to ten times more than the mean; e.g., young children, diabetics, lactating mothers, athletes, construction workers, police, firefighters, and military.

How many people have dental fluorosis?

Fluoride and Dental Fluorosis

How many people have arthritic-like pain due to fluoride?

Fluoride and Skeletal Fluorosis

How many people/children have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Colic due to fluoride?

Fluoride and GI Tract

How many men are experiencing Infertility due to fluoride?

Fluoride Toxicity In The Male Reproductive System

How many people are experiencing Thyroid or Kidney Derangements due to fluoride?

Fluoride and Thyroid

Fluoride and Kidneys

How many children are experiencing Learning Disabilities due to fluoride exposure?

Fluoride and the Brain

4. Artificial Water Fluoridation wastes taxpayers' money

A recent cost analysis submitted to Toronto city council on March 1, 2010 demonstrates that Toronto taxpayers would generate from $420.7 million to $760.5 million in estimated cost savings over a ten year period if artificial water fluoridation was discontinued.


It's a conspiracy to [url=] sap and impurify our precious bodily fluids![/url]


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