THE QUESTIONNAIRE
20 quick questions. 20 optional deeper ones.
Start with the Quick round: one short question per topic, a sentence or two each. Go deeper asks the same topics at more length: what a candidate would do, what it costs, what it trades off, what a councillor can actually deliver, and how they work with people who disagree with them. Every candidate is asked the same questions.
QUICK ROUND · One line each
S01Housing & affordability
What is the one housing change you would push for in Ward 14?
TTC & transit
What is the one change to transit in Ward 14 that matters most to you?
Ontario Line / Metrolinx
What is the first thing you would demand of Metrolinx during Ontario Line construction?
Traffic, cycling & pedestrians
On a street too narrow for everyone, who comes first: cars, bikes, pedestrians or transit?
Small business & main streets
What is the one thing City Hall should do for Danforth, Gerrard and Queen businesses in your first two years?
City finances & taxes
Would you raise, hold or cut property taxes next year?
Community safety, homelessness & mental health
What should the City do first about homelessness and public disorder in the ward?
Development & neighbourhood character
What would you never trade away for new development?
Climate, parks & waterfront
What is the one climate or flood-protection action you could deliver in a single term?
Competence & accountability
What one measurable result will you commit to in your first two years?
Collaboration
Name one time you got something done with people who disagreed with you.
Changing your mind
What is one issue where you changed your mind?
Coalition building
How will you win the votes of the other councillors for something Ward 14 needs?
Working with opponents
How would you work with a mayor or premier you disagree with?
Advocacy
When negotiation fails, what do you do next?
Communication
How will residents know what you are doing at City Hall?
Decision-making
If the loudest residents and the evidence disagree, which do you follow?
Handling mistakes
What is a significant mistake you have made?
Managing competing interests
When residents, businesses and developers want different things, whose interests win?
Leadership temperament
What would make you walk away from a negotiation?
GO DEEPER · POLICY & PRIORITIES · What will you do?
P01Housing & affordability
What specific housing changes would you support in Ward 14, where would the housing go, and how would you ensure some of it remains genuinely affordable?
TTC & transit
What are the three most important changes you would make to transit in Ward 14, and how would you pay for them?
Ontario Line / Metrolinx
What specifically would you demand from Metrolinx to reduce disruption to residents and businesses, and what can a city councillor realistically do if Metrolinx refuses?
Traffic, cycling & pedestrians
How would you balance cars, bikes, pedestrians, streetcars and buses when improving one mode makes another less convenient? Give us one concrete Ward 14 example.
Small business & main streets
What would you do during your first two years to protect and strengthen businesses on the Danforth, Gerrard, Queen, Pape and other commercial streets? What would it cost?
City finances & taxes
Toronto needs better services but has limited money. What would you spend more on, what would you spend less on, and what taxes or fees, if any, would you change?
Community safety, homelessness & mental health
What should the City do about homelessness, addiction, mental-health crises and public disorder, and where do policing and enforcement fit into your approach?
Development & neighbourhood character
How much additional density should Ward 14 accept, where should it go, and what neighbourhood or heritage features are you unwilling to sacrifice for development?
Climate, parks & waterfront
What is the most important environmental or climate action you could realistically deliver in Ward 14 during one council term?
Competence & accountability
Name one measurable result you would commit to delivering during your first two years. What would success look like, and how should residents hold you accountable if you don't deliver it?
GO DEEPER · LEADERSHIP & EXECUTION · How will you get it done?
L01Collaboration
Tell us about a time you accomplished something important by working with people who initially disagreed with you. What did you do?
Changing your mind
Give us an example of an important issue where someone persuaded you that you were wrong. What changed your mind?
Coalition building
You will have one vote on Council. How will you persuade 12 or 13 other councillors to support something Ward 14 needs?
Working with opponents
How would you work with a mayor, councillor or provincial government whose politics you strongly disagree with?
Advocacy
When negotiation fails, how do you make Ward 14's voice impossible for City Hall or Queen's Park to ignore without destroying the relationships you still need?
Communication
How will residents know what you're doing at City Hall, and how will you hear from residents who don't attend meetings or follow politics online?
Decision-making
If the loudest residents want one thing but the evidence tells you something different, what do you do?
Handling mistakes
Tell us about a significant professional or public mistake you've made. What did you do after realizing you'd made it?
Managing competing interests
When residents, businesses, developers, City staff and advocacy groups all want different outcomes, how do you decide whose interests prevail?
Leadership temperament
What behaviour from another councillor or community member would make you walk away from negotiations, and what behaviour wouldn't?