Toronto polls open at 10 a.m. ET Monday and are scheduled to remain open until 8 p.m. (no, you can’t vote online.) Expect results shortly after that — CBC Toronto will be calling you on that front. here’s how to watch. So, will you be voting today? If so, here’s what you’ll need, per Elections Toronto:
How to vote in the 2022 Toronto municipal election
Here’s everything you need to know to make the process smooth and simple on October 24. Polls are open from 10am. until 8 p.m. Oh, and here’s one thing to know: You don’t have to vote for everyone on the list. This means you can elect a local councillor, but not a mayor. Or if your life doesn’t intersect with the school system, you don’t need to vote for a trustee. We’ve double checked: This won’t spoil your ballot.
What are the big issues?
Toronto faces a huge budget deficit (in part due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), an affordable housing crisis, has infrastructure issues and more to solve. CBC Toronto asked during the campaign, and more than 250 of your neighbors weighed in with their biggest issues (let’s face it, some were simple quibbles) with the city. Housing and road safety came up most often — you can find more of what people said here. But we also heard a lot about traffic congestion, the police budget and keeping Toronto’s arts scene alive. Read those answers here.
I want to vote, but I’ve done almost no research. Aid!
Okay, we’ll keep this simple. The mayoral race features John Tory, who has been in charge for eight years, seeking re-election. He continues, well, what he ruled. That means: Keeping property taxes below the rate of inflation (although that rate is much higher now than it was in the past), continuing with transit projects as currently planned, and doing a little more about addressing Toronto’s housing crisis. Major projects such as the hybrid reconstruction of the Gardiner Expressway, which remains expensive and controversial, will continue under Tory oversight. Some of Tory’s rivals want to overturn this. City planner Gil Penalosa has vowed to tear down this section of the Gardiner. He has also floated a number of big ideas on the campaign trail, ranging from bus rapid transit lines to a “renovation revolution” that would allow seniors to subdivide their homes as a right. Citizens in Toronto and municipalities across Ontario head to the polls on Monday. If you’re voting in this city, here’s a guide to voting and how to figure out who’s asking for your support. (CBC) Environmentalist Sarah Climenhaga, meanwhile, is running for a second term on a largely progressive plan, but one that’s also critical of the city’s move to require its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. CBC Radio’s Metro Morning spoke with Tory, Penalosa and Climenhaga last week, which might help you compare the three. The campaign also saw first-time candidates including Chloe Brown, Stephen Punwasi and Jack Yan challenge the Tories in two major debates — here’s coverage of the first and second. There are actually 31 people running for mayor this time. You can read more about some of their backgrounds here, though not all of them answered the six key questions CBC Toronto sent. If you want to go straight to the source, some of the mayoral candidates have their own websites, which you can find here on the city’s elections page.
Ok, what about councillors?
It’s hard enough to find out about Toronto’s mayoral candidates, so it’s not your fault if you don’t know who your local councilor will be. In fact, this is a huge part of why incumbents win municipal elections almost all the time (read more about that here). But this election is different. In eight wards, there are no incumbents, leaving those council seats a bit more permissive than normal. They are: Etobicoke North, Willowdale, Davenport, Spadina-Fort York, Toronto Centre, University-Rosedale and now Scarborough North following the death of current councilor Cynthia Lai. In most of these areas, there is a long list of candidates trying to win the job. So who are they? Here we’ll take you to the Toronto Public Library’s Know Your Vote TO site, which breaks down who’s running and provides some information about the candidates’ platforms. Wait, we skipped a step. If you’re wondering, “Which ward do I live in?” you can look up this map from the town hall. Don’t be embarrassed by this question – it’s not like you always ask your friends which “room” they want to hang out in.
Speaking of maps that don’t make sense…
The maps for electing school trustees are actually different than those used for city councilors. If you’re a parent of a school-age child or connected to a school community, you probably know this and have a better window into admin issues than the general public. Administrators make big decisions when it comes to the school system — and Toronto schools certainly have tough calls to make, just look at the repair woes they have to deal with — but if you feel unprepared to choose someone, you can definitely walk out.
