Platform

Accountability

Ward 13 has an accountability problem.

Projects meant to support some of our most vulnerable neighbours-a supportive housing project at 502-508 Parliament, and a women's drop-in centre at 233 Carlton-have blown through timeframes and allocated budgets by years and millions of dollars, with 502-508 Parliament coming in 100% over budget, and the incomplete 233 Carlton ballooning from $3.7 million to over $13.5 million. While our councillor states that "it's expensive to refurbish heritage properties", Toronto Centre, city taxpayers, and community members counting on these services deserve accountability, not excuses.

As your City Councillor, I commit to:

• Ensuring that taxpayer funds are not misused and contractors are held accountable when budgets are overrun, not given a blank cheque without timelines.
• I will set up a process whereby my office will be apprised of all major projects currently in process and all new initiatives. We will then monitor their progress to ensure accountability on both time lines and budgeting.
• Proactively communicating with residents about expected project delivery, particularly around notable changes to timelines, scope and budgets.
• Providing clear explanations to our community as to where your tax dollars are going when used in our ward, instead of giving excuses.

Community Engagement

Toronto Centre is an incredibly diverse and vibrant community - from the 519 to St. Bartholomew's emergency food bank to the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, our volunteers and volunteer groups are the heart of our ward as we care for each other. Whenever we're faced with a problem, Toronto Centre's community members think "there must be a solution" instead of "this can't be solved". I have seen the kind of change that a dedicated neighborhood group can make - an engaged community is a safe, supportive and caring community where everyone can thrive.

As your City Councillor, I commit to:

• Strengthening partnerships with the local BIAS and Residents Associations to identify neighbourhood priorities and concerns, address gaps in services, and foster collaboration across Ward 13 by hosting joint BIA/RA meetings
• Provide opportunities for open and public consultation before decisions that affect our community are taken; not after.
• Hold regular open sessions outside of conventional business hours within our riding to ensure that I'm up to date with emerging local issues, that residents can connect with necessary City services, to lower the barriers for communication, and to provide an opportunity for feedback as well as inter-community group engagement

Affordability

Toronto used to be a place where everyone could live, regardless of your economic status. Now, it feels harder and harder to achieve financial security. While all levels of government say they're working hard to address affordability, it's hard to see their efforts yield success as more of our neighbours are using food banks on a regular basis and less are able to afford a home of their own. Despite their promises, government spending is costing city taxpayers and making affordability worse for residents.

In 2022 the City of Toronto's budget wa $14.9 billion dollars, while this year's budget is set at $18.9 billion-this $4 billion dollar increase translates into a 26.8% spending increase over 4 years. While city services certainly need funding, some budget lines should be given their due attention. For example, since 2022 residents' water bills have increased by 14%, while our property tax bills have increased by 27%. For most of us, our pay increases haven't kept pace with the city's rising budget, unless you're a member of a certain City employee group. A quick look at the Sunshine List will show that 6 City of Toronto managers made between $234,000 and $339,000 - those same managers earned $335,000 to $524,000 in 2025, demonstrating increases ranging from 26% TO 90%. In 2022 a city councillor earned $120,425 - and this year the same city councillor will earn $171,245, representing an increase of over 42% over their 4-year term while the median household income in Toronto Centre as of 2020 was $65,000, while the median household income in Toronto was $89,400. Increasing the take-home pay of city councillors and senior employees at rates that eclipse those of the residents is how we make the city more affordable for the councillors and senior employees only - not for the average Torontonian.

As your City Councillor, I commit to:

• Proposing a freeze on salary increases for all city staff not under union contract or similar restrictions earning over $150,000 per year until the next term to allow for the city to focus on improving services while controlling expenses
• Redistributing budgeted senior level payroll increases to increase ground-level staffing to ensure services are being provided and staff are being compensated for their work
• Voting against any increase in councillor salaries or benefits

Safer streets for everyone

Community security does not always mean more funding to police services. We've seen the police budget increase year over year, while other community safety and violence prevention services are consistently overlooked and underfunded. Non-policing or community solutions can be valuable opportunities to ensure the response fits the incident. A previous Toronto Auditor General report stated that up to 40% of calls for service across lower-priority events such as wellness checks, landlord & tenant disputes, or unwanted guest incidents, could be dealt with by non-police services, including such resources like the Toronto Community Crisis Service. These community alternatives can divert a significant amount of calls from the police, saving taxpayers money and increasing the redirection to mental health and other supportive services.

As your City Councillor, I commit to:

• Working with local residents, neighbourhood and community associations, condo boards, social organisations and other relevant entities to identify safety and security concerns specific to each area
• Seek to improve coordination with City service providers to ameliorate community safety across Ward 13, including the promotion of community-based crisis response programs
• Explore and identify relevant community security alternatives to increased policing that are suggested by and sensitive to Ward 13 communities