Jamaicans vie for Ontario municipal seats

TORONTO:

Advance voting opened last Tuesday in Toronto for municipal council and school board elections scheduled for October 26, with several Jamaicans seeking public office in municipalities across Ontario.

In Toronto’s Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence, barber and business owner Jason McDonald, who has operated in Little Jamaica for 27 years, is seeking election as city councillor.

“It’s been a great journey. This is the first time I’ve ever run or done anything like this in my life,” he said, noting that he has received strong community support.

McDonald said volunteers have been providing transportation to polling stations but more drivers are needed.

He argued that the delayed Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) project had a devastating effect on local businesses.

“We lost over 300 businesses on Eglinton, about 85 per cent of them owned by people like us,” said McDonald, who was elected chairman of the Business Improvement Area (BIA) in 2023.

While in that position, he had access to various businesses within the ward and many people reached out to him to sympathise with not only Little Jamaica but the other sections of Ward 8.

He said they encouraged him to run because of the lack of support they complained of receiving from their city councillor.

McDonald said whenever he knocked on doors, he heard from residents about Metrolinx, the Ontario government agency responsible for building the transportation system, and the delays resulting in the LRT taking 15 years to complete.

Councillor Josh Matlow called on the provincial government to have a public inquiry, noting that communities across the line endured over 12 years of hardship due to the disruptions from construction. “Businesses have lost revenues due to lower foot traffic, forcing many to close, while residents have suffered incredible disruption and unmanageable traffic and safety issues,” he noted.

McDonald said he does not see himself as a politician but has, instead, coined the word “people-tician” because he has heard the complaints of people for the last 27 years.

In the township of Shelburne, Alethia O’Hara-Stephenson, founder of the Dufferin County Canadian Black Association, is running for council.

She believes that the town is at a critical stage of development and that future growth must be carefully managed.

“I want that growth to strengthen Shelburne, not simply make it bigger. That means thinking carefully about how housing, infrastructure, affordability, roads, recreation, and municipal services fit together - and, most importantly, how those decisions affect people.”

O’Hara-Stephenson said her professional career, public service, and community leadership have taught her to look beyond the immediate issue, ask thoughtful questions, listen to different perspectives, and consider the long-term consequences of decisions.

She noted that housing and growth are important but should not be examined in isolation. She said new housing affects water and wastewater capacity, roads and traffic, recreation, municipal services, and the tax base. “Infrastructure investments have both immediate costs and long-term operating costs. As our population grows, residents rightly expect services and amenities to keep pace.”

O’Hara-Stephenson is an Upper Grand District School Board trustee and has been selected by her colleagues to serve as its vice-chair.

She also chaired Shelburne’s Anti-Black Racism, Racism and Discrimination Task Force, which delivered 34 recommendations to council.

Meanwhile, senior financial adviser Yolan Williams is seeking the deputy mayor’s post in Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Williams said her candidacy is a natural extension of years of community service through organisations, schools, churches, cultural initiatives, and local businesses.

“I decided to run because my commitment to community has never been about politics or a title. For years, I have been involved in building, serving, and advocating for communities here in Bradford West Gwillimbury and beyond.”

“My decision to run for deputy mayor is really an extension of that work. I believe leadership begins with listening, connecting people, and being willing to act on what you hear. I want to bring that community-centred approach to municipal leadership and help Bradford West Gwillimbury grow responsibly, grow our economy, and grow together.”

In Brampton, Staceyann Brooks is running for city councillor, Wards 1&5; Jermaine Chambers in Wards 2 and 6; and Carmen Wilson in Wards 2 and 6. For school board trustee, David Green and Kathy McDonald are running in Wards 1and 5, Chris Campbell in Wards 2 and 6, and Karla Bailey is seeking re-election in Wards 7 and 8.

Toronto’s councillor candidates include Chloe Brown in Ward 1, Etobicoke North; Debbie King in Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park; Conroy Irving in Ward 6, York Centre; Amanda Coombs in Ward 7, Humber River-Black Creek; incumbent Michael Thompson in Ward 21, Scarborough Centre; incumbent Jamaal Myers in Ward 23, Scarborough North; and Rosemarie Bryan is running in Wards 1 and 7.

Joan John, an incumbent councillor, is running in the township of Southgate.