We asked candidates 18 questions on autonomy & funding, affordability, service & reliability, accessibility, and safety. This is how the currently elected members of City Council responded. See their responses on the tabs below.
Will candidates fight to keep the TTC under Toronto's control and work to secure more transit funding?
Local decisions should remain at the local level.
In recent years, the provincial government has increasingly intervened in decisions that are usually made at the municipal level. This includes legislation requiring the removal of bike lanes on major Toronto streets, and eliminating municipalities' ability to use speed cameras. Now, Bill 98 gives the province greater power to intervene in how local transit systems operate, including decisions around fares and service.
Over the next four years, Toronto City Council must be prepared to stand up to make sure local decision-making remains local. Here's what we asked candidates:
1. Ontario's Bill 98 gives the Province the authority to make regulations affecting how the TTC is governed. Do you commit to fighting to keep transit decision-making at the local level so that the City of Toronto and the TTC Board retain final authority over fare policy, service planning, and transit operations?
| Mayor | Olivia Chow |
Yes |
| Ward 1 - Etobicoke North | Vincent Crisanti |
No response |
| Ward 2 - Etobicoke Centre | Stephen Holyday |
No response |
| Ward 3 - Etobicoke Lakeshore | Amber Morley |
Yes |
| Ward 4 - Parkdale-High Park | Diana Chan McNally |
Yes |
| Ward 5 - York-South Weston | Chiara Padovani |
Yes |
| Ward 6 - York Centre | James Pasternak |
No response |
| Ward 7 - Humber River-Black Creek | Anthony Perruzza |
Yes |
| Ward 8 - Eglinton-Lawrence | Mike Colle |
Yes |
| Ward 9 - Davenport | Alejandra Bravo |
Yes |
| Ward 10 - Spadina-Fort York | Ausma Malik |
Yes |
| Ward 11 - University Rosedale | Mike Layton |
Yes |
| Ward 12 - Toronto-St. Paul's | Josh Matlow |
Yes |
| Ward 13 - Toronto Centre | Curran Stikuts |
Yes |
| Ward 14 - Toronto Danforth | Sara Ehrhardt |
Yes |
| Ward 15 - Don Valley West | Rachel Chernos Lin |
No response |
| Ward 16 - Don Valley East | Jon Burnside |
No response |
| Ward 17 - Don Valley North | Shelley Carroll |
Yes |
| Ward 18 - Willowdale | Lily Cheng |
No response |
| Ward 19 - Beaches-East York | Nate Erskine-Smith |
Yes |
| Ward 20 - Scarborough Southwest | Parthi Kandavel |
Yes |
| Ward 21 - Scarborough Centre | Michael Thompson |
Yes |
| Ward 22 - Scarborough-Agincourt | Nick Mantas |
Yes |
| Ward 23 - Scarborough North | Shaun Chen |
Yes |
| Ward 24 - Scarborough-Guildwood | Paul Ainslie |
Yes |
| Ward 25 - Scarborough-Rouge Park | Neethan Shan |
No response |
2. Will you advocate for sustainable TTC operating funding from the provincial and federal governments to prevent service cuts and reliance on fare increases to run the system?
| Mayor | Olivia Chow |
Yes |
| Ward 1 - Etobicoke North | Vincent Crisanti |
No response |
| Ward 2 - Etobicoke Centre | Stephen Holyday |
No response |
| Ward 3 - Etobicoke Lakeshore | Amber Morley |
Yes |
| Ward 4 - Parkdale-High Park | Diana Chan McNally |
Yes |
| Ward 5 - York-South Weston | Chiara Padovani |
Yes |
| Ward 6 - York Centre | James Pasternak |
No response |
| Ward 7 - Humber River-Black Creek | Anthony Perruzza |
Yes |
| Ward 8 - Eglinton-Lawrence | Mike Colle |
Yes |
| Ward 9 - Davenport | Alejandra Bravo |
Yes |
| Ward 10 - Spadina-Fort York | Ausma Malik |
Yes |
| Ward 11 - University Rosedale | Mike Layton |
Yes |
| Ward 12 - Toronto-St. Paul's | Josh Matlow |
Yes |
| Ward 13 - Toronto Centre | Curran Stikuts |
Yes |
| Ward 14 - Toronto Danforth | Sara Ehrhardt |
Yes |
| Ward 15 - Don Valley West | Rachel Chernos Lin |
No response |
| Ward 16 - Don Valley East | Jon Burnside |
No response |
| Ward 17 - Don Valley North | Shelley Carroll |
Yes |
| Ward 18 - Willowdale | Lily Cheng |
No response |
| Ward 19 - Beaches-East York | Nate Erskine-Smith |
Yes |
| Ward 20 - Scarborough Southwest | Parthi Kandavel |
Yes |
| Ward 21 - Scarborough Centre | Michael Thompson |
Yes |
| Ward 22 - Scarborough-Agincourt | Nick Mantas |
Yes |
| Ward 23 - Scarborough North | Shaun Chen |
Yes |
| Ward 24 - Scarborough-Guildwood | Paul Ainslie |
Yes |
| Ward 25 - Scarborough-Rouge Park | Neethan Shan |
No response |
3. Will you advocate for increased federal and provincial capital funding for the TTC to expand the rapid transit network, address the growing state of good repair backlog, install platform edge doors, and eliminate slow zones on the subway system?
| Mayor | Olivia Chow |
Yes |
| Ward 1 - Etobicoke North | Vincent Crisanti |
No response |
| Ward 2 - Etobicoke Centre | Stephen Holyday |
No response |
| Ward 3 - Etobicoke Lakeshore | Amber Morley |
Yes |
| Ward 4 - Parkdale-High Park | Diana Chan McNally |
Yes |
| Ward 5 - York-South Weston | Chiara Padovani |
Yes |
| Ward 6 - York Centre | James Pasternak |
No response |
| Ward 7 - Humber River-Black Creek | Anthony Perruzza |
Yes |
| Ward 8 - Eglinton-Lawrence | Mike Colle |
Yes |
| Ward 9 - Davenport | Alejandra Bravo |
Yes |
| Ward 10 - Spadina-Fort York | Ausma Malik |
Yes |
| Ward 11 - University Rosedale | Mike Layton |
Yes |
| Ward 12 - Toronto-St. Paul's | Josh Matlow |
Yes |
| Ward 13 - Toronto Centre | Curran Stikuts |
Yes |
| Ward 14 - Toronto Danforth | Sara Ehrhardt |
Yes |
| Ward 15 - Don Valley West | Rachel Chernos Lin |
No response |
| Ward 16 - Don Valley East | Jon Burnside |
No response |
| Ward 17 - Don Valley North | Shelley Carroll |
Yes |
| Ward 18 - Willowdale | Lily Cheng |
No response |
| Ward 19 - Beaches-East York | Nate Erskine-Smith |
Yes |
| Ward 20 - Scarborough Southwest | Parthi Kandavel |
Yes |
| Ward 21 - Scarborough Centre | Michael Thompson |
Yes |
| Ward 22 - Scarborough-Agincourt | Nick Mantas |
Yes |
| Ward 23 - Scarborough North | Shaun Chen |
Yes |
| Ward 24 - Scarborough-Guildwood | Paul Ainslie |
Yes |
| Ward 25 - Scarborough-Rouge Park | Neethan Shan |
No response |
Some candidates offered extra comments about their position on TTC autonomy and funding:
Olivia Chow secured the Ontario-Toronto New Deal, which included $630 million in operating funding for the TTC and $500 million in capital funding from the upload of the Gardiner and DVP. She also secured funding for 55 new subway trains for Line 2 from the provincial and federal governments to ensure there is reliable service for decades to come. Olivia will keep building on the strong relationships she has built with the provincial and federal governments to continue securing funding for the TTC, including to continue clearing the state-of-good-repair backlog, funding the much-needed Scarborough East Rapid Transit line, and funding the TTC’s full capital investment plan, including projects like platform edge doors. Olivia believes that decisions about public transit should be made by local decision-makers.
Bill 98 threatens the ability for the TTC to plan and deliver an integrated network that serves all of Toronto fairly, while also potentially undermining fair capping. I will do everything I can to fight this over reach. The One fare system has worked because it is based on collaboration, not coercion. at the same time, we can't build the world class transit system we deserve through the fair box. we need provincial and federal partners to step up and do their part.
People need a greater understanding of the fact it is very difficult to fund municipal transit with property taxes......we need more regular funding from the Provincial government...and we get next to nothing from the Federal government
Public transit must remain publicly funded and publicly operated. I’ll fight any attempts to privatize the TTC or take control from the City it serves. It’s also the largest transit system in Canada, in the country’s largest city, so the provincial and federal governments must pay their fair share to ensure it is a world-class transit system.
I will be a strong advocate for building transit where there are already existing residents (in the 100,000s) who do not have access to high-order transit. The Scarborough East LRT should have been prioritized for funding to connect people across our city.







