Board & Staff
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Betty Gaertner
Chair
Directors
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Suellen Boyd
Talia Klein Leighton
Laurel Rothman
Carrie Goldstein Mazoff
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Founders
Rabbi Arthur Bielfeld
Dodo Heppner
Roger Hyman
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At its root, food security is a symptom of poverty. According to the Daily Bread Food Bank, the vast majority (87%) of food bank clients live in unaffordable housing (1). With rent, utilities, and transit costs eating holes in household budgets, Torontonians are struggling to fill their plates and pantries. As a result, food bank usage has surged to all-time highs (2).
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Our city is in trouble. Our neighbours are struggling. And yet, only 3/10 Torontonians voted in the 2022 municipal election (3). On June 26th, we have an opportunity to try again — we get a "do over."
However you engaged with the 2022 election, try to outdo yourself this time around. Share this resource. Read, listen, and learn. Talk to your friends, coworkers, neighbours, and loved ones. Together, we can defeat apathy and build a civically engaged Toronto that cares for its most vulnerable residents
Click on the icons
below to learn where your
candidates stand on....
Food
Security
Each candidate has been assigned a rating out of three based on whether their platform includes a commitment to the following food security priorities:
1. Funding for Emergency Food Aid Projects will support front-line food aid providers like food banks and community kitchens — organizations currently experiencing record-breaking demand for their services.
2. Investing in Community Garden Projects will allow communities to grow sustainable, healthy food — lowering costs for families and offsetting the climate consequences of traditional food supply chains (4).
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3. Building Stronger Food Systems will increase local food production and distribution at scale. These policies will lower costs for consumers and get food to the most vulnerable by meaningfully increasing local food supply, or by making long-term municipal commitments to supporting the critical work of existing food security organizations (food banks, etc).
Hover over a candidate summary and click "Read More" to view policy details
Housing
Security
Each candidate has been assigned a rating out of three based on whether their platform includes a commitment to implementing the following housing security priorities:
1. Tenant Protections shield renters from unjust eviction, and strengthen stop gap measures like the Toronto Rent Bank to ensure temporary setbacks like job loss don't result in families losing their homes or skipping meals to keep a roof over their heads.
2. Housing Affordability measures aim at freezing or cooling Toronto's runaway housing market, lowering costs for renters and/or making the dream of home ownership possible for a generation of young people.
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3. Building and Development plans aim to add new housing, either through city-built projects or incentivizing non-governmental development. Only candidates who commit to building affordable housing will receive a point in this category.
Hover over a candidate summary and click "Read More" to view policy details
Brad Bradford
1/3
Bradford has not committed to any renter protections, or city-built housing projects – instead, he aims to lower housing costs by incentivizing building by the private sector. His plan includes encouraging double shifting, 24/7 construction, and using city land for private development.
Supportive
Programs
Each candidate has been assigned a rating out of three based on whether their platform includes a commitment to implementing the following supportive programs and transformative infrastructure priorities:
1. Transit Affordability / Access policies aim to improve subway, streetcar, and busway routes by expanding infrastructure, boosting safety measures, and decreasing fares and wait times for users.
2. Mental Health and Addiction Support plans will strengthen city-wide response by adding new clinics and crisis intervention services and/or bolster existing programs to meet emerging needs.
3. Homelessness services will increase the capacity of shelter programs, respite centres, and warming/cooling centres, while also improving supplementary street outreach and wraparound supports city-wide.
Hover over a candidate summary and click "Read More" to view policy details
Ana Bailão
2/3
Bailão will improve transit by reversing TTC cuts, putting cell service on subways, and lowering fares for Scarborough riders. On mental health and homelessness, she’s pledged to address gender-based violence, add more mobile mental-health clinics, and invest substantially in shelter programs.
