Written by Jennie Worden in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.
Jennie Worden stands at the intersection of arts leadership, community activism, and municipal politics—bringing a rare combination of creative vision, strategic thinking, and grassroots organizing to each of her endeavors. With her distinctive pink hair and unwavering commitment to equity, she has become a recognizable voice for progressive change in Toronto's diverse communities.
Our questionnaire
Jennie Worden’s own answers to the questions we put to every candidate, published as given — including, where they wrote one, their reasoning in their own words.
Yes, but not the same density across the city. Permitting should accommodate gentle density in neighbourhoods, with and greater density along transit corridors, while preserving tress and public space in all areas.
Not automatically. If the person voluntarily accepts a truly suitable indoor space, then we should help them move. If they don't, the City should not immediately move to eviction, but should instead work to understand why the person is refusing and work to remove the barrier.
Road pricing (tolls or congestion charging), works best to reduce traffic and raise revenue when it forms part of an overall transportation strategy, rather than as a simple user-fee or tax. So in addition to devoting revenue from road-pricing to transportation, we must invest in transit.
Toronto cannot afford to defer maintenance while we wait for other levels of government to come to our rescue. We must both use the revenue tools we have and fight for more tools to keep our roads, transit, libraries, community centres, parks and housing in a state of good repair.
If we are spending public money on public projects, then the public has a right to know where that money is going, and if projects are on time and on budget. However, this reporting must be a tool for stronger long-term financial and project management, not just numbers after the fact.
The intervention that will most improve public safety is housing. Following that, the wrap-around services that support people living in crisis AND public-space management.
Toronto cannot keep adding money to the police budget without interrogating what we are asking police to do and whether the police service is the best service provider for these tasks. In the case of activity related to mental health crises, homelessness, and addiction, it is not.
In a world where we had just one pot of transit-funding money, I'd prioritize service, with state-of-good-repair protected as an essential investment and other levels of government funding their share of rapid-transit expansion.
When street space is limited, we should prioritize the ways of moving that allow the largest number of people to move, while also protecting essential access, such as emergency vehicles, deliveries, accessibility and trade.
Housing is a human right. Leaving housing affordability up to private interests has not served Toronto very well over the past many years. Non-market, public models including co-op housing, supportive housing, and community housing are essential to addressing our housing crisis.
Toronto must use as many of its resources as possible to create and preserve permanently affordable housing. This means both expanding its role as a direct provider and partnering with community-based non-profit partners to meet specific community needs.
Toronto has a lot of space, but very little of it is downtown. Detatched-house neighbourhoods cannot exist as museum pieces while we stack human beings in boxes in designated growth centres. Our most vibrant neighbourhoods and streets feature a mix of housing types and heights.
Toronto cannot afford to defer needed capital projects. Nor can we squander public money and trust delivering these projects badly and slowly. The City needs stronger project management and procurement, more rigorous oversight of contracts, and transparent reporting when schedules change.
Toronto should deliver core public services directly whenever we can do so efficiently. Using City staff, equipment, and expertise allows us to retain institutional knowledge and maintain quality and accountability.
Toronto needs predictable revenue growth to maintain services and address our infrastructure backlog. Property taxes should generally keep pace with inflation or grow slightly faster while the City pursues more progressive revenue sources. Ultimately, we need better revenue sources.
Few people like paying taxes. But Toronto needs access to stable revenue sources that grow with the economy. Property taxes -- with adequate relief for seniors -- should remain a key part of our financial ecosystem, but Toronto should seek authority for broader progressive municipal revenue tools.
Toronto's infrastructure deficit is the result of refusing to provide the city with the revenue it needs to maintain our assets. Letting infrastructure continue to deteriorate is not the answer, nor is selling these assets. We need to raise the revenue necessary for maintenance and invest in growth.
We have thousands of homes being built in Ward 19. What we lack are the public-realm improvements to support our burgeoning population. This means preserving, cleaning, and maintaining our existing public spaces and investing in the infrastructure and public amenities to support our population.
I am in favour of fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.
Each card is one question, with Jennie Worden filed under the answer they gave and their own words underneath it. The other options offered are not shown, nor how the rest of the field answered.
How the whole city answeredRegistered candidates from the City Clerk’s official list, refreshed daily. Campaign sites are linked as published by the candidate; a link is not an endorsement.