Toronto 2026/Ward 1/Nathen Masri
Running for
Councillor
Ward 1
Etobicoke North
Days until polls open
29

About Nathen

Written by Nathen Masri in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.

About Me Serial entrepreneur, tech innovator, author & IP scholar, worked with Warner Bros. & Paramount/Nickelodeon. Featured in 500+ media stories. Passionate about justice, law, youth, fighting homelessness

My Experience Sold my first ad agency at 25. Worked at Souq before its $580M Amazon acquisition; master-franchised Canadian brands Mr. Sub, Jugo Juice & Van Houtte, and built global entertainment licensing ventures

Our questionnaire

Where Nathen Masri stands

Nathen Masri’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.

Five decisions facing the next council

Should Toronto permit substantially more housing as-of-right in every ward, including areas currently dominated by detached and semi-detached homes?

  • Nathen Masri
    Yes

    Yes, with conditions. More housing where infrastructure and neighbourhood capacity support it, with good design, family housing and protection of established communities.

When a person living in a park has been offered an available indoor space that meets their accessibility, safety and household needs, should the city require them to leave the encampment?

  • Nathen Masri
    Yes

    Compassion requires a real alternative. Once safe, accessible and appropriate indoor accommodation is available, public parks should return to public use.

Should Toronto introduce road-pricing measures, such as congestion charges or tolls, if the revenue is dedicated to transportation improvements?

  • Nathen Masri
    No

    Torontonians are already overtaxed. Fix traffic through synchronized signals, better transit, road design and technology—not another bill for getting to work.

Should Toronto raise additional local revenue to address its infrastructure repair backlog rather than defer maintenance while seeking funding from other governments?

  • Nathen Masri
    No

    Audit spending, eliminate waste (like that $10.98million in unused software costs) and prioritize existing revenues first. Toronto should also pursue its fair share from other governments before raising household costs. Audit first, increase last.

Should Toronto publish project-level budgets, schedules and performance updates for all major capital projects?

  • Nathen Masri
    Yes

    Absolutely. Every major project should have a public dashboard showing budget, timeline, delays, change orders and measurable progress. Taxpayers deserve receipts. As proposed in my Toronto OS! Transparency is Trust!

Public safety and public space

Which approach should receive the greatest additional investment to improve public safety?

  • Nathen Masri
    Lighting, maintenance, sanitation and active use of streets and parks

    My Harmony & Safe Communities Motion uses CPTED: smarter lighting, safer parks, better sightlines, sanitation and active public spaces. Bio Harmony Toronto™ designs safer communities before problems happen.

Over the next council term, the Toronto Police Service budget should:

  • Nathen Masri
    Remain approximately constant after inflation

    Toronto OS demands outcomes before automatic budget growth. Protect frontline policing and response capacity, measure results, and redirect resources toward the highest-risk neighbourhoods and emerging threats.

How should Toronto govern automated licence-plate readers and similar surveillance technology used on public streets?

  • Nathen Masri
    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing

    I support smart technology for public safety, but AI and surveillance must never become God. Set strict retention, access, auditing and sharing rules. Technology serves people—not the other way around.

Transit and transportation

What should receive the greatest share of the next available transit funding?

  • Nathen Masri
    More frequent and reliable service on existing routes

    Toronto OS starts with making what we already have work. Improve frequency, reliability and connections first, while using smarter signals and data to move buses faster. Expansion remains important. Before City Hall sells another transportation dream, Toronto OS should make today's system work.

When there is not enough street space for every use, which should generally receive priority?

  • Nathen Masri
    Deliveries, trades, emergency vehicles and accessibility

    My Smart Mobility Plan prioritizes emergency response, accessibility, trades and the movement of goods when space is constrained—while using Toronto OS traffic technology to keep transit and general traffic moving.

Housing and growth

If Toronto could make one major housing intervention this term, which should receive the greatest emphasis?

  • Nathen Masri
    Reduce approval times, development charges and other city-imposed costs

    Toronto needs housing built, not trapped in process. Parallel reviews, faster approvals, lower city-imposed costs and smart technology can turn applications into homes sooner.

What should be Toronto's primary role in delivering affordable and supportive housing?

  • Nathen Masri
    Focus primarily on permitting enough housing and reducing barriers to construction

    City Hall should unlock supply, accelerate approvals and remove unnecessary barriers while partnering strategically where the market cannot adequately serve vulnerable residents.

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

  • Nathen Masri
    Concentrate growth on major streets and near rapid transit

    Build density where mobility can support it: major corridors, rapid transit and appropriate commercial areas. Growth should be ambitious, infrastructure-aligned and well designed.

City government and service delivery

Which change would you implement to reduce the cost of building housing in Toronto?

  • Nathen Masri
    Expand as-of-right zoning and automate routine permits

    My Build Faster plan applies Toronto OS to permitting: automate routine pre-screening, run departmental reviews concurrently where possible and establish clear timelines. Less waiting means lower carrying costs and faster homes.

What is the most important change Toronto should make to reduce capital-project delays and cost overruns?

  • Nathen Masri
    Strengthen professional project management, procurement and contracting

    Toronto OS means professional project management with public dashboards tracking budgets, schedules, change orders and outcomes. Identify overruns early—not after taxpayers receive the final bill.

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

  • Nathen Masri
    Use competitive contracts and outside providers where they can deliver better value

    Toronto OS is outcome-driven, not ideological about who delivers a service. Use competitive outside providers when they demonstrably deliver better value, while keeping strong contracts, audits and public accountability.

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

Over the next council term, residential property-tax revenues should generally:

  • Nathen Masri
    Grow more slowly than inflation, requiring service restraint or alternative revenues

    Toronto OS starts with productivity, waste reduction and service modernization before asking households for more. My goal is property-tax restraint while protecting essential frontline services.

Which type of additional revenue should Toronto rely on most heavily?

  • Nathen Masri
    Land-transfer taxes, development charges and taxes on real-estate activity

    Of these three choices, I prefer growth-related revenue over new recurring taxes or road tolls on working households. But Toronto OS prioritizes savings and economic growth before creating new revenue tools.

What should Toronto do first to address its infrastructure repair backlog?

  • Nathen Masri
    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets

    Fix what we own before building what we cannot maintain. Toronto OS would prioritize state-of-good-repair, rank projects by urgency and value, and avoid expanding the infrastructure backlog.

Governance and representation

What should be Toronto's primary approach to the provincial government?

  • Nathen Masri
    Align with provincial priorities where doing so secures funding or approvals

    ALIGN. means working with whoever can deliver for Toronto. Partner with Queen’s Park where it brings funding, housing, transit or infrastructure—while challenging the Province when Toronto’s interests require it.

Strong mayor powers should be used mainly for:

  • Nathen Masri
    overriding council on zoning and approvals to get homes built

    If strong-mayor powers exist, their strongest case is breaking genuine housing bottlenecks and accelerating responsible supply—not bypassing Council simply to raise taxes or expand spending.

Your ward and your record

Which objective should receive the greatest attention in your ward during the next council term?

  • Nathen Masri
    Enforcement, public-space management and responses to disorder

    Ward 1 first: Auto-Insurance Postal Fairness, answers on 3.75% utility hikes, renter protection, safer streets, cleaner public spaces, better soccer/recreation and Bio Harmony Toronto™—especially where gun violence persists.

Which single result should voters use to assess your performance at the end of the term?

  • Nathen Masri
    A specific measurable result identified by the candidate

    Judge me by delivery, not speeches. My Toronto OS Ward Dashboard will publicly track campaign commitments, constituent requests, response times and measurable progress throughout the term.

    If you selected “Ward commitment,” state one numerical target and a deadlineMove motions, advocate through the capital-budget process, work with Parks/Transportation/Planning, seek Council approval, and bring in BIAs, developers, nonprofits and private/community partners where appropriate. By December 2030: establish Ward 1’s first Bio Harmony Toronto™ pilot district and deliver or secure approval/funding for 10 neighbourhood beautification projects—parks, landscaping, trees, lighting, walkability and public spaces.

Priorities and trade-offs

Over the next council term, Toronto should:

  • Nathen Masri
    Finish approved projects but undertake few additional road reallocations

    Cycling belongs in a Smart Mobility system, but not every street needs the same solution. Complete approved projects, measure safety, ridership and congestion, then expand where evidence supports it.

When demonstrations substantially block transportation or access to essential institutions, the city should prioritize:

  • Nathen Masri
    Protect protest subject to clear rules for locations, access routes and duration

    Freedom of expression is fundamental, but your freedom ends where you cause harm to others. Protect peaceful protest with clear rules while guaranteeing access to hospitals, transit, roads and essential institutions.

Where should Toronto direct its next major technology investment?

  • Nathen Masri
    Permits, licences, payments and service requests

    Toronto OS begins at the front door: faster permits, licences, payments and trackable service requests. My 24/7 Constituency Concierge model uses technology for intake while humans remain accountable.

When Toronto faces a structural operating-budget gap, what should it do first?

  • Nathen Masri
    Reduce internal administration, staffing or contract costs

    Toronto OS: audit first, taxpayer last. Start with duplication, administration, procurement, contracts and technology costs before cutting frontline services or reaching into residents’ pockets again.

What is the most important municipal intervention for improving Toronto's business climate?

  • Nathen Masri
    Accelerate permits, inspections and approvals

    My Open for Business initiative means faster permits, inspections and approvals. Time is money for entrepreneurs. Toronto should make opening and growing a legitimate business easier—not become another obstacle.

How should Toronto attract major employers, investment and events?

  • Nathen Masri
    Housing affordability, transportation, safety and quality of life

    Investment follows a city that works. Housing, mobility, safety, cleanliness and quality of life come first. My Entergagement Toronto™ vision then uses events and experiences to make Toronto a year-round destination.

What should Toronto prioritize to increase construction capacity?

  • Nathen Masri
    Encourage modular construction, prefabrication and more efficient building methods

    Build Faster: encourage modular construction, prefabrication and modern building methods while Toronto OS modernizes approvals. We need to build more housing with less delay and greater productivity.

What should receive the greatest priority in Toronto's public-realm budget?

  • Nathen Masri
    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care

    Bio Harmony Toronto™ starts with fundamentals: clean streets, maintained parks, trees, sidewalks, lighting and public spaces residents are proud of. Transformative projects mean little if the basics are neglected.

What should be Toronto's primary tool for supporting arts, culture and nightlife?

  • Nathen Masri
    Simpler permits, flexible operating rules and later hours

    Entergagement Toronto™: make it easier to create markets, performances, nightlife, cultural events and experiences through simpler permits and sensible rules—while protecting safety and neighbourhoods.

If autonomous taxi services operate in Toronto, which condition should the city prioritize?

  • Nathen Masri
    Mandatory reporting on trips, collisions, congestion and curb use

    Toronto OS welcomes innovation with accountability. Require transparent collision, trip, congestion and curb-use data so Toronto can measure real-world performance before deciding what additional rules are justified.

Each card is one question, with Nathen Masri 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 answered

Registered 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.

Everyone running in Etobicoke NorthWhere the whole field stands