All wards/Ward 23

City Council · Ward 23

Scarborough North

8
Candidates registered
29
Days until polls open
Mon, Oct 26
Election day

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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?

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Yes
  • John-Mark Oleh    Yes

    I support building more homes and rentals to ensure the people of Scarborough North have more affordable housing options.

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?

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Yes
  • John-Mark Oleh    Yes

    As long as the space meets all of their accessibility, safety, and household needs, only then should they be required to leave the encampment.

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Yes
  • John-Mark Oleh    No

    The City of Toronto already has mechanisms such as property taxes which are meant to facilitate maintenance and transportation improvements.

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Yes
  • John-Mark Oleh    No

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Yes
  • John-Mark Oleh    Yes

    It is important to ensure that our municipal government is transparent and accountable to taxpayers.

Public safety and public space

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Lighting, maintenance, sanitation and active use of streets and parks
  • John-Mark Oleh    Police, bylaw enforcement and a more visible official presence

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Remain approximately constant after inflation
  • John-Mark Oleh    Remain approximately constant after inflation

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing
  • John-Mark Oleh    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing

Transit and transportation

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Vehicles, stations, signals and other state-of-good-repair work
  • John-Mark Oleh    New rapid-transit lines and extensions

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Automobile capacity and curbside parking
  • John-Mark Oleh    Automobile capacity and curbside parking

Housing and growth

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Build or finance substantially more affordable and supportive housing
  • John-Mark Oleh    Reduce approval times, development charges and other city-imposed costs

    By reducing development charges and approval times, we can ensure cheaper new builds for homes and rentals. I will also work with the provincial and federal governments to support our goal to build more affordable housing.

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Focus primarily on permitting enough housing and reducing barriers to construction
  • John-Mark Oleh    Supply land, funding and incentives to non-profit and private providers

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Permit more apartments and multiplexes in nearly every neighbourhood
  • John-Mark Oleh    Permit more apartments and multiplexes in nearly every neighbourhood

City government and service delivery

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Expand as-of-right zoning and automate routine permits
  • John-Mark Oleh    Reduce development charges, parkland payments and related levies

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Strengthen professional project management, procurement and contracting
  • John-Mark Oleh    Prevent councillors from altering scope after approval without identifying funding

    In addition to ensuring the scope of a project is not altered on multiple occasions following approval, ensuring sound project management and that we have sufficient funds before starting new projects should also be a priority.

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Move major functions to arm's-length organizations with clear performance mandates
  • John-Mark Oleh    Use competitive contracts and outside providers where they can deliver better value

    If elected, we would strive to work with external providers, whether for-profit or non-profit to deliver the most efficient and effective services at the best cost for taxpayers.

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Grow approximately with inflation and population
  • John-Mark Oleh    Grow more slowly than inflation, requiring service restraint or alternative revenues

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Property taxes or new municipal income or sales taxes, if authorized
  • John-Mark Oleh    Property taxes or new municipal income or sales taxes, if authorized

    On day one, if elected, fiscal responsibility will be my top priority. This means: keeping property taxes low, housing affordable, while providing quality services and programs.

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets
  • John-Mark Oleh    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets

    Where applicable, I would also support applying to Federal and Provincial programs to offset maintenance expenditures so that funding could be allocated to new projects.

Governance and representation

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Publicly press for greater authority, revenue and a different fiscal arrangement
  • John-Mark Oleh    Align with provincial priorities where doing so secures funding or approvals

Strong mayor powers should be used mainly for:

1 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    the powers should sit unused regardless of who holds them

Did not answer John-Mark Oleh

Your ward and your record

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure
  • John-Mark Oleh    Transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    A specific measurable result identified by the candidate
  • John-Mark Oleh    Improved fiscal sustainability and service performance

Priorities and trade-offs

Over the next council term, Toronto should:

1 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Finish approved projects but undertake few additional road reallocations

Did not answer John-Mark Oleh

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Accept significant disruption unless there is an immediate safety threat
  • John-Mark Oleh    Keep major roads, transit, hospitals and essential facilities operating

Where should Toronto direct its next major technology investment?

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Public data and systems that measure outcomes and hold departments accountable
  • John-Mark Oleh    Public data and systems that measure outcomes and hold departments accountable

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Reduce or redesign lower-priority services
  • John-Mark Oleh    Reduce internal administration, staffing or contract costs

    It is my belief that we must work to find efficiencies within City Hall while ensuring that core services may continue to provide quality support.

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Accelerate permits, inspections and approvals
  • John-Mark Oleh    Reduce commercial taxes, fees and licensing expenses

How should Toronto attract major employers, investment and events?

1 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Concentrate resources on a small number of industries where Toronto has an existing advantage

Did not answer John-Mark Oleh

What should Toronto prioritize to increase construction capacity?

1 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Encourage modular construction, prefabrication and more efficient building methods

Did not answer John-Mark Oleh

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

2 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care
  • John-Mark Oleh    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care

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

1 of 8 candidates responded

  • Jamaal MyersIncumbent    Planning and property measures that preserve existing venues and workspaces

Did not answer John-Mark Oleh

Candidates are grouped by the answer they gave. Options nobody in this ward picked are not shown, and a candidate who answered in their own words sits on no option. Notes are the candidates’ own words. Candidates who have not returned the questionnaire are named at the top of this section.

How the whole city answered

Registered candidates from the City Clerk’s list, less anyone who has withdrawn. The field is not final until nominations close on Aug 21, 2026.

About this ward

IncumbentJamaal MyersSeeking re-election

Agincourt, Milliken and Malvern West, at Toronto's northeast edge. It has the highest share of residents born outside Canada of any ward — close to two in three — and, with Scarborough-Rouge Park, the lowest share of renters, at about one household in five. Its population fell almost 4 per cent between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, the steepest decline in the city.

94,025
Population

−3.7% since 2016 · 2,761,285 citywide

3,089
Residents per km²

30.4 km² of land

$87,000
Median household income

$84,000 citywide

20.6%
Renter households

$1,408 average monthly rent · 48.1% citywide

33.3%
Renters spending 30%+ of income on housing

40.0% citywide

22.4%
Homes in buildings of five storeys or more

39.9% single-detached · 46.7% citywide

64.6%
Residents born outside Canada

46.6% citywide

11.8%
Residents in low income

Low-income measure, after tax · 13.2% citywide

Figures from the 2021 Census of Population, via the City of Toronto’s ward profiles.

Ward 22
Scarborough-Agincourt
Ward 24
Scarborough-Guildwood