Municipal elections will be held in Ontario on Monday, Nov. 13. In Toronto, citizens will be voting for one mayor, 44 local councillors and school board trustees for four local school boards.
Members of the York community are invited to attend an all-candidates session on Friday, Oct. 13 to meet the candidates running in Toronto's Ward 8, which includes York University. Confirmed to attend are Ward 8 candidates for city councillor Peter Li Preti and Anthony Perruzza, as well as a number of candidates running for mayor and school trustee.
The all-candidates meeting be held at the Oakdale Community Centre, 350 Grandravine Drive in North York, from 7 to 9pm. The meeting has been organized by the Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women, The City Institute at York University and the Village at York Residents Association. Those who attend will have an opportunity to hear presentations from each of the Ward 8 candidates and a number of mayoral candidates. Prof. Roger Keil, director of the City Institute at York University, and Evan Leibovitch, interim president of the Village at York Residents Association, will co-moderate the meeting.
"Municipal elections are a good indicator for the health of a democratic system. How seriously are voters, citizens and residents taking the civic issues that affect their everyday lives? In communities with high immigrant populations, community politics are often the most important arena of democratic practice and citizenship claims. Ward 8 is one of the most disenfranchised districts in Toronto where voter turnout has tended to be low," said Keil.
"This community-sponsored event is an important intervention by active citizens to increase the political involvement of traditionally marginalized voices in the political system. As civic voting participation is particularly low among young people, the York University community has a great opportunity here to help realize the democratic potential of its neighbourhood," said Keil.
For more information, call the Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women at 416-663-2978 or e-mail ehc@on.aibn.com.