What to know
- East York residents say homelessness and the housing crisis are among their biggest concerns ahead of the municipal election.
- Residents describe seeing encampments and the impacts of mental health and addiction issues in their neighbourhoods.
- Rising rent and the cost of living are also top concerns, with one resident facing a potential above-guideline rent increase.
- Advance voting runs from Oct. 6 to 11, ahead of the Oct. 26 municipal election.
From the housing crisis to affordability, East York residents are opening up about the issues they want Toronto’s next mayor to tackle most.
Now Toronto headed out onto the streets of East York to hear directly from voters about the issues affecting their communities.
For Susan, the homelessness crisis is one issue she hopes the city addresses, and quickly.
She says she has noticed the crisis beginning to trickle into her neighbourhood, often accompanied by mental health and addiction issues.
“We have had an encampment twice in a parkette that is beside a playground and a daycare centre, which was an issue with drug dealing going on and needles being left in the park with small children around. So that was a problem,” she said.
Another resident, Helen, also points to the housing crisis and homelessness as major concerns, along with mental health.
“I think taking care of mental health issues and the homeless, that’s the big one,” she said. “I think it’s everywhere. People are everywhere who need help.”
Helen says she feels these issues are being “totally ignored.”
For Rio, the community has often had to come together to help address the rise in homelessness themselves.
“Usually community members, like on the Facebook groups, we’ll kind of band together and get them in hotels and pay for things and get them like gift cards and stuff,” she said. “But at the end of the day, we just need more assistance with people in their communities for housing.”
Rio, who is one of mayoral candidate Brad Bradford’s constituents in the Beaches-East York ward, says it often feels like the issues are not being addressed.
“We have a huge problem here,” she said. “They have nowhere to go.”
For another resident, Kamal, the rising cost of living and rent is an issue that hits especially close to home.
He tells Now Toronto that his landlord recently applied for an above-guideline rent increase.
Kamal says he currently pays around $1,520 a month for a one-bedroom apartment but expects that amount could increase next year.
“Even though it’s not approved, they are already asking people to pay,” he said.
With housing, homelessness, mental health and affordability among the issues residents say they want addressed, Toronto’s municipal election will take place on Oct. 26.
Advance voting opens Tuesday, Oct. 6, and runs until Sunday, Oct. 11.
