Advance voting opens for council seat in Don Valley West byelection

File photo of a voting sign at a polling station during an election.

Advance voting opens this weekend in the byelection to choose a new councillor for Ward 15, Don Valley West.

The seat was left empty after longtime councillor Jaye Robinson died in May following a long illness.

The race has attracted 16 candidates, two of which appear to be neck-and-neck.

A recent poll indicates that Toronto Sun columnist and broadcaster Anthony Furey currently leads the pack with 38 per cent support, followed closely by former Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Trustee Rachel Chernos Lin, who sits at 35 per cent support. It put Lesley Stoyan in third place at 11 per cent support and Sam Robinson in fourth place with six per cent support.

Some 46 per vent of respondents said they felt the city is moving in the wrong direction, while 34 per cent said it is moving in the right direction and 19 per cent weren’t sure.

Affordable housing, traffic and transit were identified as the key issues for voters in the ward.

The poll surveyed a random sample of 547 voters from Oct.17-18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.19 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Election Day is Nov. 4, but voters will have a chance to cast their ballots early this weekend.

Voting stations will be set up on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Bob Rumball Centre (2395 Bayview Ave.) and Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre (48 Thorncliffe Park Dr.).

Completed mail-in voting packages can also be dropped off at two yellow drop boxes at those locations until noon on Oct. 28

You can find full voter information on the City of Toronto's website.