What to know about the race in Parkdale-High Park

A woman casts her vote in Toronto's municipal election on Oct. 7, 2022. (Scott Lightfoot)

Toronto cyclists will be keeping a close eye on the race in Parkdale-High Park after the ward’s namesake park made headlines this summer due to police enforcement in the 399-acre green space.

Back in June, Toronto police and the city were accused by a local lawyer and biking advocates alike of wasting resources by having officers stake out intersections at High Park to catch speeding cyclists.

The enforcement came about following what the city said were numerous complaints from residents about cyclists allegedly racing through the park, and triggered a bigger conversation about how the space should be used going forward and whether or not it should become a car-free zone.

Gord Perks, the ward’s incumbent councillor, is hoping to cruise to a fifth term and was in the hot seat when constituents had questions about the use of such enforcement in the park.

“My view is that you handle conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists and cars by design, not just sending enforcement,” he told CTV News Toronto at the time.

Perks is the lead on the city's “High Park Movement Strategy,” which has a goal to improve mobility within the park in a way that promotes safety and accessibility.

To that end, High Park is closed to car traffic on public holidays and weekends.

And while the issue has faded out of the spotlight as the cycling season drew to a close, there are a number of competitors who have been vocal about the issue in the run up to the election.

One of them includes Siri Agrell, a former journalist who’s worked in the public and private sector and held positions in both municipal and provincial governments, including an advisor to Tory.

Agrell, who appears to have the support of Tory, has said she doesn’t support police enforcement in the park and believes the city should test out giving high-speed cyclists free reign in the west-end Toronto green space for certain hours of the day.

“I think, at least for now, we should pilot set hours for cycle track in the park. We can have people in there between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. We can have clear signage so people know when there are going to be high-speed cyclists in the park and outside of that time can stop at the stop signs and obey all the traffic rules in the park,” she said in a video posted to her campaign website.

Similarly, community organizer and activist Chemi Lhamo, is campaigning for “safe streets for everybody” and took part in a cycle rally in and around the park in August.

“It’s not only a fight for a safe High Park, it’s a fight to make sure all public spaces are accessible to everyone without police harassment. Where people of all ages and walks of life can spend time with nature in our communities.” she said in a video posted to twitter.

While it’s clear the three front-running candidates agree that there’s no space for police in the park, voters will have to decide which candidate they think is best to bring about change and shake up the status quo on Oct. 24.

Other candidates running for councillor in Parkdale-High Park include Andrew Gorham, Christopher Jurik, and Steve Yuen.

PARKDALE-HIGH PARK AT A GLANCE

Population: 108,805

Average number of people per household: 2.12

Median age: 38.4

Population growth over the last decade: 6.5 per cent (Toronto-wide average is 9.1 per cent)

Visible minorities: 26 per cent of population (Toronto-wide average is 51 per cent).

Average household income: $99,784 (Toronto-wide average is $102,721)