What to know about the race in York South-Weston

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

One of Toronto’s longest-serving councillors looks poised to win her eighth term in a ward with one of the least crowded ballots in the city.

Frances Nunziata, who has served as speaker during the mayoral tenures of both Rob Ford and John Tory, has been in some form of public office since 1988 when she served as councillor and eventually mayor for the former City of York.

Nunziata has held her title as councillor for York South-Weston ever since amalgamation.

She kept the seat even after city council was cut from 44 wards to 25 wards in 2018 and the previously named wards 11 and ward 12 became ward 5 – besting former councillor Frank Di Giorgio in the process.

Since then, the candidates on the ballot have reduced drastically from 11 down to just three, including Nunziata.

There’s only three wards in the city with as many candidates campaigning this election, the others being Scarborough-Rouge Park and Humber River-Black Creek.

And while Di Giorgio isn’t on the ballot this year, a familiar face in Chiara Padovani is.

The human rights activist and social worker ran in 2018 and came in third—just a few hundred votes behind Di Giorgio.

A Forum Research poll published last month suggests that Padovani still has strong support in the area, with 28 per cent of those polled saying they would vote for the challenger.

City infrastructure, affordable housing, and climate change are the pillars of the 34-year-old candidate’s campaign and she’s even got the support of former Toronto mayor David Miller.

However, Forum believes that with 52 per cent support for the incumbent Nunziata, “it’s very likely that she will get re-elected in York South-Weston.”

The other candidate running in York South-Weston is Gabriel Takang. On his website, Takang touts his experience in helping to create a number of community organizations focused on providing opportunities for youth.

“We need a leader our community can trust and someone who can listen and relate to the concerns of our community. When put to the test, I am that leader,” he says.

YORK SOUTH-WESTON AT A GLANCE

Population: 116,685

Average number of people per household: 2.56

Median age: 39.3

Population growth over the last decade: 1.9 per cent (Toronto-wide average is 9.1 per cent)

Visible minorities: 55 per cent of population (Toronto-wide average is 51 per cent).

Average household income: $ 67,954 (Toronto-wide average is $102,721)