What you need to know about the race in Ward 7 - Humber River-Black Creek

A voter submits their ballot inside a City of Toronto advance poll. (Scott Lightfoot)

The race in Humber River-Black Creek may look similar to the 2018 election on the surface.

Anthony Perruzza is once again running for re-election, this time seeking a fifth term on city council.

Like in 2018, he is running against a Mammoliti.

But this time it is TDSB Trustee Christopher on the ballot and not his father, Giorgio, who Perruzza defeated four years ago.

Crisis worker Amanda Coombs rounds is also running in the ward for a second time after garnering about two per cent of the vote in 2018.

For Mammoliti, the chance to run in Humber River-Black Creek isn’t about carrying on any family legacy in Toronto’s northwest corner.

In fact, he told CP24 last month that he has a “different perspective” and “different lived experience” than his father, who served three terms on Toronto City Council and often found himself attracting significant media attention for various antics inside and outside of the chamber.

“I have got four years as school board trustee and served as vice chair of the board over the last two years through a global pandemic. We have lots of work we have done in the last four years we are proud of. To me that is where the focus should be. Look at my work, look at my history,” he said at the time.

Perruzza won handily in 2018 after the Ford government reduced the number of municipal wards in Toronto, pitting him against a fellow incumbent in the process.

This time around at least one Forum Research poll has suggested that Perruzza has a comfortable lead, with the support of about 73 per cent of respondents. Mammoliti finished a distant second in that poll with the support of about 16 per cent of respondents.

On his campaign website, Perruzza touts his advocacy and work on a new community centre for the Sheppard Avenue and Weston Road area as well as the renovations that are currently underway at the Yorkwoods Library and Theatre, as proof of his effectiveness as a voice for the community.

He also presents himself as “a strong and reliable voice for affordability, accessible services, equity, and the environment” who “does not seek the spotlight.”

Mammoliti, meanwhile, has promised to improve snow clearing in the ward and fight to “provide timely investments to our roads, crumbling infrastructure, and clean streets.”

He also says that he will push “advocate for more capital investment into our local parks and shared community spaces.”

“It's time Ward 7 gets its fair share of city services,” he says on his website.

Humber River-Black Creek at a glance

Population: 108,035

Average number of people per household: 2.98

Median age: 36.3

Population growth over the last decade: 3.9 per cent (Toronto-wide average is 9.1 per cent)

Visible minorities: 74 per cent of population (Toronto-wide average is 51 per cent).

Average household income: $65,458 (Toronto-wide average is $102,721)