Jethro Adir Kavod

The Mayor and City Council

As a City Councillor, my priority would be supporting Toronto’s young entrepreneurs — over a third of high-potential startups now leave Canada, often because they can’t find capital or affordable space here. I started entrepreneurship at age 10, and that hands-on — not theoretical experience taught me the resilience and resourcefulness it takes to build something from nothing. I’m putting that expertise to work for Toronto’s young entrepreneurs: a municipal startup fund, faster permits, and real access to space and capital so they build here,

Housing

37,865 seniors are on Toronto’s subsidized housing waitlist, over a third of the 104,851 households waiting. Under Shelley Carroll’s leadership as Budget Committee Chair since 2018, this waitlist has kept growing — in my view, housing hasn’t been a sufficient budget priority. My solutions: prioritize seniors with mobility needs in RGI, cut development charges, speed up permits, build on city land, adopt a rental registry, and invest in permanent housing over shelters.

Cost of Living

1 in 10 Torontonians now rely on food banks just to survive — and the average GTA home now eats 66% of a household’s income. My priority: open municipal contracts to competitive bidding. Toronto is the only Ontario city with closed-bid tendering, costing taxpayers $347M/year (Cardus study) — savings that could freeze taxes instead of raising them again. Meanwhile, three tax hikes since 2024 (9.5%, 6.9%, 2.2%) hit residents under Budget Chief Shelley Carroll. I’d also cut $100K+ development charges to ease upward pressure on rents, lower the TTC

Safety in Public Spaces

I would prioritize practical steps that help people feel safe in public spaces: better lighting in parks, streets and transit areas; cleaner and well-maintained public spaces; faster responses to safety concerns; and stronger coordination between the City, TTC, police and community organizations. I also want to hear directly from residents about locations where they feel unsafe and focus resources where they are most needed. And to be there in person

Getting Around the City

The Priority Solution: Accelerate the Transfer and Repairs Concretely, the city should: · Secure the $353 million already promised by the province for operations and maintenance through the transition. · Leverage provincial expertise to accelerate work. The proof: on the Gardiner, additional provincial funding of $73 million allowed repairs to finish 18 months ahead of schedule, cutting up to 22 minutes off the commute of 140,000 daily drivers. · Free up municipal budget to redirect toward local roads, sewers, and public transit.

Confronting Hateful and Hostile Behaviour

Everyone in Toronto should feel safe, and hate must have real consequences. As councillor, I would advocate for a well-resourced Toronto Police Hate Crime Unit working closely with the province’s Hate Crimes Prosecution Unit. I would also push for a Hate-Free Spaces By-Law protecting access to schools, places of worship and community centres, and for funding to community groups that support victims, especially newcomers and racialized residents, with reporting available in multiple languages.