Jennie Worden

The Mayor and City Council

As councillor, I will ensure that residents get their questions answered, and their problems addressed. This sounds really generic, I know, but it’s about untangling bureaucracy, dismantling silos, and relentlessly pursuing answers. As a community organizer and a non-profit administrator, that’s what I do: I bring people together to identify challenges, solve problems. I’ve run an orchestra, I’ve run neighbourhood groups, I’ve run an office, and I can run a responsive, accountable councillor’s office that supports residents when they need it.

Housing

The City can, and should, become a leader in building and maintaining non-market, truly affordable housing. This means we need to act on the repair and renewal backlog at Toronto Community Housing to make more homes available for people on years-long waitlists. We also need to increase the funding for our existing multi-unit residential acquisition (MURA) program which helps the City to purchase existing rent controlled multi-unit buildings that are at risk of being redeveloped.

Cost of Living

I would continue to advocate for keeping TTC fares capped at the 2023 rates and I will advocate to reduce the threshold for the new fare capping so that Torontonians can ride for free after 8 presto taps a week. That means more money for groceries, rent, or a night out with a loved one. A midterm goal of mine is to expand the citywide school lunch program to include breakfast so that every child in our city can learn with a full belly and a fuelled mind.

Safety in Public Spaces

Housing – Permanent, affordable, appropriate housing. Many residents feel unsafe in public space because of the visible signs of homelessness, drug addiction, and social disorder. Ensuring that everyone in Toronto has a safe place to live and be will move people out of the public realm and into their own homes.

Getting Around the City

My priority is to ensure people have real choices about how they travel, and allowing them to choose the most appropriate mode for them – giving public transit real priority, so that buses and streetcars can move large numbers of people efficiently; building a connected network of safe cycling routes; emphasizing pedestrian safety especially around schools, libraries, transit stops, and busy intersections; and treating construction as a city-wide transportation problem, rather than a series of individual projects.

Confronting Hateful and Hostile Behaviour

A welcoming city goes beyond paying lip-service to “everyone,” and creates civic spaces where people actually belong. We absolutely need to name racism and hate when they happen, and provide better ways for people experiencing them to report and get support. But the answer to how to keep Toronto safe and welcoming is not to police behaviour,to restrict political expression, or to further militarize our police. It’s investing in the spaces and services where people come together, build networks, and support each other.