Boundaries
On August 14, 2018, the province redrew municipal boundaries via the Better Local Government Act, 2018, S.O. 2018, c. 11 - Bill 5. [1] This means that the 25 Provincial districts and the 25 municipal wards in Toronto currently share the same geographic borders.
Defined in legislation as: "Consisting of that part of the City of Toronto described as follows: commencing at the intersection of the northerly limit of said city with Bayview Avenue; thence southerly along said avenue to Highway No. 401; thence generally southwesterly along said highway to the Don River West Branch; thence generally northwesterly along said branch to Bathurst Street; thence northerly along said street to the northerly limit of said city; thence easterly along said limit to the point of commencement." [2]
History
Toronto municipal ward boundaries were significantly modified in 2018, passing through three models (44-ward, 47-ward, and 25-ward). Ultimately, for the purposes of administering the 2018 election, the 25-ward structure was used and later upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2021.
From 2014 to 2017, the City of Toronto engaged in a ward boundary review [3] evaluating the city's previous 44-ward model. [4]
Based on this, and in preparation for the 2018 municipal election, the City of Toronto added 3 new wards to create a 47-ward model. [5] This model was in effect at the opening of the 2018 municipal election.
The 2018 Toronto municipal election ran from May 1, 2018, to October 22, 2018, and while underway [6] the provincial government introduced the Better Local Government Act, 2018, S.O. 2018, c. 11 - Bill 5. The act was assented to on August 14, 2018. [1]
The immediate effect of this act was to eliminate all previous ward models, and replace them with a 25-ward model [7] designed to align with the provincial and federal ridings boundaries in effect at that time. [8]
The timing of the boundary change was controversial, and the City of Toronto sued the province contesting the provisions' constitutionality. In the absence of an injunction, and with the pending threat of the province invoking the notwithstanding clause [9] which would defeat any constitutional challenge, the election continued under the 25-ward model. [10]
The nomination period originally scheduled to close on July 27, 2018, was extended to September 14, 2018. [11] This allowed new candidates to run, and existing candidates to either withdraw or to reassign their candidacy to a different constituency. [12]
In a judgment rendered October 1, 2021, [13] the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the constitutionality of the provisions, [14] and the 25-ward model remained in effect for the 2022 Toronto municipal election.
The current ward is made up of the former Ward 23 Willowdale, part of the former Ward 24 Willowdale, and a small portion of the former Ward 10 York Centre. [15] [16]
2018 municipal election
Ward 18 was first contested during the 2018 municipal election. Prior to the provincial government realignment, Ward 23 councillor John Filion announced plans to retire, and endorsed candidates in both of the new wards covering the previous district under the city's planned 47-ward system: Filion's executive assistant Markus O'Brien Fehr, and community organizer Lily Cheng. [17]
Following the realignment, Filion rescinded his retirement plans and entered the race for the new ward 18, citing fears of voter confusion with the restructured wards; O'Brien Fehr dropped out while Cheng remained in the race for the larger ward alongside a number of other challengers. [18] Filion was ultimately elected with 31.06 per cent of the vote. [19]
