Ward 7 residents will choose who represents Humber River–Black Creek at Toronto City Council in the 2026 municipal election.
As of September 2026, three candidates are listed in the Ward 7 councillor race:
Lorna Antwi
Amanda Coombs
Anthony Perruzza
Campaigns may emphasize different priorities, experiences and proposals. But residents can make comparisons more easily when every candidate is asked the same practical questions.
Instead of asking only what candidates hope to accomplish, voters can also ask:
What exactly would you do?
Is it within the power of a city councillor?
Who else must approve it?
How would it be funded?
And how would residents know whether it was actually delivered?
Here are five questions that every Ward 7 councillor candidate should be prepared to answer.
1. What Is One Housing Action You Would Pursue During Your First Year?
Housing affects Ward 7 residents in different ways.
Some renters are concerned about affordability.
Others are dealing with apartment maintenance problems, building conditions or housing instability.
Homeowners may be concerned about property costs, development and changes in their neighbourhood.
Residents therefore deserve more than a general promise to “fix housing.”
A useful question for every candidate is:
What is one specific housing action within a Toronto councillor’s powers that you would pursue during your first year, and how would Ward 7 residents benefit?
Candidates could explain whether they would pursue:
A City Council motion
A budget request
Changes to a City housing program
Improvements to RentSafeTO enforcement
Support for affordable housing development
Tenant-protection measures within municipal authority
Changes to planning or development processes
Or another specific municipal action
The important part is identifying what the councillor could actually initiate or influence.
Residents can then follow whether that action reaches Council, receives funding or moves into implementation.
2. Which Transit, Walking or Transportation Problem Would You Address First?
Getting around Ward 7 can involve buses, Line 6 Finch West, transfers, sidewalks and major road crossings.
For some residents, the problem may be bus frequency.
For others, it could be a difficult connection to rapid transit, an inaccessible sidewalk or a crossing that feels unsafe.
Instead of asking candidates simply whether they support “better transit,” residents can ask:
Which specific bus connection, intersection, walking route or transportation problem in Ward 7 would you address first, and what City or TTC decision would be required?
A detailed answer should identify a location or service.
For example:
Which route?
Which intersection?
Which stop?
Which pedestrian connection?
Which City department or TTC division would need to act?
Would the proposal require funding?
Would it require a study before construction?
Would another government agency need to participate?
This makes the proposal easier to follow after the election.
A promise to improve transportation is broad.
A proposal tied to a specific route, location, decision-maker and next step is much easier for residents to track.
3. How Would You Improve the Response to Apartment Maintenance Problems?
Many Ward 7 residents live in rental housing.
Toronto currently uses programs including RentSafeTO and 311 to deal with qualifying apartment-building maintenance and property-standard concerns.
Residents may report problems involving heat, plumbing, pests, building security, common areas or other maintenance conditions.
The question for candidates should therefore go beyond whether they support tenants.
Ask:
What would you change about the way apartment maintenance complaints are handled, and how would residents know whether the system was improving?
Candidates should be encouraged to explain whether their proposal would involve:
Additional enforcement resources
Changes to RentSafeTO
More frequent inspections
Better communication with tenants
Improved complaint tracking
Different service standards
Additional City staffing
Budget changes
Or another measurable action
Residents should also ask how the proposal would be funded and which City body would have authority to implement it.
A councillor can advocate for changes, raise issues, introduce motions and participate in budget and Council decisions.
But councillors do not personally inspect apartments or directly perform maintenance work.
Understanding that distinction makes campaign promises easier to evaluate later.
4. Which Road, Crossing or Community-Safety Concern Would You Prioritize?
Community safety can mean different things to different residents.
It can involve traffic safety.
Pedestrian crossings.
Road conditions.
Youth violence prevention.
Lighting.
Community spaces.
Access to recreation.
Mental-health supports.
Or other neighbourhood concerns.
Instead of asking candidates whether they support “safer communities,” residents can ask:
Which specific road, crossing, public-space or community-safety concern would you prioritize, and what evidence supports that choice?
Candidates should identify the problem clearly.
Residents can then ask whether the proposed response is:
A study
A service request
A Council motion
A funded capital project
A change in programming
An operational request
Or a longer-term policy proposal
Those are very different actions and can have very different timelines.
Specificity matters.
A resident should be able to return to the answer later and ask:
What happened to this proposal?
5. How Will Residents Track Your Work After Election Day?
This may be one of the most important questions.
Campaign promises are made before an election.
Accountability happens afterward.
Every candidate should explain how Ward 7 residents would be able to see what their office is doing.
Ask:
If elected, how will residents track your promises, Council votes, projects and progress throughout the term?
Possible accountability measures could include:
Regular public updates
Links to City Council agenda items
Council voting records
Project-status updates
Community meetings
Published timelines
Public progress reports
Clear contact information for unresolved issues
Updates showing whether commitments are proposed, funded, delayed, completed or no longer being pursued
Residents should also be able to distinguish between different stages of government action.
For example:
Announced
A councillor or candidate says they support an idea.
Proposed
A formal motion or recommendation has been introduced.
Approved
Council or another authorized body has agreed to proceed.
Funded
Money has been allocated.
Underway
Implementation or construction has started.
Completed
Residents can see the delivered service, infrastructure or program.
Those stages should not be treated as interchangeable.
Why Ask Every Candidate the Same Questions?
Fair candidate coverage works best when candidates are given comparable opportunities to explain their plans.
If one candidate is asked detailed questions about housing while another is asked only about community events, residents receive very different information.
A standard questionnaire creates a clearer comparison.
Every candidate can receive:
The same five questions
The same response deadline
The same approximate response length
The same opportunity to provide supporting information
The same opportunity to clarify factual errors
Responses can then be published together without Toronto Everyday choosing a preferred candidate.
Ask Candidates for Specifics
Candidates naturally use campaign language to describe their priorities.
Residents can go one step further.
When a candidate says:
“I will improve transit.”
Ask:
Which route or connection?
When a candidate says:
“I will improve housing.”
Ask:
Which municipal policy, program or Council action?
When a candidate says:
“I will make streets safer.”
Ask:
Which location and what intervention?
When a candidate says:
“I will support young people.”
Ask:
Which program, funding source and measurable outcome?
The purpose is not to make a candidate’s answer harder.
It is to make the answer more useful.
Ask Who Has the Power to Deliver the Proposal
City government involves many different decision-makers.
A councillor cannot personally guarantee every project or service change.
Some proposals require a majority vote at City Council.
Others require City staff analysis.
Transit decisions may involve the TTC.
Large infrastructure projects may require budgets, contracts, construction schedules or coordination with other agencies.
That is why residents should ask every candidate:
Who has to approve this?
Where would the money come from?
What would you personally do as councillor?
What would another agency have to do?
These questions help separate an objective from the actual path required to deliver it.
Existing Projects Should Be Identified Clearly
Candidates may discuss projects that are already underway in Ward 7.
That is legitimate, but readers should know the project’s history.
If a candidate points to an existing road, housing, transit or community project, useful follow-up questions include:
When was it originally approved?
What stage is it currently in?
What funding has been approved?
Which government or agency is responsible?
What is the next documented milestone?
What would the candidate do differently or additionally?
An older project should not automatically be presented as a new campaign commitment.
Likewise, participation in one stage of a project does not necessarily mean one individual was responsible for the entire outcome.
What If a Candidate Does Not Respond?
Toronto Everyday can still publish the questionnaire fairly.
Each candidate should receive the same questions and a reasonable deadline.
If a candidate responds, their answer can be published.
If a candidate declines, that can be stated.
If no response is received by the deadline, the article can simply state:
No response was received by the publication deadline.
If an answer arrives later, the article can be updated.
This keeps the process transparent without interpreting why a candidate did or did not respond.
Where Can Residents Confirm Candidate Information?
Election information can change during an election period.
Residents should use the City of Toronto Elections website and MyVote for official voting information, ward information, voting locations and candidate information.
Campaign websites can explain what candidates say about themselves and their priorities.
Those campaign statements should be treated as the candidate’s positions rather than independent verification that a proposal has been implemented or will produce a particular result.
Council decisions, budgets, TTC records and City project notices can then be used to verify existing government actions.
Five Questions to Keep
Here are the five questions in one place:
1. What is one specific housing action within a councillor’s powers that you would pursue during your first year, and how would Ward 7 residents benefit?
2. Which specific transit connection, walking route or transportation problem would you address first, and what City or TTC decision would be required?
3. How would you improve the response to apartment maintenance complaints, and what staffing, funding or policy changes would your plan require?
4. Which road, crossing, public-space or community-safety concern would you prioritize, and what evidence informs that choice?
5. If elected, how will residents publicly track your promises, Council votes, projects and progress throughout your term?
Ward 7 residents may reach different conclusions after hearing the answers.
The purpose of these questions is to give residents clearer information they can use to make their own assessment.
Toronto Everyday will continue following the Ward 7 councillor race, candidate statements, City records and issues affecting Humber River–Black Creek.
Source: Toronto Everyday News (https://www.facebook.com/torontoeverydayupdate)