What a week this has been in Toronto and I am doing all the math to see how Etobicoke voted and how it compares to previous elections. From what I am seeing our views and concerns seem to be changing in our part of the city. I have been going through a lot of stats today going back a decade to the 2014 election when we were still six wards versus the three we sit at today!
What I can say already is that we are no longer Ford Nation and I think it is safe to say many of us are not happy when that context is always connected to our end of the city! Now I am finding a bit of proof because at the end of the day numbers do not lie!
After all the votes were counted in seems that Etobicoke (Wards 1, 2, and 3) combined gave Ana Bailao the most votes at 39,658 and Olivia Chow 25,445. Those are big numbers considering the total votes cast in our wards combined was about 97,936.
After the top two finishes the overall numbers start to fall dramatically and so while Mark Saunders came in third in Etobicoke, he only finished with 12,216 votes total. This is something to pay attention to because normally if a Ford family member backs a candidate then those Etobicoke numbers rise, especially in Ward 1 (Etobicoke North). This time not only did he not ride the momentum across the west-end but he showed the least Etobicoke votes in the north ward with only 2744 votes vs Ana Bailao at 5748 and Olivia Chow at 4972. These numbers may look overly low but the total votes cast in Ward 1 was 17,882.
I will continue to analyze these numbers and if you are a paid subscriber then look out for a full case analysis of this election hitting your mailbox in about two weeks time! In that you will find a lot more stats and comparisons to where we are today, where we have been in the past 10 years, and what 2026 could look like on the current path!
Now if you are like me and need a bit of a break from the news and everything else going on in the world and are sticking around home this weekend, Ribfest is back at Centennial Park from today until Monday night. This is the first time back in the park since 2019 and so you know it will be a great time for all! I am actually more a Bloomin Onion person myself and I cannot wait to get over there shortly.
Have a great holiday weekend everyone and enjoy the fact that with school finishing today we really have made it to the real start of summer!
If you have an event or want me to look into a local issue or concern you can always email the details to TheEtobicokeVoice@gmail.com or leave a comment below.