What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 3 Etobicoke–Lakeshore
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 3 Etobicoke–Lakeshore in the October 26, 2026 municipal election: how the 4 certified candidates differ, what they have committed to, and whether the City could deliver it. Information as of 13 Oct 2026.
The mayor and 25 councillors each have one vote; most decisions need a majority, so one councillor cannot change a by-law or the budget alone.
The mayor proposes the budget, can veto council's budget changes and some by-laws (two-thirds of council overrides), and can pass by-laws on provincial priorities with one-third support.
Council sets property tax, the budget, zoning and by-laws, and runs services such as roads, parks, water, shelters and libraries.
Developers can appeal planning decisions to the Ontario Land Tribunal, a provincial body council cannot overrule; since 2024 most residents cannot appeal.
The Province decides rent control and evictions, new schools, GO trains and the Ontario Line, highway tolls, bike lanes that remove a traffic lane, and election rules.
Council sets the police budget total and the TTC subsidy; the police board and Chief decide how policing works, and the TTC Board runs transit.
Where they differ
Candidates grouped by what they have said.
More homes in low-rise neighbourhoods (Housing)
Internicola answered Build Canada; Andrei and Morley from their own sites.
Substantially more as of right in every ward (survey): Internicola
No; prefers quieter streets and trails, and review of lanes against standards: Internicola
Didn't answer: Andrei, Opitz
Little disagreement, or few spoke: Homelessness, Policing and safety, Taxes and budget, City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services, Governance. See Issue by issue.
The candidates
4 certified, in alphabetical order. Each card counts the commitments on record and how many are firm (pledged, or “will push for”), then shows the 4 they lead with. Counts reflect how much a candidate has published and how they phrase it; more is not better. Chips show how feasible each is and how firmly it was stated. Surveys and forums counted: Build Canada, TTCriders survey, TTCriders pledge, Environmental Alliance pledge, Cycle Toronto.
Mihaela Andrei
Ontario educator and real estate agent; says she is board president of a large Humber Bay Shores condominium. Leads on housing with infrastructure, transit and roads, community safety, the lakefront, an answering office and main streets.
“”Self-reported: career, condo board
Top commitments
34 on record, 10 firm.
Development that arrives with its infrastructure (∼Vague; Will push for). Sources
Rideshare driver, entrepreneur and life coach; has run for council five times in Scarborough wards since 2014. Leads on mental-health and addiction treatment, youth, seniors, and families and parks.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
51 on record, 13 firm.
Access to detox, treatment and recovery (→Outside City control; Will push for). Sources
Ward 3 councillor since 2022 and Deputy Mayor for Etobicoke; sits on the Police Service Board. Leads on affordability, safe and connected communities, responsible governance and growth, and green space.
Top commitments
33 on record, 2 firm.
More affordable housing in Etobicoke-Lakeshore (∼Vague; Would advocate). Sources
Conservative MP for Etobicoke Centre, 2011–2015; says he served 33 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. Leads on safer communities, controlling taxes, seniors and gridlock.
Morley: Supports fare freezes and caps; will push to speed up Islington Station accessibility; would advocate on Mimico GO; supports Park Lawn GO work.. Sources
Homelessness: Andrei supports shelters but wants genuine consultation on where they go. Internicola will push for treatment, recovery and supportive housing, and opposes supervised injection sites as the long-term answer.. Sources
Policing and safety: Opitz will push for a bigger police budget; Internicola supports more officers where data show need. Andrei supports community policing; Morley would work to strengthen neighbourhood policing.. Sources
Taxes and budget: Morley wants tax increases kept to inflation; Internicola supports growth with inflation and population; Opitz will fight for responsible spending.. Sources
City services: Andrei supports published office response times and case numbers; Internicola pledges six town halls by the end of 2027; Morley wants better 311 case management.. Sources
Flooding and infrastructure: Morley would prioritize stormwater projects and supports wider soft-landscaping rules; Andrei names Alderwood stormwater as a priority.. Sources
Parks and waterfront: Andrei pledges to close waterfront trail gaps; Morley wants more parks, including in utility corridors; Internicola supports better parks and playgrounds; Opitz, better park maintenance.. Sources
Environment: Internicola and Morley signed the Environmental Alliance pledge. Morley would also press for data-centre oversight, and supports shoreline work.. Sources
Small business: Andrei supports faster business permits and a BIA seat on new development; Internicola, faster approvals; Morley, incentives for local services in new buildings.. Sources
Community services: Internicola proposes a two-week Toronto International Picnic festival; Morley supports keeping library hours and the City's culture plan.. Sources
Governance: Internicola says strong-mayor powers should go unused (Build Canada); Opitz will fight for accountability and budget transparency.. Sources
Could the City actually do it? Each proposal is rated once, the same way in every race. A rating is about the proposal, not the candidate.
◐Possible but hard
Brighter park paths: Andrei. Decides: City Council (budget).
Better street lighting: Andrei. Decides: City Council and Transportation Services / Toronto Hydro.
→Outside City control
Park Lawn GO station: Andrei. Decides: Metrolinx (provincial agency); City Council for City-side works.
More voluntary addiction treatment: Internicola. Decides: Province of Ontario (Ministry of Health).
More neighbourhood officers or local police units: Morley. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More money or powers from other governments: Morley. Decides: Province of Ontario (and the federal government).
∼Vague
Growth should come with infrastructure and services: Andrei
Better parks and public spaces: Andrei, Internicola, Morley
Community programs or support (no measure named): Internicola
Value for tax dollars (no measure named): Internicola, Opitz
More affordable housing (no measure named): Morley
Faster emergency response (no target named): Morley
More safety resources (no measure named): Opitz
Accessibility-first policy (no measure named): Opitz
Smoother travel (no measure named): Opitz
Every catalogued commitment, by candidate
Alphabetical. Firm: pledged, or “will push for”. Counts reflect how much each candidate has published and how they phrase it; more commitments is not a better platform. Proposals a candidate opposes are not counted.
Andrei: 34 on record, 10 firm. Realistic 4 · Possible but hard 10 · Outside City control 5 · Already exists 4 · Vague 11
Internicola: 51 on record, 13 firm. Realistic 5 · Possible but hard 9 · Outside City control 4 · Already exists 4 · Vague 21 · Not rated 8
Morley: 33 on record, 2 firm. Possible but hard 8 · Outside City control 5 · Already exists 5 · Vague 12 · Not rated 3
Opitz: 11 on record, 8 firm. Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 9
Numbers checked
Up to two checked figures per candidate, and every checked claim about a rival, compared with official records or dated news.
Figures candidates cite
?Unverifiable: Andrei: says her condo budget and vendor negotiations saved millions. No financial records were found to check it.. Sources
✓Accurate: Internicola: says City rebates return $75 on a $100 donation and $641.67 on $1,200. The City's 2026 rebate guide gives the same figures.. Sources
?Unverifiable: Morley: says 374 affordable units were built or nearly finished in the ward this term. No ward-level City count was found to check it.. Sources
!Misleading: Opitz: says he was among the first 13 people in the world sanctioned by Putin's regime. The 13 were Canadians, barred four days after 9 US officials.. Sources
✓Accurate: Andrei: the incumbent has City Hall, staff and a Deputy Mayor's profile behind her. The City lists Morley as Deputy Mayor for Etobicoke.. Sources
Method: Built from 387 sourced rows read 11 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. The four names match organizers' lists drawn from the City Clerk's list. Each proposal is rated once, the same way in every race. Positions are recorded only as firmly as stated. An agent that did not draft the page checked it before publication. Labels appear only on facts that are not confirmed. The rubric defines ratings and strength words. Source dates shown without a year are in 2026.
Corrections: 13 October 2026: Cross-ward check: list items recoded under guide-wide firmness rules (Internicola, Morley, Opitz); tallies leave out opposed proposals and survey choices; some ratings updated.
Researched and drafted with AI, checked against linked sources. To report an error: corrections@spinfilterto.ca.
This guide is independent and non-partisan. It does not recommend, rank or score candidates.