What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 8 Eglinton–Lawrence
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 8 Eglinton–Lawrence in the October 26, 2026 municipal election: how the 6 certified candidates differ, what they have committed to, and whether the City could deliver it. Information as of 13 Oct 2026.
6 candidates: Mike Colle, Liz Grade, Domenico Maiolo, Jason McDonald, Enzo Torrone, Daniel Trayes. Incumbent: Mike Colle.
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.
What should happen to bike lanes on major streets? (Roads and cycling)
Keep and rebuild them (Cycle Toronto pledges): Colle, Trayes
Finish approved lanes, add few new ones (Build Canada): McDonald
Little disagreement, or few spoke: Homelessness, Transit, City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services. Housing and governance each split on one Build Canada question. See Issue by issue.
The candidates
6 certified, in alphabetical order. Each card counts the commitments on record and how many are firm (pledged, or “will push for”), then shows the 3 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.
Mike Colle
Ward councillor since 2018 and Deputy Mayor for North York; MPP from 1995 to 2018. Leads on fighting antisemitic attacks, speed cameras at schools and the Lawrence Heights community hub.
Top commitments
7 on record, 2 firm.
Full-time RCMP and OPP presence on the ground (→Outside City control; Will push for). Sources
Says he was involved in founding a local business improvement area and has done 20 years of community work. Leads on accountable, responsible government, safer streets and bringing neighbours together.
“”Self-reported
Top commitments
12 on record, 0 firm.
Look at road redesigns, including one-way streets (●Realistic; Wants to explore). Sources
Barber and small-business owner who has chaired the Little Jamaica BIA. Leads on cutting consultant spending, open-book budgeting, contractor penalties with business relief, and community safety.
“”Self-reported: business owner
Top commitments
31 on record, 3 firm.
End $58 million in City consultant spending (◐Possible but hard; Supports). Sources
Chairs the Fairbank Village BIA; says he has 24 years of community work. Leads on affordable homes and responsible growth, faster commutes, and safe streets and transit.
“”Self-reported: 24 years
Top commitments
29 on record, 20 firm.
Lower home prices and rents (∼Vague; Pledges). Sources
Says he was homeless for nearly 20 years and later worked as a City Hall constituency assistant; no campaign website. On Build Canada, names transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure as his ward goal.
“”Self-reported
Top commitments
4 on record, 0 firm.
TTC decisions led by local representatives (→Outside City control; Supports). Sources
Torrone: Abstained on the Cycle Toronto pledges; wants bikes, cars and pedestrians fully separated; will push for smarter traffic management; Build Canada: remove or redesign failing lanes.. Sources
Colle: Will push for a full-time RCMP and OPP presence on the ground; supports more police resources; voted for adding $12.6M to the 2024 police budget.. Sources
Housing: On Build Canada, McDonald and Trayes chose more homes as-of-right in every ward; Grade and Torrone did not. Colle opposes overdevelopment at Lawrence Plaza and voted for multiplexes.. Sources
Homelessness: On Build Canada, Grade, McDonald, Torrone and Trayes chose requiring people to leave park encampments once indoor space is offered. Grade opposes City-funded drug-use supplies and more supervised injection sites.. Sources
Transit: Colle, McDonald, Torrone and Trayes answered Yes to all 18 TTCriders questions, including a RapidTO route in the ward. Grade pledges a cleaner, on-time TTC.. Sources
Small business: McDonald will push for compensation for businesses hurt by Crosstown construction, paid by contractor fines; Torrone pledges rapid relief and faster permits for them.. Sources
Community services: Grade pledges more youth and mental-health supports; McDonald supports protecting Little Jamaica's cultural venues; Torrone pledges to grow youth and seniors' programs.. 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.
●Realistic
Re-check traffic plans and evaluate road changes: Maiolo
Consult before street changes: Trayes
◐Possible but hard
Property tax freeze: Grade. Decides: The mayor proposes the budget; council can amend it.
Property tax increases near inflation: Maiolo. Decides: The mayor proposes the budget; City Council can amend it.
Help for businesses hit by construction: McDonald. Decides: City Council / Economic Development.
Tougher contractor accountability: McDonald. Decides: City Council.
Cut consultant and admin spending: McDonald. Decides: The mayor proposes the budget; City Council can amend it.
→Outside City control
Joint RCMP/OPP/police task force on hate: Colle. Decides: Government of Canada (RCMP) and Province of Ontario (OPP).
Bring back speed cameras: Colle. Decides: Province of Ontario.
Strict enforcement against hate harassment: Grade. Decides: Toronto Police Service Board and Chief; courts.
End golf clubs' property-tax breaks: McDonald. Decides: Province of Ontario (assessment and tax legislation).
Keep TTC decisions local: Trayes. Decides: Province of Ontario.
✓Already exists
Finish the Lawrence Heights community centre: Colle
∼Vague
Smoother travel (no measure named): Grade, Torrone
Transit goals with no mechanism named: Maiolo, Torrone, Trayes
More affordable housing (no measure named): Torrone
Safer public spaces (no measure named): Torrone
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.
Colle: 7 on record, 2 firm. Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 3 · Already exists 1 · Vague 2
Grade: 15 on record, 14 firm. Possible but hard 3 · Outside City control 4 · Vague 8
Maiolo: 12 on record, 0 firm. Realistic 1 · Possible but hard 1 · Vague 9 · Not rated 1
McDonald: 31 on record, 3 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 14 · Outside City control 3 · Already exists 6 · Vague 3 · Not rated 2
Torrone: 29 on record, 20 firm. Realistic 2 · Possible but hard 8 · Outside City control 4 · Already exists 2 · Vague 13
Trayes: 4 on record, 0 firm. Realistic 1 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 2
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
≈Mostly accurate: Colle: lists raising the police budget to $1.5 billion a year. The 2026 budget is $1.43 billion net, $1.70 billion gross.. Sources
?Unverifiable: Torrone: Ward 8 pays among the highest property taxes in Toronto. The City sets one residential rate and publishes no ward breakdown.. Sources
!Misleading: McDonald: 16 years of Crosstown construction with no transit improvements on Colle's watch. Construction began in 2011; Line 5 opened in February 2026, during Colle's term.. Sources
Method: Built from 256 sourced rows read 12 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. This ward uses the guide's lighter profile: each candidate's own site and common surveys, three commitments per card and at most one checked figure each. 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: survey yes/no and multiple-choice answers no longer count in tallies, and comments are recorded separately; tallies leave out opposed proposals; two ward-office entries were merged, so Torrone has one fewer firm item; 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.