What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 11 University–Rosedale
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 11 University–Rosedale in the October 26, 2026 municipal election: how the 9 certified candidates differ, what they have committed to, and whether the City could deliver it. Information as of 13 Oct 2026.
9 candidates: Keenan Courtis, Terri Hawkes, Mike Layton, Karina Lemke, Alice Li, Huy Lieu, Gian Pileri, Paul Viret, Diana Yoon. Open seat: Dianne Saxe is not running here (running in Ward 14).
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 the City should mainly do to get affordable homes built (Housing)
Courtis and Lemke chose from Build Canada options; the others from their platforms.
Build or back non-market homes itself: Layton, Yoon
Approve homes faster and make better use of public land: Li
Permit enough homes and cut barriers (survey): Courtis
Give land, money and incentives to non-profit and private builders (survey): Lemke
No position found: Hawkes, Lieu, Pileri, Viret
Allow substantially more housing as of right in every ward, including detached-house areas (Housing)
Build Canada survey. Lemke's comments support multiplexes but not towers in low-rise areas.
Decrease after inflation, moving some work to civilian services: Courtis
No position found: Hawkes, Layton, Li, Lieu, Pileri, Viret, Yoon
Little disagreement, or few spoke: City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services. Taxes and governance split only on Build Canada questions. See Issue by issue.
The candidates
9 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.
Keenan Courtis
Cybersecurity strategy adviser at a large financial company. Leads on safe parks, streets and transit, Bike Share and bike lanes, pedestrian streets, and closer scrutiny of City contracts.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
26 on record, 1 firm.
Safe parks, streets and transit for all users (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
Arts entrepreneur: producer, screenwriter and actor in film, television and anime; running as an independent. Leads on liveability, mobility and safety, with residents, businesses and governments working together.
“”Self-reported: career, independent
Top commitments
14 on record, 2 firm.
Bring residents, businesses and governments together on solutions (∼Vague; Pledges). Sources
Ward councillor 2010–2022; York University's chief sustainability officer from 2023. Leads on on-time affordable transit, affordable community-owned homes, cheaper home heating and cooling, and rooftop solar.
Top commitments
57 on record, 6 firm.
Transit that runs on time and stays affordable (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
Event planner and former florist; hosted HGTV's Petal Pushers. Leads on core City services, common-sense planning, a ward office that answers within 48 hours, and police recruitment.
“”Self-reported: event planner
Top commitments
24 on record, 15 firm.
Return City Hall to core services (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
Chartered professional accountant under contract with the TTC, and a Canadian Armed Forces member. Leads on transit, safety, community, affordability and fiscal accountability; her platform opens with financial controls and City services.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
22 on record, 0 firm.
Strong financial controls and accountability (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
In his TTCriders survey answers he leads on keeping TTC decisions local, stable provincial and federal funding, repairs and platform doors, and the fare freeze.
Top commitments
27 on record, 4 firm.
Keep TTC fare and service decisions with the City (→Outside City control; Supports). Sources
No campaign website or background found. In written survey comments he says post-secondary transit should be free if possible, and likes the quick-build bike lanes.
Top commitments
2 on record, 0 firm.
Free transit for post-secondary students, if possible (◐Possible but hard; Supports). Sources
Government relations manager at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (2024); ran here in 2022 and withdrew. Leads on affordable housing, renter protections, ending chronic homelessness and community spaces.
Top commitments
34 on record, 10 firm.
City plays active role in non-market, affordable housing (∼Vague; Pledges). Sources
Pileri: Survey comments: keep TTC decisions local and the fare freeze; would work toward a ward RapidTO route and push to start platform doors.. Sources
Courtis: Will push to halve Bike Share expansion timelines; supports completing protected routes and pedestrian zones on Kensington, Ossington and Yorkville.. Sources
Lemke: Pledges to work with the Province on e-bike licensing and to consult before road changes; survey: remove or redesign lanes that fail standards.. Sources
Taxes and budget: On Build Canada, Courtis wants residential tax to grow with inflation and population; Lemke, faster than inflation to improve services. Courtis and Li want spending reviews and Lemke will push for them; Layton wants fairer tax for tenants.. Sources
City services: Layton and Lemke pledge responsive ward offices and Hawkes hopes for one; Courtis proposes City control of bins, benches and shelters; Layton, a review of the bin contract.. Sources
Flooding and infrastructure: Courtis and Layton propose a charge on large paved properties for stormwater; Layton also wants more funding for green infrastructure.. Sources
Parks and waterfront: Layton would advocate a public washroom strategy, including year-round park washrooms; Yoon wants new public washrooms; Courtis proposes better park-path lighting; Layton opposes island airport expansion.. Sources
Environment: Seven took the Environmental Alliance pledge; Hawkes and Lieu did not. Layton adds bigger retrofit programs; Yoon, full TransformTO funding.. Sources
Small business: Courtis proposes taxing vacant storefronts; Hawkes, Li and Yoon state support for local businesses, and Lemke pledges fewer barriers for them, without a specific measure.. Sources
Community services: Layton and Yoon both propose plans for the Bickford Centre; Yoon would advocate for a City-owned grocery store in the ward.. Sources
Governance: On Build Canada, Courtis would use strong-mayor powers mainly to speed housing; Lemke would leave them unused. Yoon proposes a participatory budget pilot of up to $1 million.. 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
Constituency service promises: Lemke
Review sole-source contracts: Courtis
◐Possible but hard
A target number of new homes: Yoon. Decides: City Council, with builders and other governments.
Bigger retrofit programs, City pays more upfront: Layton. Decides: City Council.
Expand Bike Share: Courtis. Decides: City Council and the City agency that runs Bike Share.
Free TTC for seniors, students or under-26s: Viret. Decides: TTC Board and City budget.
Keep TTC fares frozen: Pileri. Decides: TTC Board and City budget.
License all landlords or extend RentSafeTO: Yoon. Decides: City Council.
More TTC safety staff: Li. Decides: TTC Board and City budget.
More supportive and rapid housing: Yoon. Decides: City Council, with provincial and federal funding.
New or upgraded protected bike lanes: Courtis. Decides: City Council; the Province where a traffic lane would be removed.
Pedestrian-only streets: Courtis. Decides: City Council and Transportation Services.
Specific TTC service changes: Pileri. Decides: TTC Board, within the subsidy Council approves.
Subway platform doors: Pileri. Decides: TTC Board and City Council (capital budget).
→Outside City control
Keep TTC decisions local: Pileri. Decides: Province of Ontario.
More police officers: Lemke. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More neighbourhood officers or local police units: Lemke. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More money or powers from other governments: Pileri. Decides: Province of Ontario (and the federal government).
✓Already exists
Keep existing lanes, finish approved ones: Viret
Stronger enforcement against negligent landlords: Yoon
Year-round or better-serviced park washrooms: Yoon
∼Vague
Climate and greening goals with no measurable target: Layton
Housing quality and neighbourhood character (no measure named): Lemke
More affordable housing (no measure named): Hawkes, Yoon
More co-op housing (no measure named): Layton
Other City revenue (no source named): Li
Protect or improve services (no measure named): Lemke, Li
Represent residents, work cooperatively and be accessible: Hawkes
Smoother travel (no measure named): Hawkes
Transit goals with no mechanism named: Layton
Value for tax dollars (no measure named): Hawkes, Li
Safer public spaces (no measure named): Courtis, Hawkes
?Not rated
New washrooms or a user-fee model: Yoon
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.
Courtis: 26 on record, 1 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 12 · Outside City control 3 · Already exists 2 · Vague 4 · Not rated 2
Hawkes: 14 on record, 2 firm. Realistic 1 · Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 11
Layton: 57 on record, 6 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 26 · Outside City control 5 · Already exists 14 · Vague 8 · Not rated 1
Lemke: 24 on record, 15 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 6 · Already exists 3 · Vague 11
Li: 22 on record, 0 firm. Possible but hard 6 · Already exists 5 · Vague 11
Lieu: 0 on record, 0 firm
Pileri: 27 on record, 4 firm. Realistic 2 · Possible but hard 14 · Outside City control 3 · Already exists 3 · Vague 3 · Not rated 2
Viret: 2 on record, 0 firm. Possible but hard 1 · Already exists 1
Yoon: 34 on record, 10 firm. Realistic 1 · Possible but hard 13 · Outside City control 2 · Already exists 6 · Vague 10 · Not rated 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
?Unverifiable: Courtis: cites $226 million in sole-source contracts. City reports show $187–287 million a year in non-competitive buying; no $226 million figure was found.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Courtis: police and crisis help were at major transit nodes during the World Cup. TTC posted constables and officers at busy stations; crisis workers were not mentioned.. Sources
✓Accurate: Layton: says he brought the Bloor and University bike lanes. Council records show his yes votes on both and his 2020 request for University.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Layton: says they demanded affordable housing in all new developments. He backed inclusionary zoning in 2021, but it covers only major transit station areas.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Lemke: taxes rose 24% in three years. Residential tax increases for 2023–2025 compound to about 25%; for 2024–2026, about 20%.. Sources
?Unverifiable: Lemke: up to 30% of police could retire in three years. Police figures show 5% eligible in 2024 rising to 20% by 2029; no three-year figure found.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Li: passenger-caused incidents are the leading cause of TTC delays. True for the subway in TTC data; no breakdown was found for buses or streetcars.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Li: Toronto has an $18 million operating budget and $63 billion capital budget. Capital is right; the 2026 operating budget is $18.9 billion.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Yoon: helped secure $1.5 billion for new co-op housing. The federal program is real and her employer co-designed it; her own role is her account.. Sources
?Unverifiable: Lemke: the ward has had no constituency office since 2022. The City's councillor page lists no office location; no other record was found.. Sources
Method: Built from 549 sourced rows read 11 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. Pileri's campaign site could not be read, so his positions come from his survey answers. 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: 11 October 2026: Li's summary now follows the priorities her platform states. Layton's endorsement count now matches his site's current list. 13 October 2026: Cross-ward check: Lemke's and Layton's commitment lists count as pledges; Hawkes's "I advocate for" reads Will push for; bare platform items read Supports (Courtis, Layton, Li, Yoon); Yoon's and Layton's new-washroom items are now Not rated; the method line names an unread site; tallies leave out opposed proposals.
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.