What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 17 Don Valley North
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 17 Don Valley North in the October 26, 2026 municipal election: how the 7 certified candidates differ, what they have committed to, and whether the City could deliver it. Information as of 13 Oct 2026.
7 candidates: Jeffery Adamson, Shelley Carroll, Jethro Adir Kavod, Hassan Mubarak Noor Mohamed, Roy Samathanam, Hong Xiao, Sabrina Zuniga. Incumbent: Shelley Carroll.
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.
Lower the TTC fare cap to 40 rides a month, or cap fares weekly? (TTCriders survey) (Transit)
Carroll's comment: fare policy should come through a regional agreement and a phased plan.
No increases during the affordability crisis; slower than inflation: Noor Mohamed
No position found: Adamson, Kavod, Samathanam, Xiao, Zuniga
Little disagreement, or few spoke: Homelessness, City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services, Governance. Housing splits on one Build Canada question. See Issue by issue.
The candidates
7 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.
Jeffery Adamson
Says he has led complex programs in public, private and non-profit organizations. Leads on affordability and housing, transit and traffic, safe and clean neighbourhoods, budgets, cannabis store planning and accountability.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
13 on record, 1 firm.
Practical housing that protects neighbourhood livability (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
Councillor since 2003 apart from part of 2018, when she resigned to run provincially; Budget Committee chair and chair of the Police Service Board. Leads on a Don Valley North that is strong (parks, libraries, services), affordable and safe.
Top commitments
29 on record, 22 firm.
Keep fighting for parks, playgrounds, trails and green space (∼Vague; Will push for). Sources
Describes himself as an entrepreneur with experience in transportation and property management who is studying political science. Leads on cleaner, safer streets, affordable housing, transit and traffic, child care, youth and local business, and listening.
“”Self-reported: background
Top commitments
30 on record, 23 firm.
More cleaning, outreach and faster transitional housing (∼Vague; ✓Already exists; ◐Possible but hard; Pledges). Sources
Says he holds an MBA in finance and a management-accounting qualification, with more than 20 years in leadership, education and community service. Leads on leadership that listens, safe and caring communities, affordability, transit and opportunity.
Came to Canada in 1990 and has lived in Don Valley North for over 20 years; cites operations work, a tenants' association and youth coaching. Leads on transit that shows up, housing people can stay in, a responsive local office and clean, safe public space.
“”Self-reported: background
Top commitments
8 on record, 8 firm.
Reliable buses on 39 Finch East and 25 Don Mills (∼Vague; Will push for). Sources
Former school-board science teacher who founded an ESL school and a career college and now consults on education and cybersecurity; 2021 Conservative federal candidate here. Leads on spending wisely, ending publicly funded drug supplies, drug-free parks and no illegal protests.
Carroll: Will keep pushing for TTC reliability and supports building the Sheppard subway extension. TTCriders: No to a lower fare cap and a RapidTO route here.. Sources
Carroll: Will keep pushing for the police hiring plan, more community officers and mall safety hubs; survey: police budget flat after inflation.. Sources
Noor Mohamed: Survey: added safety money should go to mental-health, addiction and youth programs, and the police budget should fall after inflation.. Sources
Noor Mohamed: Opposes raising property or other local taxes during the affordability crisis; survey: taxes should grow more slowly than inflation.. Sources
Housing: Build Canada, more as-of-right housing: Carroll Yes, Noor Mohamed No. Kavod pledges family and senior housing on City land; Samathanam will push to help tenants facing above-guideline increases.. Sources
City services: Samathanam will push for a written reply within two business days; Kavod pledges to publish ward results on cleanliness and response times; Carroll will keep pushing to simplify City processes.. Sources
Community services: Carroll and Kavod will push for more long-term care; Kavod pledges to simplify City approvals for child care centres. Zuniga wants women-only washrooms, change rooms and sports.. Sources
Governance: Samathanam commits to showing his work publicly; Noor Mohamed lists accountable leadership as a priority; Kavod pledges regular town halls; Zuniga pledges to bring respect back to City Hall.. 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
Advance notice and clearer timelines for road construction: Kavod
Constituency service promises: Samathanam
◐Possible but hard
More supportive and rapid housing: Kavod. Decides: City Council, with provincial and federal funding.
→Outside City control
More police officers: Carroll. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More neighbourhood officers or local police units: Carroll. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More GO trains or GO station upgrades: Kavod. Decides: Metrolinx (provincial agency).
✓Already exists
More street outreach and crisis-response workers: Kavod
More non-market housing on City land: Kavod
City harm-reduction supplies: Zuniga (opposes)
∼Vague
Housing quality and neighbourhood character (no measure named): Adamson, Noor Mohamed
Transit goals with no mechanism named: Adamson, Kavod, Samathanam
Smoother travel (no measure named): Adamson
Safer streets (no measure named): Adamson
Cleaner public spaces (no measure named): Adamson, Kavod, Noor Mohamed
Protect or improve services (no measure named): Adamson, Noor Mohamed
Better parks and public spaces: Carroll
Value for tax dollars (no measure named): Carroll, Noor Mohamed, Zuniga
More affordable housing (no measure named): Kavod
Represent residents, work cooperatively and be accessible: Noor Mohamed
More accountability and transparency: Noor Mohamed
Support main streets and local businesses: Noor Mohamed
Stronger tenant protections: Samathanam
Safer public spaces (no measure named): Adamson, Noor Mohamed, Zuniga
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.
Adamson: 13 on record, 1 firm. Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 11
Carroll: 29 on record, 22 firm. Realistic 1 · Possible but hard 3 · Outside City control 7 · Already exists 2 · Vague 14 · Not rated 2
Kavod: 30 on record, 23 firm. Realistic 6 · Possible but hard 4 · Outside City control 2 · Already exists 2 · Vague 16
Noor Mohamed: 16 on record, 0 firm. Possible but hard 1 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 14
Samathanam: 8 on record, 8 firm. Realistic 1 · Vague 6 · Not rated 1
Xiao: 0 on record, 0 firm
Zuniga: 4 on record, 1 firm. Vague 3 · Not rated 1
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: Carroll: hired hundreds of extra frontline police. Hiring runs in the hundreds yearly, but net new positions are about 140 a year; the Police Board, which she chairs, decides.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Kavod: thousands of Ontario seniors wait for long-term care, often for years. The waitlist is in the tens of thousands; typical waits run months.. Sources
✓Accurate: Samathanam: Carroll has represented Ward 17 since 2018 and been on council since 2003. Both true; she was first elected in 2003 and briefly left in 2018.. Sources
Method: Built from 284 sourced rows read 12 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. This ward uses the lighter Tier 3 profile: each candidate's own site and common surveys, not secondary pages or a full news trawl. 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: Kavod's "Our Commitment" list counts as pledges; Build Canada choices no longer count toward Noor Mohamed's tally; tallies leave out opposed proposals; duplicate catalogue entries merged; 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.