What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 18 Willowdale
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 18 Willowdale 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.
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.
How should new housing come to existing neighbourhoods? (Housing)
Voted for multiplexes (2023) and small apartments on major streets (2024): Cheng
Community-led security networks and lighting: Shakeri
Little disagreement, or few spoke: Transit, Taxes and budget, City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services, Governance. 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 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.
Lily Cheng
Ward 18 councillor since 2022 and Police Service Board member; former executive director of NeighbourLink North York. Leads on community safety, transportation for everyone, and families and seniors.
Top commitments
18 on record, 2 firm.
A multi-year police hiring plan that keeps pace (→Outside City control; Supports). Sources
Law Society member since 2008 and notary public who chairs the group Heritage Beyond Borders. Leads on accountability, data-driven decisions and measurable results.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
18 on record, 14 firm.
A public ward dashboard on spending and requests (●Realistic; Pledges). Sources
Entrepreneur who says he has lived in Willowdale all his life. Leads on safer communities, core City services, stopping over-development and lower taxes.
“”Self-reported: career and residence
Top commitments
19 on record, 4 firm.
Clean, safe, welcoming parks, transit and sidewalks (∼Vague; Supports). Sources
Materials engineer and former research scientist; ran for Ward 18 councillor in 2018. Leads on affordability, transit and traffic, housing and development, and community safety.
“”Self-reported: career
Top commitments
11 on record, 5 firm.
Line-by-line oversight of City spending (◐Possible but hard; Will push for). Sources
IT and financial-planning professional who says he has lived in Willowdale more than 12 years. Leads on housing, transit, business growth and tax accountability.
“”Self-reported: career and residence
Top commitments
18 on record, 0 firm.
Developers contribute fairly to parks, child care and roads (→Outside City control; Supports). Sources
Legal professional and president of the International Center for Human Rights; says he has lived in Willowdale about 20 years. Leads on community safety, property taxes, traffic, planned development, consultation and fiscal accountability.
“”Self-reported: career and residence
Top commitments
46 on record, 33 firm.
Hire 1,000 more Toronto police officers (→Outside City control; Will push for). Sources
One line per candidate, as firmly as they stated it.
Housing
Cheng: Voted for multiplexes, small apartments on major streets and sixplexes; pledges to welcome growth with the infrastructure to support it.. Sources
Shakeri: Supports growth that respects single-family neighbourhoods while adding affordable options for families, young professionals and seniors.. Sources
Zarezade: Wants sewers, roads, parks and schools expanded before high-density approvals; will push for infrastructure funding alongside density.. Sources
Cheng: Voted for the 68 Sheppard site with her design amendment; says politicizing shelter locations would likely mean no shelters placed and more encampments.. Sources
Transit: Only Magazzinich answered the TTCriders survey. Cheng wants to explore a microtransit pilot and would advocate platform edge doors; Zarezade will press for a Cummer station.. Sources
Taxes and budget: All who spoke favour restraint: Zarezade a temporary freeze, Magazzinich no increases, Shakeri predictable taxes, Yusifov no increases by default. Cheng voted for the 2024 and 2025 tax rates.. Sources
City services: Daneshvar pledges replies within 48 hours; Shakeri pledges to answer calls himself, 24/7; Zarezade will push for service standards on snow, potholes and garbage.. Sources
Flooding and infrastructure: Zarezade supports stormwater management and flood prevention; Daneshvar pledges to ready the ward for climate challenges, including stormwater.. Sources
Parks and waterfront: Daneshvar pledges to protect and expand green space; Zarezade will push for more usable parkland; Yusifov would advocate better access to the Don River trails.. Sources
Environment: Shakeri signed the Environmental Alliance pledge; Zarezade supports tree-canopy protection and energy-saving City buildings; Daneshvar pledges climate readiness, including tree-canopy protection.. Sources
Small business: Magazzinich, Yusifov and Zarezade want less red tape and simpler permits; Daneshvar will push for Yonge Street small businesses.. Sources
Community services: Cheng supports a Seniors Advisory Group and more naturally occurring retirement communities; Zarezade will push for child-care and recreation capacity; Daneshvar pledges funded newcomer services.. Sources
Governance: Daneshvar pledges a ward dashboard and quarterly town halls; Zarezade pledges to publish updates and explain his votes; Shakeri pledges to take transit to Council.. 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
Ward advisory panel: Cheng
Public ward spending page: Daneshvar
Constituency service promises: Daneshvar
Regular public ward reports and scorecards: Daneshvar
◐Possible but hard
On-demand microtransit pilot: Cheng. Decides: TTC Board, within the subsidy City Council approves.
Property tax freeze: Magazzinich, Zarezade. Decides: The mayor proposes the budget; council can amend it.
Independent line-by-line audit: Shakeri. Decides: The mayor (budget) and City Council.
Better traffic-signal timing using smart technology: Shakeri. Decides: City Council / Transportation Services.
Better street lighting: Shakeri. Decides: City Council and Transportation Services / Toronto Hydro.
Faster streetcars and buses (signals, priority lanes): Yusifov. Decides: City Council and Transportation Services (signals, lanes); TTC (operations).
Remove City bike lanes: Zarezade. Decides: City Council; the Province for lanes it removes itself.
New or upgraded protected bike lanes: Zarezade. Decides: City Council; the Province where a traffic lane would be removed.
Infrastructure before approvals or occupancy: Zarezade. Decides: City Council; refusals and delays can be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
→Outside City control
More police officers: Cheng, Zarezade. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
More affordable units, parkland or space from developers: Yusifov. Decides: Province of Ontario sets the limits.
Refuse or resist development applications: Zarezade. Decides: Ontario Land Tribunal (provincial) on appeal.
∼Vague
More safety resources (no measure named): Cheng
Transit goals with no mechanism named: Daneshvar
Better parks and public spaces: Daneshvar
Protect or improve services (no measure named): Magazzinich
Growth should come with infrastructure and services: Magazzinich
Housing quality and neighbourhood character (no measure named): Shakeri
More affordable housing (no measure named): Shakeri
Support main streets and local businesses: Yusifov
Keep taxes or bills down (no target named): Yusifov
Value for tax dollars (no measure named): Yusifov
Safer public spaces (no measure named): Magazzinich
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.
Cheng: 18 on record, 2 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 5 · Outside City control 3 · Already exists 3 · Vague 3 · Not rated 1
Magazzinich: 19 on record, 4 firm. Realistic 3 · Possible but hard 3 · Outside City control 2 · Vague 11
Shakeri: 11 on record, 5 firm. Realistic 1 · Possible but hard 3 · Vague 7
Yusifov: 18 on record, 0 firm. Realistic 2 · Possible but hard 4 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 10 · Not rated 1
Zarezade: 46 on record, 33 firm. Realistic 8 · Possible but hard 10 · Outside City control 5 · Already exists 5 · Vague 18
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: Cheng: she helped secure 800 new police officers. Reports show 300+ hired in 2024 and 720 planned for 2025–26; no source totals 800.. Sources
!Misleading: Shakeri: the City budget mainly depends on construction companies. Property taxes are about 30% of operating revenue; development charges are one of several capital sources.. Sources
?Unverifiable: Cheng: her term brought two new community spaces totalling 29,000 sq ft. About 20,000 sq ft is secured, not yet built; her record page totals 24,200.. Sources
!Misleading: Shakeri: developers aren't required to invest in infrastructure. Development charges on new building help pay for roads, transit, pipes and community centres.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Zarezade: 68 Sheppard is a shelter expansion. It is a new shelter; Council asked staff to consider adjacent sites, but no expansion is decided.. Sources
Method: Built from 350 sourced rows read 12 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. 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: housing is now shown under Where they differ; Daneshvar's key commitments count as pledges; Magazzinich's bare "work closely with" and "prioritize" items read Would advocate; tallies leave out opposed proposals; 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.