Election Roundup
This election’s been full of distractions, but the decisions we make affect the health of Torontonians in ways that aren’t always obvious.
By The Editors
For much of this campaign, Toronto’s election has felt like a sideshow to a circus. The province’s decision to halve city council, and the twisting series of legal decisions that followed, turned an election in Canada’s largest city into US-style political theatre, and has left little time for meaningful discourse on policy and vision.
Notwithstanding the chaos, municipal elections have far-reaching consequences, beyond the few issues that candidates have managed to surface — affordable housing, transit, community safety. This election in particular finds the city in the midst of a massive transformation. Toronto in 2018 is a city changing in ways that are both thrilling and concerning. We’re both a growing technology hub and a city increasingly divided by income and race. We’re a beacon to people from around the world, but also a place so unaffordable we increasingly lose young Torontonians to other parts of the province. And while health care is, for the most part, a provincial matter, the mayor and 25 councillors we elect this month will make decisions that affect the health and wellbeing of every Torontonian. As new neighbourhoods are created and old ones grow upward, how is the city planning for the health of these communities? How will it deal with the chronic shortage of homeless shelters when winter arrives? Will it back safe injection sites?
An election can be a distraction, but it can also be an opportunity for reflection — a chance to take stock of where we are, and think about where we want to be. Over the last year, The Local has been trying to describe this quickly changing city, with an eye towards the complex ways the places we live affect our health. On the verge of an election, here are a few stories that we hope help illuminate the city we live in today.
Housing + Health
Aging in the Vertical City by Tai Huynh. In many Toronto highrises, nearly half the residents are seniors. The way we age in this city is changing — can services keep up?
The Roma of Flemingdon Park by Nicholas Hune-Brown. In a neighbourhood of newcomers, a simple health initiative turns into a high-profile housing battle.
Urban Planning + Health
The Grocery Bus by Jen Recknagel. What happens to seniors when the only grocery store in the neighbourhood shuts down?
The Kids of Condoland by Simon Lewsen. A baby boom’s coming to Toronto’s high-rise communities, but are they built for healthy family life?
Priced Out
The Flip Side of Revitalization by Lauren McKeon. Moss Park is in the midst of a transformation. What happens to the health of the people left behind?
No Rooms Available by Kalli Anderson. As Parkdale’s affordable housing crisis turns into a public health crisis, a community organization decides to take over a rooming house.
Opioid Overdose Crisis
Policing the Opioid Crisis by Anne Rucchetto. As drug overdoses soar in Toronto, some experts question what role, if any, police should play in a public health crisis.
Unsanctioned by Tai Huynh. With the future of safe injection sites hanging in the balance, will the city see more unsanctioned sites like this one?
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