This past week, TYFPC had the great fortune to visit two different wards to discuss youth, food and the upcoming municipal election as part of the TYFPC’s ongoing municipal election discussion group and picnic series.
The first stop was a town hall in Malvern on September 25. Residents of Ward 42 were invited to discuss a few key election topics in order to prepare for their upcoming all candidates debate. Questions were prepared on the topics of: food security, transportation, housing, youth and education, women’s issues, employment, and public services. At the food security table, there was some great discussion around the connection between food insecurity and dependence on fossil fuels. (This was particularly exciting as the TYFPC has been thinking more about this lately… More on that soon!) There was also an opportunity to meet the Toronto Women’s City Alliance (TWCA). TWCA is currently leading free elections literacy workshops across the city. If you would like more information about those workshops, contact info@twca.ca.
The second stop of the week was on September 29 and was the opposite corner of the city: Humber Summit. The TYFPC chatted with a dozen grade 12 students who make up the Delta Family Resource Centre and Emery Collegiate Institute Students Working As A Group (SWAAG) team. The students discussed their top priorities for the neighbourhood, including: infrastructure upgrades for their school; being able to retain young, enthusiastic teachers at the school; more frequent bus service; and improved youth employment opportunities. This discussion will be synthesized and lead to some questions for the candidates running for City Councillor in Ward 7 and Toronto District School Board Trustee in Ward 4. (More on that soon!)
Overall, it was a very exciting week of traversing the city and finding out about what matters to Toronto. Plus, Kaylen, TYFPC Vice Chair, was able to take the Scarborough RT for the first time, which was a very memorable experience!
If you would like to host a municipal election discussion or picnic in your community, or if you would like to know more about this TYFPC project, please contact Kaylen at kfredrickson@tyfpc.ca. You can also join us at our next community meeting Beyond the Ballot Box: Youth, Food, & Politics, featuring some inspiring, young political leaders! And don’t forget to vote! The election is coming up on October 27!