Published on March 31, 2014 | by Jennifer King Photography by Jennifer King
0Guelph Humber students voice opinions on mayoral candidates
46 different candidates want the chance to become the new mayor of Toronto and University of Guelph Humber students will get to have their say on Oct.27.
For a vote to be cast, there are certain criteria that Guelph Humber students are looking for in their ‘ideal’ candidate.
“Definitely someone who can bring good things to the city like different services,” said Ishita Alam, a fourth-year business student. “But also not cut back on so many services.”
Richard Roberts, a second-year business student, thinks that this year’s candidates have not impressed him enough.
“They don’t know what they want,” said Roberts. “They’re just trying to get power, that’s all they pretty much want. That’s what Ford wanted.”
“This year’s election is very unclear. I don’t know who to vote for based on their platforms”
Roberts also thinks there are issues with Karen Stintz’s decision to run for mayor, feeling she is better suited for her previous job as a city councillor.
“[Karen] Stintz was so good for the TTC. Why would she go and quit her job?” questioned Roberts. “She knows she’s only going to get 3 per cent of the share of votes.”
Toronto’s current mayor, the highly publicized Rob Ford, still has support amongst several Guelph Humber students. Roberts plans on casting his vote for Ford, as does Cristina Bianchi, a second-year early childhood student.
“Mayor Ford has done a great job in cutting back taxes and saving money,” said Bianchi. “At this point, I’d vote for him.”
Heather Goode, a media studies professor at the University of Guelph Humber, thinks the candidate with the best chance of winning at this point is John Tory.
“He has a well known name and has been in politics before,” said Goode. “He also has a good reputation.”
“[His] only risk is that he has lost numerous times so that might be his downfall,” Goode added. The NewsTalk 1010 reporter could also see former NDP MP Olivia Chow be elected as mayor because “she’s well known.”
Toronto Life magazine recently gave Toronto the moniker of a ‘divided city’ due to support for candidates varying amongst the different Toronto boroughs.
Goode forsees that Ford supporters will continue to emerge from his native Etobicoke.
“Although there might be some people out in Etobicoke that will vote for John Tory because they’re both conservatives,” she said.
She also thinks that certain “downtowners” will throw their support behind Chow, who previously represented ward 20 and 24 from 1991-2005.
Goode predicts that Tory and Stintz will fight for control of the North York and Don Valley area, as both have support in that district. She is also confused as to where candidate David Soknacki fits into the mix.
“I have no clue where people are going to vote for him,” she added.
As for Scarborough, Goode thinks there could be a mix of votes for Tory and Ford, but not likely for Chow.
The media attention for this election has the potential to become very heated and Goode thinks it could become “dirtier” due to the scandals, controversies and complaints some of the candidates have received.
She believed the media could go after Ford because of the “things he’s done”, Tory because he’s “lost [elections] numerous times” and Chow because “she wants changes but doesn’t say how.”
“I think people will watch this election more than ever before,” she said.
“The whole question is going to be; will Rob Ford be our mayor for another four years?”
About the Author
Jennifer King is a 4th year Media Studies student specializing in Journalism. She hopes to one day branch out into the field of sports journalism. She brings a quirky and humourous approach to her work and hopes to continue expanding her knowledge of the media world.
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