Open council race in Etobicoke North with no Ford family member on the ballot

For the first time in over 20 years there will be no Ford family member on the municipal ballot in Etobicoke North, Ward 1.

And the open race in the ward has drawn 16 candidates to the fray, including one veteran civic politician hoping to make a comeback to city council.

Vincent Crisanti walks up the driveway of a home in the North Toronto ward and shakes hands with Younis Martin. Crisanti's team has been busy in the neighbourhood, securing permission to plant 'Re-elect Vincent Crisanti' signs on lawns, including in Martin's yard. 

Crisanti, who once served as one of the city's deputy mayors, is not the incumbent in this race. But he stresses that he's the voice of experience after serving two terms on city council from 2010 to 2018.

"Thanks for spreading the word," Crisanti said to Martin. "It's an honour to come back and serve you again. So, watch for those results on Oct. 24. I'll be here for you."

They have a brief chat and he moves around the suburban neighbourhood just south of Albion Road, west of Kipling Road. He talks with other people outside enjoying a warm fall day and knocks on a few doors.

After a four-year absence from the political scene, Crisanti said he wants to return to city hall to champion community safety, job growth and building housing in the ward.

"I'm very passionate about serving this community. I have unfinished business that I want to continue to work on," he said. "And so here I am."

Crisanti has at times been a political ally of the Ford family, but faced off against Michael Ford in 2018 when his uncle, Premier Doug Ford, cut city council. Crisanti's ward, and the ward Ford represented, became one and he finished a close second in the race.

But now that Michael Ford has been elected to the provincial legislature it has paved the way for a wide-open race. And Etobicoke North is one of seven city wards where no incumbent is returning, potentially levelling the playing field for candidates.

One of those candidates is Charles Ozzoude, who has garnered the endorsement of Progress Toronto and the Toronto and York Region Labour Council. On this day, he's campaigning on Tandbridge Crescent, stressing that if he's elected he'll address the serious transit woes faced by people who live in the community.

Lowering transit fees, increasing routes and regularity of service are key to helping people access employment, Ozzoude said.

"A lot of people here, they live here, but they don't work here," he said. "They've got to commute, sometimes an hour away to jobs that don't pay a lot. So, they've got to run from that job to another job in another part of the city."

Ozzoude said after years of the Ford family holding the ward, he's hearing from residents that they're ready for a change.