Toronto Votes 2022: Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth Councillor candidate Wali Abro profile

WALI ABRO – Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth candidate for Councillor

Wali Abro became a Canadian citizen just this past winter, having immigrated from Pakistan nearly 10 years ago. He bought into the clichéd image of Canada: That it was fair, compassionate, and built in partnership with the Indigenous peoples of this land. That image was quickly shattered. Now, he’s fighting for the Canada that was promised.

To those ends, he has long been an advocate for electoral reform, holistic social supports, and decolonization. He’s an active community volunteer, keeps close to the grassroots, and is a passionate activist for Indigenous rights.

He’s running on a platform featuring:

1) Immediate housing for people experiencing homelessness or precarious housing.

2) Guaranteeing basic needs are met for all.

3) Affordable or free public transit.

4) Mass expansion of public transit routes, frequency, and quality of service.

5) Wrap-around supports to nurse those who’ve experienced poverty back to full physical and mental health, allowing them to successfully return to being full, active, healthy, productive, contributing members of society.

6) Improved public safety by significantly defunding and disarming the police, and using the savings to address the root cause of nearly all crimes (including theft, drug use, and even seemingly random violence): poverty/inequality.

7) Rebuilding Toronto’s infrastructure with climate change and population growth in mind.

8) And last, but perhaps most importantly: electoral reform to make this undemocratic system democratic and responsive to the will of the people by eliminating first-past-the-post, implementing ranked ballots (for starters), and instituting a process of citizens’ initiatives allowing the people to bypass do-nothing politicians who uphold the status-quo.

#voteWali for “real change”? Nay, #voteWali for the people’s revolution. See the full platform at voteWali.ca! Reach Wali via Instagram: @voteWaliTO; Facebook: @voteWaliTO; Twitter: @voteWali; Phone: 647-624-1140.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Beach Metro Community News asked the local municipal election candidates to send us in profiles of themselves and why they are running for office. We present this information to help voters make an informed decision. Please note that among the five Council candidates in Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth, we received the profiles and information sent to us from Wali Abro, John De Marco and Paula Fletcher. Also running for Councillor in Ward 14 are James Dyson and Denise Walcott.

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