Toronto Votes 2026: Beaches-East York candidate Nathaniel Erskine-Smith answers our questions

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Beaches–East York voters will cast their ballots on Monday, Oct. 26, in Toronto’s municipal election. Along with voting for mayor and school trustee, local voters will be looking to elect a new councillor for Ward 19 Beaches-East York.
There are 13 candidates running for the council seat in Beaches-East York. The seat is open as incumbent councillor Brad Bradford is now running for mayor in this municipal election. For this Question and Answer feature below, Beach Metro Community News reached out to the candidates who we could find contact information for and asked them to send their answers in by a set deadline. We are only printing the answers of the 11 candidates who responded by the deadline. Please note the candidates’ answers to the first two questions in this feature are also appearing in the Sept. 22 print edition of Beach Metro Community News.)

QUESTION 1: Tell us a bit about yourself and why your are running for city councillor in Ward 19 Beaches-East York?

I grew up in Beaches-East York, went to school at Bowmore and Malvern, and played baseball at Ted Reeve and Stan Wadlow. My parents were local teachers. My wife Amy and I are raising our two boys here, and I coach baseball outside of politics.

I was lucky to serve our home community for over a decade in Parliament, and worked hard to be a principled and effective voice. From childhood cancer support to climate action, from affordable housing to support for workers, I bring a track record of working across party lines to get things done.

After over a decade in Ottawa, and with a young family at home, it was time to pass the federal baton. And I’m glad that it’s my friend and now Liberal MP Tanveer Shahnawaz representing us.

Many of you will know that our provincial renewal efforts faced frustrating and cynical politics. I took the summer to reflect on next steps, and many of you (including Mayor Chow) reached out to encourage me to step up again to serve our community and city. So I am answering the call.

Mayor Chow and I got a lot done together when I was the Minister of Housing, and I’m hopeful we will get a lot done together at City Hall.

QUESTION 2: What changes, if any, would you advocate for at city hall to balance the need for more housing while preserving neighbourhood character?

A defining characteristic of our neighbourhood is that people who grow up here want to raise their families here. I’m one of them.

We need to build new homes so that young people in our community see a future here. We also need to build more nonmarket housing so everyone can afford to live in our city. Beaches-East York is already a great example of a community with many different kinds of housing, including semi and detached homes, multiplexes, co-ops, condos, and apartments.

As we build new and more affordable housing for everyone, from young families to seniors, every ward across the city should do its part.
We need to ensure smart growth city-wide. That means gentle density in residential neighbourhoods, midrise on avenues, and greater density at major transit hubs.

Smart growth also means more than just building homes. Our ravines need protection, for example. And new housing must be matched with access to transit, green spaces, and community infrastructure.

We need to build nonmarket housing with ambition. That work should include city leadership to create a public/community land bank and deliver economies of scale in nonmarket builds.

We need to protect tenants. The Chow administration has rightly cracked down on slum landlords, and we should bolster this work. We need more action to end homelessness. That means an ambitious expansion of rapid housing, among other things. We can deliver dignity for those in need while ensuring public spaces remain welcoming.

QUESTION 3: As city councillor, what specific actions would take during your term to make Beaches-East York affordable for all residents?

As your MP, I regularly advocated for action to better address income security and economic inequality. While the Mayor controls the budget process, I have a strong relationship with Mayor Chow and will work as your councillor to address the cost of living.

I support Mayor Chow’s commitment to tie any future property tax increases to inflation, better protect tenants, expand access to school food and libraries, and cap TTC fares.

I also hope to play a serious role in getting more housing built across our city. Building more homes will increase our property tax base and help the city’s fiscal sustainability. Building nonmarket housing at scale will mean long-term affordability. And building rapid housing will better address homelessness.

We also need to ensure there is smart management of city finances. That includes delivering excellent city services we rely on every day, and ensuring we get the most out of what we pay for.

It also means alleviating congestion and helping people move around the city faster. I’ll advocate for fast, safe, and reliable transit, including realizing FastTrackTO’s recommendations and faster subway service. I will work to ensure road and transportation projects (including the already planned rebuild of the Gardiner) are better coordinated, finished in a timely manner, and with budgets that match best practices around the world.

Lastly, on a smaller note, I’ve studied the successful job guarantee pilot out of Austria in some detail, and I am interested in exploring the same kind of pilot here in Toronto.

QUESTION 4: As city councillor for Beaches-East York, how would you ensure infrastructure near Main and Danforth/Dawes can support the area’s major residential growth while minimizing pressure on transit and community services?

We’re seeing major residential growth at Main and Danforth, a natural transit hub with both TTC and GO service.

First, we need residential growth to be matched by investments in transit, roads, green space, and community infrastructure. I’ll work with Mayor Chow to leverage our relationships at the provincial and federal levels to make that happen.

Second, the status quo of construction management along Danforth isn’t acceptable. We need better coordination and communication, along with round-the-clock action to finish the work and mitigate impacts on residents and local businesses.

Third, we should do a better job of integrating the TTC and Danforth GO, including with safe and convenient pedestrian connections.

Of course, Main and Danforth/Dawes isn’t the only area that needs attention. Every neighbourhood deserves a hyper-responsive councillor who is ready to hit the ground running.

Construction coordination would have served St. Clair and O’Connor well. East York deserves a return to 54 Division-level police service. And our public waterfront needs protection. Let’s say no to jets and instead reimagine the public space at Woodbine Beach as one for independent and local artisans when the sole-source lease expires.

Everyone has an issue in their neighbourhood to solve, whether it’s a speed bump or a school food program. I know our neighbourhoods, and I hope to spend the next four years working with you to improve our community.

Beaches-East York council candidates’ open house slated for Monday, Oct. 5

A public meet-and-greet with candidates running for council in the Ward 19 Beaches–East York municipal election will take place on Monday, Oct. 5, at Beach United Church.

The Beaches–East York Municipal Candidate Meet and Greet is being co-hosted by Beach Metro Community News and the Balmy Beach Resident’s Association. It will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the church, 140 Wineva Ave., in the fully accessible Main Hall.

There are 13 candidates seeking the Ward 19 city council seat in the Oct. 26 municipal election. 

Twelve candidates have confirmed they will participate in the Oct. 5 event: Syeda Janna Ali, James Dann, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Natalie Johnson, Kevin Morrison, Karsten Riedel, Mohammad Shabani, Adam Smith, Austin Vieira, Jeff Wahl, Devin Wilkins and Jennie Worden.

The event will be a meet-and-greet, with candidates at individual tables, allowing residents to circulate and speak with them directly.