Toronto Votes 2026: Beaches-East York council candidate Devin Wilkins 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?

My family landed in Canada 13 years ago as immigrants looking for new opportunities. Coming from the States, we wanted to live in a place that cared about its people. Although we expected life to be better, we have always been appreciative of this community and city for the way it welcomed us. Whether it was the day we moved in, my first day of school, or our first time getting lost on the TTC, we met people who were curious about our story and helped our family integrate into the Beaches-East York community.

As we settled in, my parents gave back, volunteering as coaches and managers for my brother’s and my baseball teams with the East York Bulldogs. When I got older, I wanted to give back to the community through my work and volunteering. 

Today, I am an event organizer for the Beaches Jazz Festival, Beaches Easter Parade, Canada Day Picnic, and Pape Village Block Party, and I am privileged to organize the same community events that I remember so fondly as a kid. My work puts me in contact with neighbours, local organizations, and the City of Toronto.

I am running for Beaches-East York City Councillor because working for you and building this community is what I already do. City Council is the next step. 

I also believe that now we need younger perspectives and actionable leaders in our government, so that we can tackle the issues facing Torontonians and build towards Toronto 2050.

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

Toronto is a growing metropolis, and we cannot grow on single-family homes, and high-rise condo towers alone. We need Medium density housing.

Medium density housing encompasses residential properties from duplexes and multiplexes, to 4-6 storey apartment buildings. They have long been a part of our ward’s housing stock, and in 2023 and 2025 Toronto opened up zoning laws for their development through the Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative. This initiative opened up zoning laws to allow for four-plex development, and some six-plex development.

This initiative has the potential to provide the family friendly, and affordable housing units desperately needed in our city. However, to successfully implement these policies we need renters at the table to help design medium density regulations.

I have lived in a four-plex apartment building for 13 years and I am a proponent of their development. Well designed multiplex houses have demographic versatility, housing families young and old, couples and retirees. They increase local density over a wider scope, and their smaller stature supports the walkable, social, and family friendly communities across Beaches-East York.

At City Hall, I will advocate to expand multiplex zoning laws, modernize outdated and inefficient regulations, establish minimum unit size standards, and institute public beautification guidelines to enhance our neighbourhood’s character. Toronto is growing, and we need our growth to match our unique, family friendly character. With medium density housing we can help solve the housing crisis, without destroying the neighbourhoods that make Beaches-East York feel like a village.

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

Making life more affordable means reducing the costs of transportation and housing, while making it easier to enjoy our city.

A more affordable Toronto starts with public transit investment. The Canadian Public Health Association estimates that households can save $10,000 annually by using public transit instead of driving. By investing in TTC and GO transit and expanding access to safe and reliable service, we can reduce the financial burden of moving around our city. Additionally, research from the 2023 University of Toronto’s Mobility Network found that every $1 invested in the TTC produces $7.14 in economic, social and quality of life benefits. As your City Councillor, I will fight for greater public transit investments to improve services across Ward 19.

I will also advocate alongside City Council to pressure the Province of Ontario to update rental protections. Currently, any unit which was first occupied residentially after November 15, 2018 is exempt from provincial rent increase guidelines. This allows landlords to raise rents beyond what the Province says people can afford. This outdated policy creates a barrier to entry for young adults like myself from becoming independent, self-reliant Torontonians.

Lastly, an affordable Toronto means enjoying our city without having to spend any money. This is what I already do with the Beaches Jazz Festival. I will improve quality of life by creating public spaces that are destinations for art, nature, and entertainment. Well designed third spaces can strengthen our communities and provide a rich quality of life in Ward 19.

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?

Main and Danforth is about to welcome thousands of new residents. The area is booming and this is exciting. As your City Councillor, I want to develop this area into a transit and public space hub capable of accommodating all our new neighbours.

First, I want to upgrade Danforth GO station, including new access points from Stephenson Ave, Dawes Rd, and Ted Reeve Park. With its close connection to the TTC, Danforth GO station needs to grow with the area, and it can become the East End’s transit hub for local and long distance rail.

This redevelopment would require partnership with the Province and Metrolinx, but I believe we can have a Danforth GO with fully covered platforms, new waiting areas, integration of shops and cafes, as well as public art and improved public spaces along entryways and waiting areas.

Main and Danforth can be a destination where locals can live, work, and socialize. I will advocate for expanded community spaces by working with the Main Square Community Centre, Ted Reeve Centre, and local organizations to help deliver social and recreational spaces for residents to use. This also means partnering with the Main Square developments to revamp Main Square into a welcoming third space, with cafes, restaurants, places to sit, and art installations, so all our new neighbours have places to gather and socialize.

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. 

Eleven 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, 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.