Toronto Votes 2026: Toronto-Danforth councillor candidate Susan Chapelle profile

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Local 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 also be electing a new councillor for Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth.
There are 18 candidates running for the council seat in Toronto-Danforth. The seat is open as incumbent councillor Paula Fletcher announcd in August that she was stepping down after representing the area for the last 23 years. For this Candidate Profile feature, Beach Metro Community News reached out to the candidates who we could find contact information for and asked them to send their profile and a photo in by a set deadline. We are only printing the profiles of those who responded by the deadline. The 18 candidates registered to run for councillor in Toronto-Danforth in this month’s municipal election are Maqsood Ahmad, Susan Chapelle, Michael Connor, Dennis Corcoran, Robb Dagenais, Peter De Marco, Sara Ehrhardt, George Fawcett, Mary Fragedakis, John Kladitis, Michael Mitchell, Caryma Sa’d, Dianne Saxe, Devyn Stackhouse, Jason Stevens, Christiane Tetreault, Maria Voutsinas and Denise Walcott.)

I grew up in Toronto-Danforth. My parents live here, and I returned home to the East End to be closer to my family.

I run my business here, play music here, and walk these streets every day. Since July, I have knocked on thousands of doors, listening to residents across Ward 14. I am running because I love this community and want to serve it. I am not running for a political party.

Municipal government works best when councillors are independent and accountable directly to the people we represent. I want the freedom to challenge flawed ideas, champion good ones, collaborate across City Hall, and base decisions on hard evidence and community needs.

My background spans economics, healthcare, ethics, community development, and public engagement. This background has equipped me to read complex municipal budgets, assess infrastructure, evaluate data, and ensure genuine public participation in local decisions.

I have done this work before. I served two terms on municipal council in Squamish, British Columbia, delivering on housing, transit, health services, public safety, and economic development. Being an effective councillor means asking tough questions, balancing competing interests, building consensus among people who disagree, and taking full responsibility for the outcomes.

Living in Ward 14 grounds my priorities. I see the flooded intersections. I hear daily concerns about transit safety and reliability. I notice when beloved local businesses are forced to close. I meet seniors determined to age in place and young families struggling to secure affordable childcare. These are not abstract policy debates; these are my neighbours’ lives.

Toronto-Danforth is growing rapidly. My priorities are grounded and practical: delivering housing paired with the infrastructure to support it, improving transit, building safer streets, supporting local retail strips, protecting vibrant parks, and investing in climate and flood resilience. Growth must make our neighbourhoods better, not simply bigger.

I am running to bring tested experience, collaborative independence, and dedicated care to City Hall, and to show up every day for the people of Ward 14.