Toronto Votes 2026: Toronto-Danforth candidates’ debate planned for Oct. 24 following performance of play
Some of the candidates for Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth will face off in a debate at a local theatre following the showing of a solo documentary play about Toronto’s shelter system during and after the pandemic.
The debate is set to take place at Crow’s Cabaret (a new performance space inside Crow’s Theatre at 1210 Dundas St. E.) on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The debate will start at approximately 9:45 p.m. following the showing of You Should Have Stayed Home Too, a play written and performed by Tommy Taylor which tells the story of his wrongful arrest and detention at the 2010 Toronto G20 summit protests.
The debate will be hosted and associated with Taylor’s play and not the Crow’s Cabaret club itself, culminating a three-night preview run of the play.
The debate will also be livestreamed online and moderated by political journalist and author John Lorinc.
With space for only six candidates, those confirmed to be in attendance include Dianne Saxe, Sara Ehrhardt, Caryma Sa’d, Susan Chapelle and Denise Walcott. According to a press release from the event, Mary Fragedakis is considering attending.
Other candidates running for the Toronto-Danforth councillor position are Maqsood Ahmad, Michael Connor, Dennis Corcoran, Robb Dagenais, Peter De Marco, George Fawcett, John Kladitis, Michael Mitchell, Devyn Stackhouse, Jason Stevens, Christiane Tetreault, and Maria Voutsinas.
“The audience will have just spent 75 minutes inside the housing and drug crisis as it’s actually lived in this city,” said Taylor in the press release. “That’s a room that’s informed and not interested in talking points. Whoever wins this seat inherits the problem the play is about.”
Taylor has dedicated more than a decade of his life working in shelters, drop-ins and overdose prevention sites across the Toronto and Hamilton region. He is also Manager of the Toronto Drop-In Network: a coalition of drop-in centres across the city focused on people who are homeless, marginally housed, or socially isolated.
Other panels following the play include “Addiction and harm reduction” with Angela Robertson, CEO of Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, and Jolene Eeuwes of T-DOT, Unity Health Toronto and Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction. on Thursday, Oct. 22.
The Friday, Oct. 23 panel will be “Housing and homelessness” With Lorraine Lam, Sanctuary Toronto, Melanie Joy from the Toronto Drop-In Network, and moderated by journalist Joanna Lavoie.
To get tickets for the play and candidates’ debate, please go to www.crowstheatre.com/shows-events/you-should-have-stayed-home-too.
To watch the livestream, visit www.youtube.com/live/4Pmg1GrWHCM
