In My Opinion: Beaches-East York councillor-elect thanks voters for trust, prepares for ‘real work’ to start

By NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH

BEACHES-EAST YORK COUNCILLOR-ELECT

There is nothing more important than trust in politics. So thank you for your trust. We won’t take it for granted, and we’ll work hard to earn it all over again.

I did my best to be a principled and effective voice for you in Ottawa, and I promise to bring that same approach to City Hall: ideas, honesty, hard work, and integrity.

Specials thanks to all of you who encouraged me to step up and serve again. And to those who spent countless hours beside me on the local campaign.

Knowing how much work goes into these races, I also want to thank the other candidates and their teams. There was a real increase in civic engagement, lots of good ideas to go around, and I’m open to finding ways to work together.

Above all, thanks to my family. It means everything to be close to home while still looking after our east end community and making a difference through public service.

With the campaign behind us, the real work starts now.

There is a huge opportunity to make a difference at City Hall. And we’re ready to hit the ground running, with Council set to sit for the first time on Nov. 18.

We live in a great city with big challenges.

We need smart growth with community infrastructure to support it, more affordable and non-market housing, strong tenant protections, and more serious action to end homelessness.

We need faster and more reliable public transit, better coordinated and communicated construction (including to fast-track the planned Cherry Street ramps), and action to audit local intersections to improve both street safety and traffic flow.

We need to protect and strengthen our public waterfront and natural environment, at the same time as we improve the city’s climate action efforts.

And, above all, we need to deliver excellent public services that you and your family depend on. I’m ready to bring my federal experience to help Mayor (Olivia) Chow with this important city-building work.

I supported Mayor Chow’s re-election because, in my experience, she puts politics aside and gets things done. She listens effectively and acts decisively. I liked her message after the election that she is here to serve all of Toronto, regardless of how anyone voted.

While we come from different political backgrounds, Mayor Chow and I got a lot done together for our City in my short but productive time as the Housing Minister. And I know we’ll get even more done over the next four years.

It’s a strong and progressive Toronto Council overall, I’ve already connected with a number of new colleagues, and there’s a lot of work to do.
Most importantly, I want you to know that we are here to help.

City-building work matters, of course. You also deserve a responsive City Councillor who will engage and act thoughtfully as a local problem solver.

And that’s exactly what we’ll do.

We’ll stand up for our community at City Hall, proactively improve every corner of our ward, and answer the call when you have a problem to solve.

Knocking on doors through the campaign, I met many constituents who had received help from my team and I at the federal level. We weren’t always perfect, but we’ve helped a great many people over the years.

And every one of those conversations was a reminder of why we do this in the first place.

If there’s an issue you want me to be a voice for, or if there’s a challenge you face with a city service, know that we are here to help.

While I’m not officially sworn in yet, we’re already filling my calendar with community events and meetings, we’re actively looking for a constituency office, and we’re working through different issues that need to be addressed across our ward.

We’re here to help. And until the City has set up our official emails and office, you can reach me directly at nathanielerskine@gmail.com or 416-884-4453.