Toronto Votes 2026: Toronto-Danforth councillor candidate Mary Fragedakis 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 was born and raised in Toronto-Danforth, and this community has shaped who I am. It’s where I grew up, where I first became involved in community life, and where I had the privilege of serving as City Councillor for eight years.

During my time at City Hall, I worked hard to be an accessible, hands-on councillor who could bring people together and get things done. I’m proud of what we accomplished, from advocating for the TTC’s two-hour transfer to investing in our parks and public spaces, supporting local businesses, and working with residents to improve neighbourhoods across the ward.

For the past eight years, I’ve continued working at the community level, particularly with Toronto’s Business Improvement Areas. That experience has given me another perspective on how our city works and, just as importantly, where it isn’t working as well as it should. I’ve worked closely with residents, small businesses, City staff and community organizations on everything from construction disruption and public realm improvements to economic development and major infrastructure projects.

I’m running because I believe Toronto-Danforth needs experienced, practical leadership at a particularly important time. Our neighbourhoods are changing quickly. We need more housing, but growth has to be accompanied by the transit, infrastructure, parks, schools and services that make communities work. We need to manage the enormous disruption caused by Ontario Line construction while holding Metrolinx accountable and supporting affected residents and businesses. And we need to get the basics right: reliable transit, safer and cleaner streets, well-maintained parks, timely snow clearing and responsive City services.

I also believe a councillor should be present in the community, listen to people with different perspectives, and focus on solving problems rather than creating divisions.

I know Toronto-Danforth, I know City Hall, and I understand how to turn community priorities into action. I’m running because I care deeply about this community and believe my experience can help deliver results from day one.