Ward 4 candidate Diana Chan McNally admits she gave a reporter a false age
Diana Chan McNally, running for city council in Parkdale-High Park, says she deliberately gave a news outlet an incorrect age to protect her child's identity.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on torontosun.com.
Diana Chan McNally, a candidate for city councillor in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park, admitted this week that she deliberately gave a news outlet an incorrect age when recounting a personal story. The Toronto Sun reported on October 21, 2026, in a piece by Justin Holmes, that McNally provided an explanation after The Local confronted her about the discrepancy.
According to the Sun, McNally had told The Local she was 15 at the time of the events she described and was now 41. When challenged, she said she had in fact been 17 and is now 43.
The Local took the step of retracting its original profile of McNally on October 1, then published a new version the following day with a lengthy editor's note. In that note, as reported by the Toronto Sun, McNally said she "deliberately provided the reporter with inaccurate information in order to protect the identity of her child." The Sun reported that she also acknowledged during a call with The Local that "correcting her age and the age she gave birth would not put her child at risk."
The Toronto Sun described McNally as a candidate who had been positioned as the successor to Ward 4's longtime city councillor Gord Perks. The Sun's report noted she is not a minor candidate in the race.
The Sun also reported it had spoken with a source who knew McNally during her teen years, including during her pregnancy. That source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, raised questions about other statements McNally has made on the campaign trail. The Sun said the source's account touched on sensitive personal matters.
The Toronto Sun article did not record a response from any other candidate in Ward 4. This report is written from the Sun's October 21 article. No other response has been reported.
Diana Chan McNally's candidate page is on this site. Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park voters can find their polling location and check eligibility on the City's election page at toronto.ca/elections. Voting day is October 26, 2026.
Questions this story answers
What did Diana Chan McNally admit to?
Diana Chan McNally, a candidate for city council in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park, admitted that she deliberately gave a news outlet an incorrect age when recounting a personal story. She said she was 17 at the time of the events she described and is now 43, but had told the outlet she was 15 and 41. The Toronto Sun reported this on October 21, 2026, citing an editor's note that The Local published after retracting and re-publishing a profile of her.
Why did she say she gave the wrong age?
According to the Toronto Sun's October 21 report, Diana Chan McNally said in the editor's note, as quoted by The Local, that she deliberately provided a reporter with inaccurate information about her age in order to protect the identity of her child. She later acknowledged, as the Sun reported, that correcting her age and the age at which she gave birth would not have put her child at risk.
What did The Local do after discovering the discrepancy?
According to the Toronto Sun's October 21, 2026 report, The Local retracted its original profile of Diana Chan McNally on October 1, then published a new version the following day with a lengthy editor's note explaining that the outlet had confronted the candidate about what it called a deliberate falsehood about her age. The Toronto Sun's report is based in part on that editor's note.
Which ward is Diana Chan McNally running in?
Diana Chan McNally is a candidate for city councillor in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park in the Toronto municipal election on October 26, 2026. Her candidate page on this site is at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/diana-chan-mcnally, where you can see her platform and background.
Who is Gord Perks and why is he mentioned?
The Toronto Sun's October 21, 2026 article describes Gord Perks as the longtime Toronto city councillor for the Parkdale-High Park area, and says Diana Chan McNally has been positioned as the successor to that seat. Perks is the incumbent in the ward. The Sun's framing of McNally as the heir apparent is the outlet's characterization and is not a formal designation.
Did Diana Chan McNally say her child was at risk?
According to the Toronto Sun's October 21 report, McNally acknowledged in the editor's note that correcting her age and the age at which she gave birth would not have put her child at risk. She said her reason for providing the incorrect information was to protect her child's identity, but the Sun reported she acknowledged the correction would have posed no risk.
Has any other candidate responded to this story?
The Toronto Sun article from October 21, 2026, which is the source for this report, does not record a response from any other candidate in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park. No other response has been reported.
Where can I find more information about the Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park race?
You can see the full list of candidates running for city councillor in Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park, including Diana Chan McNally, on this site at /on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-4-parkdale-high-park. Voting in the Toronto municipal election takes place on October 26, 2026. You can find your voting location at toronto.ca/elections.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
Found an error? Tell the editors with the corrections form. A correction is noted on the story it changes. Read our standards.
Topics
More from voche.me
Ward 4 Parkdale-High Park candidates split on car access plan for High Park
Toronto advance voting opens October 6 at 50 locations across the city
