Three high-profile candidates contest Scarborough North council seat
Incumbent Jamaal Myers holds the Ward 23 seat won under unusual circumstances in 2022 and faces challenges from two former federal Liberal MPs, Han Dong and Shaun Chen.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on globalnews.ca.
Eight candidates are on the ballot in Ward 23 Scarborough North on October 26. Global News reported on October 16 that three of them are drawing the most attention: the sitting councillor and two former members of Parliament who both held Liberal seats in the House of Commons.
Jamaal Myers is seeking to hold the seat he first won in 2022 under circumstances that were unusual even for a contested race. According to Global News, the councillor who held the ward before him, Cynthia Lai, died on the eve of that election day. Myers won and also served as chair of the Toronto Transit Commission board during his term.
Han Dong and Shaun Chen are both entering local politics after federal careers in the same party. Global News reports that Dong told the outlet he does not currently live in Ward 23 but plans to move there if elected. Chen told Global News he resigned his federal seat because of lasting health effects from a car crash, then entered the council race.
The six-plex vote
A 2025 Toronto council vote on six-plex housing sits at the centre of this race. The council was deciding whether to allow six-unit buildings on residential lots across the whole city, to meet the terms of federal funding agreements. Global News reports that Myers was the only suburban councillor to vote in favour of the change for his ward.
Myers said at the time, as quoted by Global News: "We did the work of answering a lot of questions, making sure there was no misinformation, having as many meetings as people wanted."
Both Dong and Chen have said that vote was a mistake. Dong told Global News: "We're not a testing pit, I think that needs to be consulted neighbourhood-to-neighbourhood." He directed criticism at Chen for not speaking out when Chen represented the area federally, saying the MP had not expressed any opinion on the issue in 11 years in the position, and that residents are frustrated.
Chen told Global News it was not his place as a federal representative to press on that local council decision. He said Scarborough North being the only suburban ward to opt in remains a live issue for residents, and added: "As the local councillor, I will make sure that I do my homework" before making decisions on local character.
The wider argument
Beyond the zoning dispute, Global News reports that Myers has framed his campaign around getting a fair share of city resources for Scarborough. He told the outlet: "We're also seeing the type of care and attention that other wards take for granted." He has also said he will make sure whichever candidate wins the mayoral race keeps Scarborough in the conversation on investments.
The other five candidates registered in Ward 23 are Sajawal Javed, Kevin Li, John-Mark Oleh, Ronald Phen, and Piravena Sathiyanantham.
Voters in Ward 23 can read candidate profiles at /on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-23-scarborough-north. Election day is October 26, 2026.
Questions this story answers
Who is running in Ward 23 Scarborough North?
Eight candidates are registered to run. Global News reports the three highest-profile are incumbent councillor Jamaal Myers, former Liberal MP Han Dong, and former Liberal MP Shaun Chen. The other five are Sajawal Javed, Kevin Li, John-Mark Oleh, Ronald Phen, and Piravena Sathiyanantham.
Who is the incumbent councillor in Ward 23?
Jamaal Myers is the incumbent councillor for Ward 23 Scarborough North. According to Global News, he won the seat in 2022 after the incumbent councillor, Cynthia Lai, died on the eve of election day that year. Myers also served as TTC board chair during his term.
Who is Han Dong and why is he running?
Han Dong is a former federal Liberal MP. Global News reports he told the outlet he does not currently live in Ward 23 but plans to move there. He said he is hearing concerns from residents about parking and changes to bungalow-heavy neighbourhoods, and is proposing more regular community consultation meetings.
Who is Shaun Chen and why is he running?
Shaun Chen is a former federal Liberal MP who represented the area at the federal level. Global News reports he resigned his federal seat over lingering health issues from a car crash before entering the local race. He has said he shares residents' concerns about the six-plex zoning changes.
What is the six-plex zoning dispute in this race?
In 2025, Toronto city council voted on allowing six-plex buildings to be built anywhere in the city, to meet the terms of federal funding agreements. According to Global News, Jamaal Myers was the only suburban councillor to vote in favour of the change for his ward. Both Han Dong and Shaun Chen have said that was a mistake and that the decision should have been made neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
What did Han Dong say about the six-plex vote?
Han Dong told Global News: 'We're not a testing pit, I think that needs to be consulted neighbourhood-to-neighbourhood.' He also said he does not live in the ward yet but plans to move there. He directed criticism at Shaun Chen, saying that Chen had not spoken out against the six-plex changes in 11 years as MP, and that residents are frustrated.
What did Shaun Chen say about the zoning issue?
Global News reports Chen said it was not his place as a federal representative to influence that local council decision. He noted that Scarborough North was the only ward outside the old City of Toronto to opt into the city-wide six-plex change. He told Global News: 'As the local councillor, I will make sure that I do my homework' before making decisions affecting local character.
What did Jamaal Myers say about his record on the six-plex vote?
Myers told a 2025 council meeting, as reported by Global News: 'We did the work of answering a lot of questions, making sure there was no misinformation, having as many meetings as people wanted.' He has also said he will push for Scarborough to get its fair share of city resources and investments, telling Global News: 'We're also seeing the type of care and attention that other wards take for granted.'
When is election day for Ward 23?
Election day in Toronto is October 26, 2026. Voters in Ward 23 Scarborough North can check who is on their ballot and find their polling location at the City of Toronto's election page. Candidate profiles for this ward are available at /on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-23-scarborough-north.
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 13 Toronto Centre: three challengers, 11 candidates, voting day October 26
