Ten Ward 13 candidates appear at Toronto Metropolitan University panel

Ten of the 11 candidates for Ward 13 city council in Toronto Centre appeared at an all-candidates panel on October 20 at Toronto Metropolitan University, where they took questions from students on housing, transit fares, harm reduction, and public safety. The Eyeopener, TMU's independent student newspaper, covered the event.

Incumbent Chris Moise was among those who appeared. Cleveland Marshall did not attend. The panel was hosted by the Toronto Metropolitan Students' Union, with VP education Teresa Baricevic and president Zain Baig as moderators. Each candidate had up to seven minutes.

Housing and tenant protection

Ward 13 has 70% rental dwellings, compared to 48% citywide, according to figures cited at the panel.

Curran Stikuts, a former head of advocacy at the 519 community centre and a TMU alumnus, said he wants to expand a program for the City to buy multi-residential buildings and convert unsold condos for community use.

Morgan Harris, director of the Allan Gardens Food Bank since 2020, called for more non-market housing and said it was his first public candidacy event.

Walied Khogali-Ali, a founding member of TTCriders, said he wants to create rent-to-own housing pathways and supports eviction moratoriums, which he said he advocated for through a city advisory committee.

Transit

Moise told the panel he wants to cap TTC fares. Tom Cai, a University of Toronto mathematics and economics student, said he would set distance-based TTC fares capped at $3.30. Khogali-Ali said he wants free TTC service for students and seniors.

Harm reduction and safety

Victoria Davis, a harm reduction worker and TMU disability studies student, said she wants to keep safe consumption sites open and improve access to voluntary addiction treatment. She cited a 100-day waiting list for voluntary treatment and noted that 95% of substances tested that were labelled as fentanyl did not actually contain fentanyl, according to figures she cited at the panel.

Daniel Tate, founder of the IntegrityTO watchdog group, told the panel he supports a zero-tolerance approach to crime and TTC fare enforcement.

Moise told the panel his community outreach team includes 16 police officers, one sergeant, and eight public health nurses, and has engaged 5,000 people over 3.5 years.

The Eyeopener reported that the city's Integrity Commissioner found Moise acted in a "derogatory manner" toward Tate in a January 2025 incident. The Integrity Commissioner is an independent officer of the City of Toronto; that finding was made before the current campaign.

Other candidates

Nicki Ward told the panel she wants cooperative housing and food programs. The Eyeopener reported she would be the first openly transgender woman on city council if elected. Norman MacLeod called for free TTC service on voting day, lowering the voting age to 16, and enforcement of Treaty 13. Joe Cadeau said he wants better management of the city's $18 billion budget without cutting services.

Voters in Ward 13 Toronto Centre can find a full list of candidates and their ward's voting places at /on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-13-toronto-centre. Voting day is October 26, 2026.