Photo: Sikander Iqbal · CC BY-SA 4.0One councillor per 125,840 residents: Toronto is more thinly represented than 99% of Ontario municipalities
City council runs Avondale; in October 2022, Toronto chose John Tory as mayor. Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026, and the province hasn’t published that election’s open file yet, so these are the 2022–26 council’s names. Provincially, Avondale votes in Willowdale; the open record doesn’t name its MPP (Member of Provincial Parliament, at Queen’s Park in Toronto) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Avondale is Willowdale, and Ali Ehsassi (Liberal Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons.
What stands out in how Avondale is governed
Many residents per seat
Across Ontario the median is one seat per 1,540 residents, well under the ratio on Toronto council. Council size ↓
Turnout below the norm
Across Ontario, median turnout in 2022 was 35%, and Toronto council came in under it. How Avondale voted ↓
High spending per resident
In 2024, 81% of Ontario’s single-tier municipalities spent less per resident than Toronto council. Council money ↓
Low federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, 88% of the country’s ridings out-voted Willowdale. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Avondale is governed by Toronto, with Ontario and Ottawa.
The city council decides local matters.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Toronto is a single-tier city, with no county or region over its council.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Avondale, from the most recent elections.
- 1Toronto councilelected October 2022John Tory
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioWillowdale
- 3House of CommonsWillowdale
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
Who was elected to Toronto council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- John Tory
- Nick Mantas
- Paul Ainslie
- Brad Bradford
- Shelley Carroll
- Mike Colle
- Gary Crawford
- Paula Fletcher
- Stephen Holyday
- Josh Matlow
- Jennifer McKelvie
- Frances Nunziata
- James Pasternak
- Gord Perks
- Anthony Perruzza
- Jaye Robinson
- Michael Thompson
- Vincent Crisanti
- Amber Morley
- Alejandra Bravo
- Ausma Malik
- Dianne Saxe
- Chris Moise
- Jon Burnside
- Lily Cheng
- Jamaal Myers
26 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tory | Mayor | 342,158 | 62% | Yes |
| Nick Mantas | Councillor | 8,228 | 49% | Yes |
| Paul Ainslie | Councillor | 12,483 | 77% | Yes |
| Brad Bradford | Councillor | 15,169 | 55% | Yes |
| Shelley Carroll | Councillor | 12,897 | 72% | Yes |
| Mike Colle | Councillor | 17,109 | 70% | Yes |
| Gary Crawford | Councillor | 8,216 | 35% | Yes |
| Paula Fletcher | Councillor | 20,305 | 74% | Yes |
| Stephen Holyday | Councillor | 18,559 | 72% | Yes |
| Josh Matlow | Councillor | 22,670 | 85% | Yes |
| Jennifer McKelvie | Councillor | 14,168 | 72% | Yes |
| Frances Nunziata | Councillor | 10,077 | 48% | Yes |
| James Pasternak | Councillor | 12,187 | 74% | Yes |
| Gord Perks | Councillor | 11,149 | 36% | Yes |
| Anthony Perruzza | Councillor | 8,707 | 61% | Yes |
| Jaye Robinson | Councillor | 16,142 | 74% | Yes |
| Michael Thompson | Councillor | 9,977 | 55% | Yes |
| Vincent Crisanti | Councillor | 6,815 | 41% | No |
| Amber Morley | Councillor | 15,271 | 46% | No |
| Alejandra Bravo | Councillor | 17,009 | 71% | No |
| Ausma Malik | Councillor | 8,033 | 37% | No |
| Dianne Saxe | Councillor | 8,614 | 35% | No |
| Chris Moise | Councillor | 10,457 | 49% | No |
| Jon Burnside | Councillor | 8,147 | 45% | No |
| Lily Cheng | Councillor | 8,337 | 42% | No |
| Jamaal Myers | Councillor | 5,315 | 51% | No |
With 62% of the votes, John Tory carried the vote for mayor. Councillors on Toronto council are elected by ward, the mayor by the whole municipality.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Avondale voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
When Toronto council was chosen on 24 October 2022, just 30% of electors took part, under the provincial median.
How Avondale voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Avondale votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, Toronto’s next municipal vote is on 28 October 2030, the fourth Monday in October every four years. Parliament was last elected on 28 April 2025, and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on 27 February 2025. The 2025 results are left out because elections.ca’s terms forbid commercial reproduction; the open catalogue’s latest is 2021.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Avondale votes in Willowdale for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town. The riding is Willowdale: it sends one MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Avondale votes in it.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Ali Ehsassi represents Willowdale in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Willowdale · Liberal Party of Canada · first elected 2015
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
The Liberal Party of Canada holds 71 of 122 seats from Ontario, including Ali Ehsassi’s.
The MP’s record
Ali Ehsassi was first elected in 2015; the current Parliament is Ali Ehsassi’s 4th. On today’s boundaries, the 2021 vote in Willowdale would have gone to the Liberal Party of Canada with 51%, and Ali Ehsassi kept it for them in 2025.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
In 2021, Willowdale re-elected Ali Ehsassi of the Liberal Party of Canada
Willowdale as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025.
Ali Ehsassi won the 2021 race in Willowdale for the Liberal Party of Canada, polling 51% and beating Daniel Lee (Conservative Party of Canada) by 7,127 votes. Ali Ehsassi was the sitting MP, elected there in 2019 with 49%.
All 5 candidates in Willowdale, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Ehsassi | Liberal Party of Canada | 21,043 | 51.2% |
| Daniel Lee | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,916 | 33.9% |
| Hal Berman | New Democratic Party | 4,231 | 10.3% |
| Al Wahab | People's Party of Canada | 1,102 | 2.7% |
| Anna Gorka | Green Party of Canada | 812 | 2.0% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Toronto council spends more per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Ontario’s single-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
At $2,862 per resident, Toronto council’s $9.4 billion of long-term debt is more than the $971 median. Taxes on property make up 32% of what comes in, less than the province-wide 37%. Roads and transit takes the biggest share, 28%, or $1,396 per resident. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s single-tier municipalities was $3,796 a resident; Toronto council spent $4,945. Full-time staff number 51,029, about 15.6 to every thousand residents.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roads and transit | $4.6 billion | $1,396 | 28% |
| Social services and child care | $3.9 billion | $1,194 | 24% |
| Police, fire and protection | $2.6 billion | $800 | 16% |
| Water, sewers and waste | $1.3 billion | $403 | 8% |
| Recreation and culture | $1.3 billion | $402 | 8% |
| Social housing | $1.0 billion | $308 | 6% |
| Public health and paramedics | $642M | $196 | 4% |
| General government | $558.3M | $171 | 3% |
| Planning and development | $159.5M | $49 | 1% |
| Other | $89.6M | $27 | 1% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Toronto council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
Nearby councils are drawn here for scale; the headline already says where Toronto council stands.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Avondale is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.on.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Council size. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
- Council money. The 2024 Financial Information Return, totals after adjustments by service, per resident with the return’s own population. A lower tier’s figures leave out its county’s or region’s spending, so lower tiers are compared only with lower tiers.
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- Election results. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
Questions about how Avondale is run
Who is the MP for Avondale?
Ali Ehsassi of the Liberal Party of Canada is the MP for Willowdale, which includes Avondale.
Which party won Avondale in the 2021 federal election?
In 2021 it was Ali Ehsassi (Liberal Party of Canada), who represents Willowdale still.
Who is the MPP for Avondale?
Look up Willowdale on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s site: that riding, which takes in Avondale, has one MPP.
Who heads the council in Toronto?
The open record gives John Tory, elected mayor of Toronto council in October 2022.
How much does Toronto council spend?
The 2024 return of Toronto council shows $16.2 billion of spending for roughly 3,273,119 residents, $4.6 billion of it on roads and transit.
How is Toronto council elected?
By ward for councillors and at large for the mayor, on Toronto council.
What was the turnout in Avondale?
It was 29.8% for Toronto council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 35.5%.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada · Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario) · Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).