Candidates grapple with uncertainty as Toronto, Ontario fight over council size
TORONTO — As a dispute over the size of Toronto council escalated into a full-fledged legal battle between the city and the province, candidates running in the fall municipal election said Tuesday they’re left grappling with an unpredictable situation.
The chaos was triggered by a controversial law — known as Bill 5 — that slashed the size of Toronto council by nearly half. The city challenged the law in court and a Toronto judge agreed Monday that passing the bill in the middle of municipal election campaign violated the freedom of expression rights of both candidates and voters.
Unhappy with the court decision, the Progressive Conservative government said hours later that it would invoke the rarely used notwithstanding clause to override the charter and go ahead with its plan to reduce council to 25 members, down from 47.
Some candidates said the tussle between the province and the city has meant they have had to change their campaign plans over the past few weeks. For some, the latest twist has proved too much.