With Toronto’s municipal election days away, much of the city’s focus is on the mayoral race. But close to home, three councillor-hopefuls are making their bids for Ward 7, Humber River-Black Creek, which encompasses the Keele campus. These candidates are Amanda Coombs, Anthony Perruzza, and Lorna Antwi.
Coombs, a York psychology alumna, has more than two decades of community advocacy experience, most notably serving as a Tenant Representative of the Jane-Finch community for 14 years. To Coombs, the position of councillor will allow her to “continue making a difference on a much larger scale.”
Perruzza, also a York alum, has been active in Toronto politics since 1985 and has served as councillor of Ward 7 since 2018. If re-elected, he plans to “continue investing in the infrastructure, parks, and community services that make a difference in residents’ everyday lives.”
Antwi, who graduated from Seneca@York’s social work program, has worked in social services for more than a decade and has been an employee of the City for eight years. Antwi aims to provide “leadership that understands the realities people face every day and is committed to working with residents to find practical solutions.”
Excalibur asked each of the councillor candidates of Ward 7 how they hope to address the concerns of York students and their youth constituents. Five common areas appeared in their responses: employment, housing, food security, public transportation, and AI.
Employment
If elected, Coombs plans to connect York students to the nearby Jane and Finch and Humber River-Black Creek communities by “expanding access to mentorship, employment opportunities, internships, educational programs, and community initiatives.” She cites her experience founding the non-profit organization Back 2 Basickz, which offers support services to Black youth across Toronto and has previously partnered with York.
According to Perruzza, “the City of Toronto should do more to hire young people,” particularly those who live in the communities where City services are delivered. He believes that creating these employment opportunities by expanding recreation staff and programming could also serve to enrich the City’s community centres.
Antwi wants “major City-supported projects to create local hiring opportunities, paid apprenticeships, skills training, and pathways into meaningful careers.” She hopes to assess “local hiring [and] paid training opportunities,” so that York students and Ward 7 youth can gain experience and income within their communities.
Housing
Coombs would like to “explore more affordable student housing options,” including income-geared housing and fixed-rate rental models that provide students with greater financial stability. She believes this could be achieved through “partnerships between the City, educational institutions, housing providers, and other levels of government.”
Antwi sees potential in using “City-owned land for deeply affordable housing before it is sold,” including mixed-use developments. She also mentions exploring how the City might enact policies that “reduce the pressure that housing costs place on students, young families and first-time homebuyers.”
Food Security
Having personally used York’s food bank during her time as a student, Coombs wants those in need “to have access to fresh food, non-perishable items, and convenient meals when finances [are] tight.” She hopes to explore a student grocery discount program, as well as improve the accessibility of community food banks and pantries, “both on campus and in surrounding neighbourhoods.”
Earlier this year, Perruzza motioned to pilot four city-run grocery stores in Etobicoke, North York, Toronto and East York, and Scarborough. Believing the City can “be part of the solution by establishing not-for-profit grocery stores that prioritize affordable prices,” he wants to continue pushing for this policy in the next term.
Antwi plans to explore “community gardens, shared kitchens, food-rescue initiatives and other partnerships that help residents access affordable food and reduce household expenses.”
Public Transportation
Coombs believes that “transportation has become another financial burden [for students] on top of tuition, textbooks, rent, and groceries.” If elected as councillor, she would “advocate for free TTC transportation for students with valid student identification, or at the very least, significantly reduced fares.”
Antwi is currently petitioning the TTC to restore “local Finch West bus service to better serve [residents] who face barriers accessing transit.” She also plans to examine ways the City can improve transit reliability and wait times to ensure riders have access to employment, education, healthcare and essential services.
AI
Although AI “can be a useful tool,” says Coombs, “I also believe it is important to encourage independent thinking, creativity, and meaningful human interaction.” She hopes to organize outreach initiatives that “strengthen communication, problem-solving, and social connections” among youth.
Perruzza says he is “committed to pausing all development of AI data centres in Toronto until a city-wide framework is developed to address their impacts.” Perruzza also voices concerns about the use of generative AI to spread misinformation in the 2026 municipal election cycle, emphasizing meaningful AI regulation “at every level of government to protect our democracy, our environment, and our future.”
Domestic students living in residence at Keele, in the Quad, and in the Village are all eligible to vote in the municipal election. For more information on how to cast your ballot, visit the City of Toronto website. Election day is Monday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
