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Some of the most intriguing races in Toronto’s municipal election on Monday included these four wards in need of new representation.

Ward 19: Beaches-East York

Thirteen people were gunning for mayoralty candidate Brad Bradford’s old councillor job with the race seemingly between former provincial Liberal leadership candidate/federal cabinet minister Nate Erskine-Smith (with labour/Olivia Chow backing), who was leading over former CTV city hall reporter Natalie Johnson (support from CUPE 416) in Forum’s poll a month ago.

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But it was Erskine-Smith, who supports a new Gardiner Expy. ramp at Cherry St. and providing better city hall services, who was projected to be the victor with more than 46% of the vote.

Ward 14: Toronto-Danforth

No fewer than 18 candidates scrambled to run in this ward after longtime councillor Paula Fletcher abruptly abandoned her re-election bid.

Despite the biggest name being councillor Dianne Saxe, who quit her own re-election campaign in University–Rosedale after Mike Layton decided to make a bid for a return to council, the projected winner at more than 48% of the vote was school trustee Sara Ehrhardt, who led Forum’s latest survey.

Trailing in second at about 22% was former city councillor Mary Fragedakis, who ran provincially for the Liberals in 2022.

Saxe, who built her rep on environmental policies, cycling and transit infrastructure, was a distant third at about 8%.

Ward 11: University-Rosedale

Mike Layton was projected to be successful in his return to city hall after a four-year absence to spend time with his family.

Going in, he was considered the man to beat with affordable housing among his priorities and that seemed to hold up with about 46% of voters choosing him. Diana Yoon was trailing him with about 19% of the vote.

As the son of late federal NDP leader Jack Layton and stepson of Chow, Layton previously served as the ward’s councillor for 12 years until 2022.

Ward 4: Parkdale-High Park

Without veteran councillor Gord Perks running again, the victor in this race was projected to be his perceived pick Diana Chan McNally (with endorsements from former mayor David Miller, CUPE, the ATU and Progress Toronto) despite some contradictory campaign facts .

Her biggest competitor proved to be Nadia Guerrera (backers included former Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne), who was a few points ahead of McNally in a Mainstreet Research poll released Thursday.

TDSB trustee Debbie King (with backing from the Toronto and York Region Labour Council and NDP MPP-turned-social media poster Cheri DiNovo) never really figured in the race.

McNally supported a housing project at Swansea Mews despite resident’s chemical contamination concerns.

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