Andrei Zodian

Toronto DIY Bike Shops

2025-01-13T12:00:00.002-05:00

Did you know that in Toronto there are quite a few DIY bike shops where you can fix your bicycle yourself, with or without expert help? Well, there are, and here are the ones I had a chance to use personally.

2022 Toronto Municipal election

2022-10-24T13:39:00.002-04:00

By now, everyone must know who they are voting for in terms of Mayor and councillor candidate. What about trustees?

Ontario 2022 Election in Ward 10

2022-06-02T11:38:00.015-04:00

Although I have already voted, I present here the candidates and some of the issues of this very important Ontario 2022 election. Most of the issues we struggle to fix in Toronto can easily be fixed by the Ontario legislature, which is unfortunately dominated by parties that reflect the disdain other Ontarians feel for Toronto (a disdain often felt by people outside a big city toward that city elsewhere in the world).

Offering My Help 2 Toronto Neighbours

2020-03-16T17:00:00.014-04:00

Toronto and the rest of the world is forced to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic (see the City of Toronto page linked below). I would like to volunteer my help for all those who need it and here I will explain how I plan to go about it.

Eczema or Dermatitis

2019-06-26T01:00:00.003-04:00

Whenever I shake hands, I occasionally have to explain, reading horror in newly-met people’s eyes, that my hands are not just dry, but rather that I have what’s called “dermatitis” or “eczema”. It’s not contagious but it’s quite a nuisance, and since people may have questions about it, here’s what I was able to learn about it. I hope that this helps others who may have the same problem.

Thank you for this great learning experience!

2018-10-22T23:15:00.002-04:00

The results of the 2018 Toronto Municipal election are in and, despite a few surprises, very much as expected. I take a look at this still continuing journey.

Answering Neighbours FPQ

2018-10-20T11:48:00.001-04:00

I have accumulated a rather large number of unanswered questions as well as pledges to deal with, and since I would never give different policy positions to different candidates (as some do), I am publishing them here, as a clear and open promise to keep if elected. Such questions are often called “Frequently Asked Questions list” but I prefer to call them “Frequently Posed Questions”, for reasons that should be obvious to those who overuse abbreviations.

RaBIT and Timid Voting Improvements

2018-10-19T17:17:00.001-04:00

I have recently signed the Ranked Ballots pledge and ran out of time to provide a requested 2-minute video, meant for young voters, describing my vision for Toronto (y4tv). I won’t get to the latter here, but the first requires some explanation.

meToWE Cho-contest

2018-10-16T00:01:00.003-04:00

Having just answered another question posed via my contact form and having learned about what may be a significant ethical lapse on the part of a "chocolate charity" - chority? - I have decided to award my last remaining such chocolate to the person asking the best question through the aforementioned form. I had no idea about any of the issues with this charity when I purchased it.

Answers to Constituents: NoJets Waterfront

2018-10-15T17:15:00.001-04:00

In this crazy campaign where I’m constantly playing catch-up to the other candidates I try to focus mostly on canvassing and meeting constituents directly, which leaves me little time for this blog. So when Google (who is hosting it) screwed up my special links without notice or reason, I had to scramble to correct them. I was planning to take care of all the pledges and questions I had received by email, but I can no longer do that today. I will answer one easy but still important question submitted via my contact form.

Quick Platform and Campaign Theme Song

2018-10-12T11:01:00.001-04:00

As I was telling you in the article dedicated to the Mayoral candidates, I’ve completed yet another profile, and this is a great opportunity to discuss campaign theme songs, after explaining my shortened and distilled profile answers.

Mayoral Answers and Advance Voting FTW!

2018-10-11T23:33:00.003-04:00

I voted today and asked all mayoral candidates what they think of my ideas on direct democracy. I’m posting their answers, and you could try guessing where my vote went. I also added the answers from TDSB candidates for the corresponding Ward 10.

OCAD candidate debate notes

2018-10-10T16:25:00.003-04:00

Today is the first advance voting day (out of 4, until the 14th) and I will be voting soon. I hurry to post at least some debate notes on last night's all candidate debate for Ward 10 and will compare it with the other debate I attended, for Ward 11.

#Keesmaat vs #Tory and the #WiFi card

2018-10-07T13:10:00.001-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have made my preference for #Keesmaat4Mayor clear a while back even though I know she is more likely to lose. Let me tell you why and also about a lost opportunity for #Toronto and especially the downtown core, which involves better Internet access for everyone.

Electioneering: Campaign Finance and Canvassing Rules

2018-10-06T20:32:00.001-04:00

One habit I developed working in IT is to document everything I do – it makes it easier when you have to do the same complex action again. Whether or not I will run for office again (and I probably will, whether for re-election or another office), some lesser known rules might be helpful not just to me, but for other people considering a candidacy for public office. ~~This page may be found at andrei.zodian.net/2018campaign~~ not anymore, see my 404 page, but I added a j.mp/TOvotes18 link to the all-important letter for candidate accessibility.

#Ward11 Debate and #KnowYourVoteTO issues

2018-10-05T23:59:00.001-04:00

Having attended the University-Rosedale Ward 11 debate at the Rosedale United Church (ruc) only a couple of days ago, I share my opinions, and update you on a few other developments. (this article was updated a few days after publication)

My Selfie vs Professional Photography

2018-10-03T14:54:00.005-04:00

I have recently been asked for another headshot and though I had stated I was going to “take care” of this issue, I still have not. Let me explain why, even though I have many friends who are photographers, I will probably be using a rather ugly selfie for the remainder of this campaign.

#SpaFY Campaign Issues, Questionnaires and Debates

2018-09-29T15:56:00.001-04:00

I recently completed a number of #surveys and #questionnaires and I am publishing my answers, for the benefit of my voters and neighbours. I will also be attending an all-candidate debate for my ward.

Toronto #Ward10 #SpaFY or Fort-York Spadina

2018-09-28T22:46:00.001-04:00

Toronto’s Ward 10, otherwise known as Fort-York – Spadina, where I am currently running for City Councillor, has one of the most competitive elections. The other 13 candidates appear to be well-funded, well-organized and have filed their papers (and implicitly started their official campaigns) long before I have. And that may very well be because this ward is quite magical, with its most unnatural, gerrymandered look.

So what do we know about this ward? Here’s the “411” on Ward 10, with a couple others below as comparison.

Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York
Boundaries: Dundas St. W. to the north, Bay St. to the east, the waterfront to the south and Dovercourt Rd. to the west. 21 km²
Demographics: There are 115,506 people with an average age of 36 (of which only about 73K can vote); 6% of residents are under 15 years old and 7% of residents are over 64 years old. The average household size is 1.7 people with a median household income of $76,270. The percentage of visible minorities in the ward is 42 per cent. From 2011 to 2016, the population grew by 40%.
Languages: (2016) 62.1% English, 6.0% Mandarin, 4.8% Cantonese, 2.6% Spanish, 2.5% French, 2.3% Portuguese, 1.6% Farsi, 1.5% Russian, 1.4% Arabic, 1.2% Korean, 1.0% Tagalog, 0.9% Hindi, 0.9% Polish, 0.8% Vietnamese, 0.8% Italian, 0.7% Urdu, 0.5% German, 0.5% Panjabi
Candidates: 13 + 1 incumbent – see ggl-ss link below or the official list at TOward10
Other representatives: MPP Chris Glover (NDP) and MP Adam Vaughan (Liberal).
Advance voting: Trinity Community Recreation Centre Assembly Hall, 155 Crawford Street and Harbourfront Centre Main Loft, 235 Queens Quay West
Voting Day: Trinity Community Recreation Centre, 155 Crawford Street and St. Andrew’s Centre, 73 Simcoe St, Great Hall, Main Doors Off of Simcoe Street

While this is not immediately obvious in the stats above, our Ward is blessed with a number of landmarks and special neighbourhoods, such as the Toronto Islands, Harbourfront, the Entertainment District, the Financial District, Liberty Village and CityPlace.

Before we leave stats, let’s 2 look at two other wards, for comparison purposes. Ward 11 is immediately North of Ward 10, while Ward 14 is to the East (Greektown), and they both have lower median household incomes.

Ward 11 University-Rosedale
Boundaries: CPR rail and Mount Pleasant Cemetery to the north, Don River and Bay St. to the east, Dundas St. W. to the south, and Ossington Ave. to the west.
Demographics: There are 104,311 people with an average age of 41. The average household size is two people with a median household income of $69,276. The percentage of visible minorities in the ward is 31 per cent.
Candidates: 6 + 1 incumbent
Other representatives: MPP Jessica Bell (NDP) and MP Minister Chrystia Freeland (Liberal)
Advance voting: Cecil Community Centre Hall, 58 Cecil Street and Rosedale United Church, 159 Roxborough Drive
Voting Day: Same as advance

Ward 14 Toronto-Danforth
Boundaries: Don River to the north, Coxwell Ave. to the east, Tommy Thompson Park to the south, the Eastern Channel and Don River to the west.
Demographics: There are 106,875 people with an average age of 40. The average household is 2.3 people with a median household income of $71,226. The percentage of visible minorities in the ward is 32 per cent.
Candidates: 8 + 2 incumbents.
Other representatives: MPP Peter Tabuns (NDP) and MP Julie Dabrusin (Liberal).

Advance voting: East York Community Centre Gym, 1081 1/2 Pape Avenue and Matty Eckler Recreation Centre Upstairs Meeting Room, 953 Gerrard St E

I have previously covered the fight over the shrinking Toronto City Council. I won’t revisit it, but you can find it on the Globe and Mail (tgm-guide); the CBC guide (cbc-wards) is also interesting.

I summarized the candidates’ social media accounts in the Google Spreadsheet linked below as well as under the image above. I will delve into it in a future article.

What is left to consider for this article is the neighbourhood associations (or similar NGOs) activating in this Ward or in its immediate vicinity.

Alex Wilson Community Garden
Niagara Neighbourhood Now
Annex Residents’ Association www.theara.org
Atkinson Housing Co-op/Alexandra Park Residents’ Association www.atkinsonhousingcoop.com
Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association www.bqna.org
Cityplace Residents’ Association www.cityplaceresidentsassociation.ca
Friends of Kensington Market https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofKensingtonMarket/
Fort York and NA
Garment District Neighbourhood Association www.GDNAToronto.org
Grange Community Association www.grangecommunity.ca
Harbord Village Residents’ Association www.harbordvillage.com
Huron-Sussex Residents Organization www.huronsussex.org
Kensington Market Action Committee www.kensingtonmarket.org
King-Spadina Residents Association www.king-spadina.com
Palmerston Area Residents Association www.palmerstonara.org
Seaton Village Residents’ Association www.seatonvillage.ca
Toronto Entertainment District Residents Association http://mediamave7.wix.com/tedra
Queen Street West BIA
Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association www.wellingtonplace.org
York Quay Neighbourhood Association www.yqna.ca

This map better illustrates ward boundaries.

Sources / More info: ggl-ss, TOward10, PDF, wiki-spafy, elon-spafy, tgm-guide, 25wards-PDF, cbc-wards

Andrei Zodian: #ward 10, #election 2018, #gerrymandering, #voting places, #advance voting, #neighbourhood associations, #neighbourhood, #neighborhood, #da hood (Tags)

Social Media Politics

2018-09-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

Getting my contact info and social media accounts listed on the official City of Toronto website proved to be far more difficult than expected. Here I’m telling you that story and introduce a better summary of other candidates’ contact info and social media accounts.

Talking to Neighbours and Toronto City Council Cutting

2018-09-13T18:41:00.001-04:00

Having just met and talked to a number of wonderful residents on Denison Avenue, I report on their suggestions and summarize the (numerous and worrisome) news of the day.

Exploring Running for Office

2018-09-02T11:50:00.001-04:00

I was first asked to run for the position of City Councillor more than a decade ago, when I started fighting for my community as president of a neighbourhood association. Since then, the more I learned about city politics, the more eager I became to serve my neighbours in a position where I could better effect change.

Nominations extended?

2018-07-29T12:58:00.001-04:00

Though legislation has yet to be tabled, it appears that nominations for the upcoming October 2018 Toronto elections might be extended, while the number of electoral districts would be dropped to 25 (CBC, NYT).