2025 TDSB Ward 11 By-Election: Voter Information

Did you Know? The boundaries of TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) are the same as the boundaries of the City of Toronto Ward 15, Don Valley West.

You can vote for the office of Trustee, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Ward 11 (Don Valley West) if you are:

• an English public school supporter; and
• a Canadian citizen; and
• at least 18 years old; and
• a resident in TDSB Ward 11; or
• a non-resident in the city of Toronto, but you or your spouse own or rent residential property in TDSB Ward 11; and
• not prohibited from voting under any law.

You may only vote once regardless of how many properties you own or rent within TDSB Ward 11.

Review eligibility to vote according to 2022 Voters’ Guide – Ontario municipal council and school board elections.

You can find more information from the Ontario’s Ministry of Education.

Who Cannot Vote

Note: Under section 65 (4) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996: A person is not eligible to vote in a by-election for an office if the person could not vote for that office if a regular election was held on the day of the by-election.

You are prohibited from voting on voting day if you are:

• serving a sentence of imprisonment in a penal or correctional institution
• a corporation
• acting as executor or trustee or in another representative capacity, except as a voting proxy
• convicted of a corrupt practice described in section 90(3) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996

Information for students

• If you are a student living away from your home residence to attend school in TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) and consider your home residence to be the place where you live when you are not attending school (meaning you plan on returning there), then you are eligible to vote in elections and by-elections both in your home municipality and in the municipality where you currently live to attend school.
• If your home and school residence are both in Toronto, vote in the ward where your home residence is located not where your school residence is located.
• If you’re not on the voters’ list, you can add yourself at the voting place by showing identification with your name and TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) address.
• Take identification with your name and qualifying TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) address to the voting place.
• You may opt to appoint another elector as Proxy to vote on your behalf.

Voters Experiencing Homelessness

Eligible voters who do not have a permanent address, but live in TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) can vote in the by-election.

If you need information about how to vote or are experiencing a barrier to voting, email elections@toronto.ca or call 311.

Starting January 20, it’s important to check if your information on the voters’ list is correct, especially if you’ve moved recently or changed your name. If you’re on the voters’ list by February 6, a Voter Information Card will be mailed to you, or you can use MyVote to view, download or print your Voter Information Card.

Until February 6 at 4:30 p.m., add or update your information on the voters’ list by:

• Visiting MyVote
• Emailing VoterRegistration@toronto.ca

If you miss the February 6 deadline, you can add yourself to the voters’ list when you vote in person during advance voting (February 22 and 23) or on election day (March 3). You must meet eligibility requirements and show ID when you vote, even if you are on the voters’ list.

In-person Voting

There are three days of in-person voting:

• Advance Vote: Saturday, February 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Advance Vote: Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Election Day: Monday, March 3, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

During the advance voting days, there are two voting places available and eligible voters can choose where they go to vote:

• York Mills Collegiate Institute, 490 York Mills Rd.
• Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, 135 Overlea Blvd.

Mail-in Voting

Eligible voters will be able to choose to vote by mail as an alternative to in-person voting for the 2025 trustee, TDSB Ward 11 By-election. More information available in January 2025.

Appoint a Voting Proxy

If you are not able to vote in person or by mail, you may appoint a voting proxy. A proxy is someone who you trust to vote on your behalf and is an eligible voter in the city of Toronto. Complete a Voting Proxy Appointment Form, signed by you and your proxy, and have it certified by the City Clerk before March 3 at 4:30 p.m. at:

• The Toronto Elections office at Toronto City Hall
• North York Civic Centre

To receive a Voting Proxy Appointment form, email Toronto Elections at VoterRegistration@toronto.ca or visit the Toronto Elections office at City Hall or North York Civic Centre during regular business hours from Monday to Friday. You must present identification for both yourself and your appointed proxy at the time of certification.

Note:

• A voting proxy can only vote on behalf of one person unless they are voting on behalf of a relative. Relatives are spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren. A voting proxy can vote on behalf of more than one relative.
• A person acting as executor or trustee or in any other representative capacity is still required to get a certified Voting Proxy Appointment Form.

For more information, review section 44 of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.

Taking Time off to Vote

Voting hours on election day are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You are entitled to three hours in which to vote on voting day. This does not mean you can take three hours off work. It means you’re allowed to be absent to give yourself three hours of voting time.

Typically this is at the start or end of your working hours. For example, if your working hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you are entitled to leave one hour early so that you would have from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to vote.

Your employer may decide when it would be most convenient for you to be absent in order to vote. For example, if you work from noon to 6 p.m. your employer may decide that you should come in at 1 p.m., rather than leave work at 5 p.m.

If you have questions about any of the voting options, email elections@toronto.ca or call 311.

When you go to vote you need to take one piece of identification (ID) showing your name and qualifying TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) address.

• A Voter Information Card cannot be used as ID.
• A passport cannot be used as ID, because it does not verify a person’s address.

Electronic ID

• A document issued electronically, a hard copy or online version shown on a mobile device IS acceptable as ID (for example an e-statement).
• A document not issued electronically, a photocopy or scanned version IS NOT acceptable as ID (for example a photocopy of your driver’s license).

Examples of Acceptable ID

• Ontario issued photo card, driver’s licence or motor vehicle permit (vehicle portion).
• Cancelled personalized cheque, credit card or bank account statement.
• Utility bill for hydro, telephone or cable TV, water, gas or a bill from a public utilities commission.
• Cheque stub, T4 statement or pay receipt issued by an employer.
• Statement of direct deposit for Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program.
• Property tax assessment, income tax assessment notice, Child Tax Benefit statement.
• Mortgage statement, lease or rental agreement.
• Transcript or report card from a post-secondary school.
• Document showing campus residence, issued by the office or officials responsible for student residence at a post-secondary institution.
• Any other document from the government of Canada, Ontario or a municipality in Ontario or a document issued or certified by a court in Ontario.
• Any document from a Band Council in Ontario established under the Indian Act (Canada).
• Insurance policy or insurance statement.
• Loan agreement or other financial agreement with a financial institution.
• Statement of Employment Insurance Benefits Paid T4E.
• Statement of Old Age Security T4A (OAS), Canada Pension Plan Benefits T4A (P), Canada Pension Plan Statement of Contributions.
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Statement of Benefits T5007.
• CNIB card or a card from another registered charitable organization that provides services to persons with disabilities.
• Document showing residence at a long-term care home under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, issued by the Administrator for the home.

Learn more about Ontario regulation 304/13 for voter identification under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 as amended.

Printable list of ID

Voter Information Cards (VICs) are in the mail starting February 12. Taking your VIC when you go to vote can help speed up time spent in the voting place. Your VIC cannot be used as identification.

Visit MyVote to view your Voter Information Card and show it on your mobile device when you go to vote.

• If you’re on the voters’ list by February 6 and you don’t receive your VIC, but someone in your household does, this may be because Canada Post mails the cards in batches.
• If you receive more than one VIC, bring the most accurate card that matches your identification to the voting place when you go to vote.
• If you receive your VIC but the information is incorrect, you can take the card with you when you go to vote and ask to complete a Voters’ List Amendment Application.
• If you receive a VIC for a person that does not live in your household, you can print Return to Sender on the card and drop it in any Canada Post mailbox.
• You do not need a VIC to vote.

Please contact Toronto Elections if you have accessibility questions or concerns by email at elections@toronto.ca or by calling 416-338-1111.

Curbside Voting

If you are physically unable to go inside the voting place, you can request to have your ballot brought to your vehicle, outside of the building or to another area within the voting place. Where a voting place is situated in a multi-residential building, the boundaries do not include any residences on the property.

A friend or support person will need to go inside the voting place to let the election officials know that you require curbside voting.

Personal Assistance to Voters

If you require assistance at the voting place you may bring a friend along to help or you may ask an election official for assistance. Your friend may go behind the voting screen with you; however they must make a declaration first.

Accessible Voting Equipment

The Voter Assist Terminal is a ballot-marking device that allows voters with disabilities to mark their ballot privately and independently. The features include a touch screen, an audio function, a braille key pad, a sip/puff tube device, a rocker paddle/foot switch and zoom features to adjust font sizes and colour contrast. Voter Assist Terminals will be available at two designated voting places during advance vote and on election day.

Audio Description of the VAT Features

Voter Assist Terminal information (audio only)

Ballot Transfer

If you require the use of a Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) and one is not located at your designated voting place on voting day, you can request to have your ballot transferred to the VAT voting place in your ward.

A ballot transfer can also be requested in circumstances where an eligible voter might encounter a barrier at their designated voting place. Requests should be made as soon as possible to ensure sufficient time for processing by contacting 311 for a Ballot Transfer Request form. Once approved, the elector will receive a Ballot Transfer Notice form by mail or email.

The elector must bring the Ballot Transfer Notice with them to the newly assigned voting place.

Braille How to Vote Booklets

How to Vote booklets are available in braille at each voting place to assist with declarations, required identification, how to mark your ballot and what to expect.

Friday, December 13, 2024

• Candidate nominations open.

Friday, January 17, 2025

• Candidate nominations close.

Monday, January 20, 2025

• Apply to vote by mail and check or add yourself to the voters’ list.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

• Last day to apply to vote by mail or add yourself to the voters’ list using MyVote until 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, 2025

• Two days of advance voting from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Advance voting places:
  • York Mills Collegiate Institute, 490 York Mills Rd.
  • Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, 135 Overlea Blvd.

Monday, March 3, 2025

• Election day is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Vote at your assigned voting place.

Review the list of candidates for the office of Trustee, TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West).

School boards determine their own ward boundaries. Review the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) ward maps.

If you require assistance in another language:

• You can translate any web page at any time by selecting the Translate button at the top of each page, this will allow you to select any language offered by Google Translate.
• If you require assistance in a language that is not available, please call 311 to request over-the-phone interpretation in more than 180 languages.
• Voting place staff will be wearing tags that show the different languages they speak.
• You may ask anyone who is not a candidate or a scrutineer to act as an interpreter for you. They must complete an oral declaration that they will faithfully translate any communication between you and the election officials. Interpreters may not go behind the voting screen with you or assist you in voting.
• Translated “How to Vote booklets” are available in the voting place to assist with declarations, required identification, how to mark your ballot and what to expect.

Languages translated are based on the Use of Languages By-law #1176-2009.

Key By-election Information

Find translations of key information about the Trustee, TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West) By-election below. Languages translated are based on the Use of Languages By-law #1176-2009.

Learn more about Mail-in Voting, MyVote, voting options and more. This key by-election information has been mailed (in English) to households across TDSB Ward 11 (Don Valley West).

• Simplified Chinese
• French
• Urdu