Ward 23 — Scarborough North

Scarborough North is a large, diverse ward in Toronto's northeast corner, stretching from Markham Road east to the Scarborough-Pickering boundary and from Highway 401 north to Steeles Avenue. The ward takes in the Malvern neighbourhood — one of Toronto's largest and most diverse planned communities, built in the 1970s and 1980s — along with parts of Woburn, Agincourt North, and the Milliken area. With a population of roughly 95,000, Scarborough North is the city's least populous ward but one of its most diverse, with approximately 86 percent of residents identifying as visible minorities. South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Black, and Sri Lankan communities all have significant presences, and the ward is a primary settlement area for new immigrants.

Scarborough North gave Chow her best result in Scarborough: 47.2 percent (8,940 votes), double Bailão's 23.6 percent (4,482), a margin of 4,458 votes. Saunders took 10.6 percent, Hunter earned 3.6 percent, and Furey 2.8 percent. The scale of Chow's victory here was striking — her 47.2 percent was her highest share in Scarborough. Chow dominated advance voting with 991 ballots to Bailão's 182 and maintained a commanding lead on election day. Councillor Jamaal Myers, elected in 2022, was a new voice on council.

Municipal Issues

The Scarborough RT closure cast a long shadow over the ward. Although the RT line did not directly serve Scarborough North, its decommissioning was part of a broader narrative of transit abandonment that resonated throughout Scarborough. Residents of Malvern and the northeastern communities faced some of the longest commutes in the city, often requiring multiple bus transfers to reach the nearest subway station. The failure of successive city and provincial governments to deliver rapid transit to Scarborough — after decades of proposals, debates, and cancellations — was the single most frequently cited grievance.

Malvern, the ward's largest community, had undergone significant revitalization efforts including the reconstruction of the Malvern Town Centre and improvements to community recreation facilities, but the neighbourhood continued to struggle with poverty, youth unemployment, and the social challenges that accompany concentrated disadvantage. The by-election's focus on downtown issues like cycling infrastructure and waterfront development felt remote in a ward where residents were more concerned about bus reliability, road maintenance, and access to healthcare and social services.