Ward 18 Willowdale
Ward 18 Willowdale is a municipal electoral division in Toronto, Ontario, that has been represented in the Toronto City Council since the 2018 municipal election. It was last contested with Lily Cheng elected as the councillor for the current term.
Boundaries
On August 14, 2018, the province redrew municipal boundaries via the Better Local Government Act, 2018, S.O. 2018, c. 11 - Bill 5. This means that the 25 Provincial districts and the 25 municipal wards in Toronto currently share the same geographic borders.Defined in legislation as:
History
2018 Boundary Adjustment
Toronto municipal ward boundaries were significantly modified in 2018 during the election campaign. Ultimately the new ward structure was used and later upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2021.The current ward is made up of the former Ward 23 Willowdale, part of the former Ward 24 Willowdale, and a small portion of the former Ward 10 York Centre.
2018 municipal election
Ward 18 was first contested during the 2018 municipal election. Prior to the provincial government realignment, Ward 23 councillor John Filion announced plans to retire, and endorsed candidates in both of the new wards covering the previous district under the city's planned 47-ward system: Filion's executive assistant Markus O'Brien Fehr, and community organizer Lily Cheng.Following the realignment, Filion rescinded his retirement plans and entered the race for the new ward 18, citing fears of voter confusion with the restructured wards; O'Brien Fehr dropped out while Cheng remained in the race for the larger ward alongside a number of other challengers. Filion was ultimately elected with 31.06 per cent of the vote.
Geography
Ward 18 is part of the North York community council.Willowdale's boundaries mirror its federal and provincial counterparts, being bounded by Steeles Avenue to the north, Bayview Avenue to the east, Highway 401 to the south until it crosses the Don River, the Don River west branch to the southwest, and Bathurst Street to the west otherwise.