There were some places that wouldn't let you in or serve you unless you wore a mask, but down hereabouts that's called the prerogative of private owners. I know Canadian conservatives call it tyrannical oppression, or would if they could spell it.
Oh, don't dissuade him from whimpering about how he's living under a totalitarian regime that crushes his freedumb.
It was delusional thinking that I couldn’t watch Monday Night Football at my local , or travel to Blaine Washington for cheap fuel . It’s almost like it never happened .
Biden and Trudeau were lockstep on immigration, virtue signaling, censorship, and covid vaccine mandates.
Yes I figured that out early on . They started out announcing where and who was dying , funny once the Provincial health officers figured out that those dying were all elderly with pre-existing co-morbidities they hid it from the public .
You are apparently still here . Did you test positive and self isolate for two weeks ? Did your doctor tell you to drink plenty of fluids on a teleconference?
instagram.com
I hope she means what she says & is not easily manipulated.Natalie Johnson, CTV's Toronto City Hall reporter, running for council
'As a reporter, I am hard-wired to listen. And I’m eager to do that in the months ahead'
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published May 11, 2026 • Last updated 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
Natalie Johnson
Natalie Johnson is running for Toronto city council in the riding of Beaches-East York. HANDOUT
From Toronto City Hall reporter to councillor?
CTV reporter Natalie Johnson announced on Monday that she’s running for Toronto city council in the riding of Beaches-East York after nearly two decades covering municipal politics.
Johnson, a 39-year-old married mother of three boys, has reported on municipal politics since 2010.
“As a journalist, I have spoken to thousands of Torontonians about the issues that define their daily lives, illustrating the practical impacts of the policies that have shaped this city,” Johnson said in a statement Monday.
“But not only have I been covering it – I’ve been living it in Beaches-East York.”
What to know about Johnson
In her announcement, Johnson said she and her family have lived for a decade in Ward 19, where she has been a community advocate and volunteer.
She describes herself as “a dedicated hockey mom to three boys who understands the challenges of raising a young family in the city,” and noted she’s a board member of local non-profits Community Centre 55 and the Beaches Sandbox, which offer support services and accessible programming to local residents.
“Whether it be on the picnic bench at the playground or the sidelines of the soccer field, I hear from families every day about the issues they want local leaders to tackle. I understand what animates our community, and I believe the residents of Beaches-East York deserve a strong voice at City Hall,” Johnson said in her statement.
“I want to get Beaches-East York moving again, and do everything possible to get parents home to their kids faster at the end of the day. Families need to have access to reliable transit and safe parks; small businesses need to feel supported; and taxpayers want services that deliver value.”
Johnson said she believes that “reasonable, responsive representation” is the expectation for local leadership and noted her reporting skills have made her a good listener.
“As a reporter, I am hard-wired to listen. And I’m eager to do that in the months ahead, so that Beaches-East York can be the best it can be.”
What CTV News says of Johnson
Her employer, CTV News, said in a statement on Monday that “upon being advised by video journalist Natalie Johnson that she was considering running for Toronto City Council this October, CTV News immediately ceased using her in any on-air or editorial capacity and will continue to not do so until after the municipal election.”
CTV added: “We thank Natalie for her many journalistic contributions over her 19 years at CTV News as she pursues this new opportunity.”
Johnson began her career in 2007 as a reporter at CTV News Ottawa before moving to the CTV News Parliamentary Bureau, where she worked as a field producer for CTV National News, later producing the network’s flagship political program, CTV’s Question Period.
She holds a bachelor of journalism from Carleton University and speaks English and French.
Brad Bradford, who has represented the ward since 2018, has already declared his intention to run for mayor.
In the riding, other registered candidates for councillor so far are James Dann, Tycen Legg, and Adam Smith.
jstevenson@postmedia.com
Natalie Johnson, CTV's Toronto City Hall reporter, running for council
City Hall reporter Natalie Johnson is running for Toronto city council in the riding of Beaches-East York. Find out more.torontosun.com
Oh,, it'll bite these politicians in the ass. Just wait for it.We shouldn't let underage non-citizens vote in party nominations
It's time to change voting rules inside the parties to match the rules for voting in a general election.
Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox
Sign Up
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published May 11, 2026 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 3 minute read
Ahsanul Hafiz is the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Scarborough Southwest.
Ahsanul Hafiz is the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Scarborough Southwest. Photo by @AHSANULHAFIZ2 /X
Can we talk about the crazy way that we let our political parties select their candidates and leaders?
Over the weekend, the Ontario Liberal Party held a nomination race to select their candidate for the upcoming provincial byelection in Scarborough Southwest. Ahsanul Hafiz took 718 votes on the third ballot to defeat current Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who received 699 votes.
This outcome shouldn’t shock anyone who was paying attention.
Erskine-Smith was perceived as the front-runner because he has a big profile, gets lots of media attention, and was endorsed last minute by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Why Carney would endorse Erskine-Smith and get involved in a messy nomination race is beyond me — he now wears part of this defeat.
Despite all of this, Erskine-Smith evokes a strong reaction among many Liberals who don’t like him and want to stop him from being leader of the Ontario Liberals.
On the flip side. Hafiz, the guy who actually won, has served as vice-president of the federal Liberal Party, has been involved in organizing local politics, and is a successful businessman. Folks call Hafiz “the pizza guy” for good reason — he owns about 30 Domino’s Pizza locations across Ontario, that’s a track record of delivering.
Ahead of the vote on Saturday, it was reported that Hafiz and fellow contender Qadira Jackson had come to an agreement that they would encourage each other’s supporters to rank the other as second choice. On Saturday afternoon, images were circulating on social media showing a slip of paper — a sample ballot in English and Bengali — showing people how to rank the candidates with Hafiz first and Jackson second, with no vote for the other two candidates.
This has led to a lot of discussion about ethnic voting blocs, and there is a lot to discuss there, but the crazy part no one is discussing is the part that the Ontario Liberals — and pretty much every other party — needs to address.
All parties let non-citizens vote
The Ontario Liberal Party lets non-citizens — even those who are underage — vote in their nomination and leadership races.
Before you get too upset about this being a Liberal issue, the Ontario PC Party, the Ontario New Democrats and the Green Party of Ontario all allow the same thing. To varying degrees, the same can be said for every major federal party in the House of Commons.
According to Elections Ontario, you must be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen, and a resident of Ontario to be able to vote in a provincial election.
To vote in any nomination race, for any of the major provincial parties, there is no requirement to be a citizen or even a permanent resident. The Liberals, PCs and Greens require anyone voting to be at least 14, while the NDP will allow 13-year-olds to vote.
Shouldn’t it all be simple: To vote in a nomination race or a leadership race for a party, you should have to be able to vote in the provincial election.
What about the Hogue Commission lessons?
None of the parties — provincial or federal — have learned anything from the Hogue Commission into foreign interference. During that public inquiry, the commission heard evidence about Chinese students being bussed into the riding of Don Valley North in 2019 with instructions from the Chinese consulate to vote for Han Dong.
Dong has always denied knowing anything about this, but the evidence is clear that it did happen whether he knew or not.
“This incident makes clear the extent to which nomination contests can be gateways for foreign states who wish to interfere in our democratic process,” Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue wrote.
I’m not alleging foreign interference in the Scarborough Southwest nomination race, but we shouldn’t need to wait for this to happen again to change the rules. Parties always want the rules on voting as loose as possible, if it suits them, and they all play into ethnic vote banking to try to win in certain ridings. Even if all the parties changed the rules to the same ones we use in a general election, that would still be happening.
What we can and should stop, though, is even the possibility that people who aren’t eligible to vote in general elections are choosing our next candidates or leader. If you want to vote, become a Canadian citizen, and wait until you turn 18.
Anything less is an attempt by the parties to abuse the system.
blilley@postmedia.com
Eligibility to register for provincial elections
elections.on.ca
LILLEY: We shouldn't let underage non-citizens vote in party nominations
In Ontario, you must be a citizen and over 18 to vote, but in party nomination and leadership races, you don't. Here's why it has to change.
