Written by Jason McDonald in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.
Jason McDonald has spent 27 years cutting hair on Eglinton Avenue West. He owns Casual Beauty Salon at 1572 Eglinton Ave W — one of the few storefronts that survived the decade-long Crosstown LRT construction that shuttered more than 300 businesses in Little Jamaica.
He is the former Chair of the Little Jamaica BIA (York-Eglinton BIA) and became the public face of the fight for small-business compensation and community accountability during the transit build. He has appeared on CBC, CityNews, and CP24 and in the Toronto Star and NOW Toronto — not as a politician, but as a business owner who refused to let his community be erased quietly.
He is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 8 (Eglinton-Lawrence).
His platform is grounded in what he watched happen on Eglinton: development that serves the city's growth but too often leaves the surrounding neighbourhood behind. He supports building more housing, especially affordable units for households earning under $100,000, and believes Community Benefits Agreements must be negotiated with the community actually at the table — directing money toward the affordable housing, park improvements, flood protection, and small-business recovery the ward actually needs.
He is running because he believes Ward 8 can end the neglect it has endured for the last eight years — and that the people who built and held this community together through its hardest decade deserve a councillor who comes from the storefront, not the political class.
Our questionnaire
Jason McDonald’s own answers to the questions we put to every candidate, published as given — including, where they wrote one, their reasoning in their own words.
More supply is essential — but it can't be blank-check upzoning. Density must deliver affordable units, parks and flood protection to the neighbourhood where it lands.
Parks belong to everyone — but a real offer must come with supports, not a sweep that leaves people with nowhere to go.
No. Fund transit through the commercial parking levy, billboard tax and development charges — not new tolls on working families
Yes. Deferring maintenance costs more later — the flood backlog west of the Allen proves it. But make corporations and developers pay, not homeowners.
"The streets west of the Allen are darker, dirtier and less maintained than the east. Lighting, maintenance and active use fix safety before you need a badge."
Hold the police budget roughly flat after inflation — and put new money into prevention, crisis response and lighting, not a bigger badge.
Permit it with citywide rules — limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing, so the watchers are watched too.
Concentrate growth on Eglinton and near rapid transit, where density is supported — with CBA benefits staying in the corridor.
Deliveries keep small businesses alive. Emergency vehicles keep people safe. Accessibility keeps everyone in. Essentials first — then we sort the rest.
Build and finance affordable and supportive housing for working families under $100K — funded through the commercial parking levy and development charges, not resident taxes.
City supplies land, funding and incentives to non-profit and private providers — and negotiates CBAs so the benefits land where the buildings go up.
Concentrate growth on Eglinton and near rapid transit, where density is supported — with CBA benefits staying in the corridor.
Speed is the tax the city hides. Automate routine permits and expand as-of-right — with CBA and affordable-unit conditions attached, not stripped.
The Crosstown was a procurement and project-management failure. Strengthen contracting, ban repeat offenders, and enforce what's actually in the contract.
Stop the $58M consultant churn. Rebuild permanent city capacity so the people doing the work answer to taxpayers, not a billing clock.
Residential property tax grows below inflation. New spending is funded by the commercial parking levy, billboard tax and fraud penalties — not the homeowner.
Commercial parking levy and development charges. Corporations and developers pay the costs their activities generate — not working families.
Dedicated infrastructure levy from commercial sources, reserved exclusively for maintenance — not siphoned into consultant contracts or pet projects.
Queen's Park writes cheques when it wants to. The city should plan on no new provincial money — and fund its priorities through the commercial parking levy and development charges.
If strong-mayor powers exist, deploy them for housing supply — with CBA and affordable-unit conditions attached, not stripped in the override.
Finish what's approved and measure it — but don't rip out parking and lanes on commercial streets where small businesses need deliveries.
Protest is protected — but with clear, published rules for locations, access routes and duration, so hospitals and small businesses can plan.
Public data and outcome metrics — so departments know they're being watched and taxpayers can see what their money bought.
Cut the consultant and admin bloat first — the $58M consultant class — before touching services or raising taxes.
Delay is what killed 300 Eglinton businesses. Accelerate permits, inspections and approvals — speed is the cheapest business incentive.
No more customized deals for the connected. Fix housing, transit and safety, and employers come because the city works — not because we bribed them.
Recognize international credentials and expand apprenticeships — we have the people, they're locked out of the trades by paperwork.
Basics first — clean streets, clear sidewalks, working washrooms. The west end has waited long enough for routine care.
Little Jamaica waited 9 years for heritage protection. Preserve venues and cultural spaces before they're priced out.
Accessibility, geographic coverage and minimum standards — the whole city gets served, not just the profitable downtown core.
Each card is one question, with Jason McDonald filed under the answer they gave and their own words underneath it. The other options offered are not shown, nor how the rest of the field answered.
How the whole city answeredRegistered candidates from the City Clerk’s official list, refreshed daily. Campaign sites are linked as published by the candidate; a link is not an endorsement.