Toronto 2026/Ward 24/Paul Ainslie
PA
Running for
Councillor
Ward 24
Scarborough-Guildwood
Days until polls open
29

About Paul

Written by Paul Ainslie in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.

Is the City Councillor for Scarborough-Guildwood and Deputy Mayor of Scarborough, I am proud to serve the residents of our community and champion the interests of Scarborough across Toronto. Throughout more than 20 years of elected public service, I have remained focused on delivering results, strengthening neighbourhoods, and ensuring Scarborough has a strong and respected voice at City Hall.

I believe effective leadership is built on collaboration. As Deputy Mayor, I have worked closely with municipal, provincial, and federal partners to advance priorities that matter most to residents, including housing, transportation, community safety, infrastructure, economic development, and social services. My goal has always been to ensure Scarborough receives its fair share of resources, investment, and opportunity.

Residents deserve representation that is accessible, accountable, and focused on practical solutions. Through regular conversations in our neighbourhoods, on the TTC and GO Transit, at community events, places of worship, and monthly Town Hall meetings, I hear directly from the people I serve. What I hear consistently is that residents want leaders who listen, work together, and solve problems.

Throughout my career, I have been committed to delivering common-sense representation and real results. I believe elected officials should do more than identify challenges; they should work every day to address them. That commitment continues to guide my work as your City Councillor and Deputy Mayor.

Our questionnaire

Where Paul Ainslie stands

Paul Ainslie’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.

Five decisions facing the next council

Should Toronto permit substantially more housing as-of-right in every ward, including areas currently dominated by detached and semi-detached homes?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Yes

    Its needs to fit in with the surrounding neighbourhood. A priority needs to be enhancing housing on our main avenues where public transit is much more readily avaiaalble

When a person living in a park has been offered an available indoor space that meets their accessibility, safety and household needs, should the city require them to leave the encampment?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Yes

    We need the Provincial and Federal governments to finance the necessary space for people to move in to

Should Toronto introduce road-pricing measures, such as congestion charges or tolls, if the revenue is dedicated to transportation improvements?

  • Paul Ainslie
    No

Should Toronto raise additional local revenue to address its infrastructure repair backlog rather than defer maintenance while seeking funding from other governments?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Yes

    The long advocated share of the gasoline tax is needed

Should Toronto publish project-level budgets, schedules and performance updates for all major capital projects?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Yes

Public safety and public space

Which approach should receive the greatest additional investment to improve public safety?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Police, bylaw enforcement and a more visible official presence

    You really need a combination of all three to be successful. We need Licensing Officers to be working evening,especially on the weekends.

Over the next council term, the Toronto Police Service budget should:

  • Paul Ainslie
    Remain approximately constant after inflation

    The Police Services Budget should be increased with inflation

How should Toronto govern automated licence-plate readers and similar surveillance technology used on public streets?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Allow police and approved organizations to deploy them under existing privacy law

    I'm not clear what "approved organizations" would be?

Transit and transportation

What should receive the greatest share of the next available transit funding?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Vehicles, stations, signals and other state-of-good-repair work

    The TTC has huge state of good repair backlog which needs to be resolved.

When there is not enough street space for every use, which should generally receive priority?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Automobile capacity and curbside parking

    We need a mix of all three for communities to be successful

Housing and growth

If Toronto could make one major housing intervention this term, which should receive the greatest emphasis?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Reduce approval times, development charges and other city-imposed costs

    I have been working to see AI used to speed up the building approval process

What should be Toronto's primary role in delivering affordable and supportive housing?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Focus primarily on permitting enough housing and reducing barriers to construction

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Concentrate growth on major streets and near rapid transit

City government and service delivery

Which change would you implement to reduce the cost of building housing in Toronto?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Reduce development charges, parkland payments and related levies

What is the most important change Toronto should make to reduce capital-project delays and cost overruns?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Strengthen professional project management, procurement and contracting

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Expand permanent city staff and internal operational capacity

    I combination of Direct Delivery and External Delivery would work best

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

Over the next council term, residential property-tax revenues should generally:

  • Paul Ainslie
    Grow approximately with inflation and population

Which type of additional revenue should Toronto rely on most heavily?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Property taxes or new municipal income or sales taxes, if authorized

What should Toronto do first to address its infrastructure repair backlog?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets

Governance and representation

What should be Toronto's primary approach to the provincial government?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Publicly press for greater authority, revenue and a different fiscal arrangement

    We need to do all three of the above

Strong mayor powers should be used mainly for:

  • Paul Ainslie
    setting spending and tax levels without assembling a majority

Your ward and your record

Which objective should receive the greatest attention in your ward during the next council term?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure

Which single result should voters use to assess your performance at the end of the term?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Improved fiscal sustainability and service performance

    When you get improved finances and services, improvements to the public realm are realized as well. People, along with myself want the best value for their tax dollars.

Priorities and trade-offs

Over the next council term, Toronto should:

  • Paul Ainslie
    Finish approved projects but undertake few additional road reallocations

    I'm a strong believer if cycling routes are to be built they must be part of a connected network and not build in isolation. There is no point saying you built a bike lane or route if it isn't connected to anything else

When demonstrations substantially block transportation or access to essential institutions, the city should prioritize:

  • Paul Ainslie
    Keep major roads, transit, hospitals and essential facilities operating

Where should Toronto direct its next major technology investment?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Permits, licences, payments and service requests

    A combination of all three would be the best path forward in terms of using technology

When Toronto faces a structural operating-budget gap, what should it do first?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Raise taxes, fees or other revenue

What is the most important municipal intervention for improving Toronto's business climate?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Reduce commercial taxes, fees and licensing expenses

How should Toronto attract major employers, investment and events?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Direct financial bids, tax measures or customized agreements

What should receive the greatest priority in Toronto's public-realm budget?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care

What should be Toronto's primary tool for supporting arts, culture and nightlife?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Grants, city facilities and affordable cultural space

If autonomous taxi services operate in Toronto, which condition should the city prioritize?

  • Paul Ainslie
    Accessibility, geographic coverage and minimum service standards

Each card is one question, with Paul Ainslie 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 answered

Registered 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.

Everyone running in Scarborough-GuildwoodWhere the whole field stands