Toronto 2026/Ward 17/Shelley Carroll
SC

Shelley Carroll

Incumbent
Campaign site
Website
Running for
Councillor
Ward 17
Don Valley North
Days until polls open
29

About Shelley

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

Shelley Carroll has spent her career helping build stronger communities.

Before entering public life, Shelley owned and operated a small business while raising her family in North York. She was an active volunteer in her daughters' school community, helping lead breakfast programs and organizing against funding cuts to public education. Those experiences shaped her belief that strong communities are built by people who step up, listen, and work together.

That commitment to public service led Shelley from School Trustee to Toronto City Council, where she has proudly represented Don Valley North for more than 20 years.

Today, Shelley is one of Toronto’s most experienced civic leaders. She currently serves as Budget Chief, the Mayor’s Economic Development and Culture Champion, and Chair of the Toronto Police Service Board, helping lead the city through some of its biggest financial, economic, and public safety challenges.

Whether she’s advocating for safer neighbourhoods, improving parks and community spaces, supporting local businesses, or helping residents navigate City Hall, Shelley is known for thoughtful leadership, strong relationships, and delivering results for the community she calls home.

Our questionnaire

Where Shelley Carroll stands

Shelley Carroll’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?

  • Shelley Carroll    Yes

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?

  • Shelley Carroll    Yes

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Yes

    Road pricing is only an option if it is fair, equitable and regional in scope. Any such system would need to be developed in partnership with other levels of government, and should be publicly owned and publicly operated so all the revenue will make its way to transportation improvements.

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Yes

    Toronto cannot afford to defer critical infrastructure repairs, but we should prioritize finding efficiencies and making full use of existing revenue tools while pressing the provincial and federal governments for their fair share of infrastructure funding.

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Yes

Public safety and public space

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Mental-health response, addiction treatment and youth intervention

    We need to invest more in crisis prevention, mental-health response, addiction treatment and youth intervention while maintaining our current levels of investment in the enforcement and public-space management that keep our communities safe.

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Remain approximately constant after inflation

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing

Transit and transportation

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Vehicles, stations, signals and other state-of-good-repair work

    We need to make the service we have right now much more reliable than it is today. That will improve our ridership and help us generate expansion. We also need to get the Sheppard Subway expansion built!

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Transit, walking and cycling

    Our priority should be moving people and essential goods efficiently. If we get passenger capacity and essential access right, general traffic and parking will follow.

Housing and growth

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Build or finance substantially more affordable and supportive housing

    We need to build more affordable and supportive housing people can actually afford. That means working with other levels of government and non-profit partners to build homes, create jobs and invest in the infrastructure our communities need.

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Focus primarily on permitting enough housing and reducing barriers to construction

    Toronto’s primary job is to enable housing by approving enough homes and removing unnecessary barriers to construction. But a city of our size should also use every tool available from regulation to public land and partnerships to make sure we are building the homes our residents need.

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

  • Shelley Carroll    Permit more apartments and multiplexes in nearly every neighbourhood

City government and service delivery

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Expand as-of-right zoning and automate routine permits

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Strengthen professional project management, procurement and contracting

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

  • Shelley Carroll    Use competitive contracts and outside providers where they can deliver better value

    We need to continuously strengthen Toronto’s project management capacity so major projects are delivered on time, on budget and with clear accountability to taxpayers.

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Grow approximately with inflation and population

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Property taxes or new municipal income or sales taxes, if authorized

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets

Governance and representation

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Publicly press for greater authority, revenue and a different fiscal arrangement

    We've demonstrated that Toronto is a willing partner, but as the city we are left to operate the asset so we need new funding arrangements.

Strong mayor powers should be used mainly for:

  • Shelley Carroll    overriding council on zoning and approvals to get homes built

    We've learned over time that every mayor has had to work with Council to build support for major priorities. The tools to lead on administration, budgeting and housing are already available under the City of Toronto Act, but building consensus sets these up for success.

Your ward and your record

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure

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

  • Shelley Carroll    Safer, cleaner and better-maintained streets and public spaces

Each card is one question, with Shelley Carroll 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 Don Valley NorthWhere the whole field stands