Myers earns Labour endorsement ahead of municipal election

By Lincoln DePradine

Jamaal Myers was a corporate lawyer, who spent a great deal of time volunteering around several community-related issues such as seeking improved public transit and housing.

Myers, born in Canada to Jamaican parents, successfully transitioned into a career in politics in 2022, winning a seat on Toronto City. A major trade union group believes Myers deserves a second term as councillor for Ward 23, Scarborough North.

Myers, chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), is “a committed advocate for working people, strong public services, and equitable communities’’, said the Toronto and York Region Labour Council (TYRLC), which includes hundreds of local unions representing 205,000 working men, women and their families.

Voting for positions on Toronto City Council will be held October 26 as part of municipal elections across the Province of Ontario.

Myers, in a note to his Scarborough North constituents, said they gave him “the honour of a lifetime’’ four years ago by electing him as their Toronto councillor.

“I earned your trust with a simple slogan: ‘Results Matter’. Not talk. Just action,’’ Myers said.

“Since then, I have focused on making Scarborough North more affordable, safe and connected. Together, we’ve accomplished a lot, but there’s still more to do. We face a number of critical decisions on housing, transit and infrastructure. These decisions will shape our neighbourhoods for decades to come,’’ he added.

“More than ever, we need trusted leadership that works with, and for, our community. That’s why I’m asking for your support again. By working together, we can build a Scarborough North that works for all of us.’’

TYRLC said it’s “proud to endorse’’ Myers’s reelection bid, crediting him with championing “investments in affordable housing, public transit, community safety, and neighbourhood infrastructure at city hall’’.

As well, said the Labour Council, Myers “has strongly supported protecting employment lands and recognizes their essential role in keeping and creating good paying jobs in Toronto. As TTC chair, he successfully oversaw seven collective bargaining agreements without any labour disruption and helped lead the successful effort to insource cleaning jobs that had been previously contracted out’’.

Meanwhile, TYRLC has commented on recent FIFA World Cup soccer matches held in Toronto, saying the city should be made to “commit to a different model’’ that would bring “meaningful community benefits’’ for “future major events, festivals and infrastructure projects’’.

“If public dollars are being invested, working people and local communities must share in the benefits,’’ emphasized Andria Babbington, president of the Labour Council.

Toronto hosted six games in the World Cup that concludes Sunday in New York with Spain playing Argentina – defending champions – for the 2026 title.

TYTLC, in a statement, said it’s now time to “reflect on what this event has meant for workers and communities’’ across Toronto.

“The Toronto and York Region Labour Council is deeply disappointed that, despite significant public investment, the city failed to make the use of unionized labour a priority,’’ said TYRLC.

“The FIFA tournament has come at a staggering cost of approximately $380 million, with nearly half of that amount borne by the City of Toronto. Yet for many working people, the promised benefits failed to materialize,’’ the council complained.

“While some hotels and restaurants in the downtown core saw increased business, there has been little lasting infrastructure and far too few quality employment opportunities for local workers.’’

As TYRLC puts it, “large-scale public events must leave behind more than temporary excitement. They must create good union jobs, strengthen communities and deliver lasting public benefits. Toronto’s workers deserve nothing less’’.

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