Jim Hart is honoured to fill the vacancy in Ward 44

On April 18, our ward lost Councillor Ron Moeser after a courageous battle with cancer.

I was hired by Councillor Moeser in June 2016, not long after his diagnosis, to work in his office on a part-time basis and take the lead on key ward affairs. During my time working with Ron, I was inspired to see the effort he put into serving his constituents even during the times when his battle with cancer was the most challenging. Ron loved our community and did an amazing job preserving one of the most beautiful areas in the City of Toronto.

At the May session of City Council it was decided to fill the vacancy left by Ron through an appointment process to select a new councillor for the remainder of the 2014 – 2018 term. On June 19, I submitted my name to fill the vacancy. On June 28, at a special meeting of City Council, I was selected from among 47 applicants to be your new councillor. I am honoured and privileged to have received the opportunity.

My motivation in applying for this position is to complete the mandate given to Councillor Moeser by the residents of Ward 44, and to serve the ward where I have lived for the last 20 years.

I have already met many of you either at my constituency office at 5504 Lawrence Ave. East (Centennial Plaza), on your street or at events in the ward. I hope to meet many more constituents in the coming months.

I encourage you to bring your local or city-wide concerns to my attention. I enjoy resolving your issues, where possible, and working with you to keep our part of the city green and beautiful. Our ward is second to none and I am proud to represent such a livable part of the city.

In addition to working in the councillor’s office and being a long-term resident of Ward 44, I have 31 years of experience working in the administration of the City of Toronto in seven different divisions. I believe that living in the ward, working in the council office, and my diverse experience and understanding of the City of Toronto operations will allow me to effectively serve you.

I plan to do everything I can to profile our ward and Scarborough as a whole. On July 28 Mayor John Tory, at his suggestion, spent the entire afternoon with me in the ward. I showed him examples of the impact that student housing is having in Highland Creek, in particular how once manicured lawns have become weed beds. Anytime the issue of legalizing rooming houses in Scarborough comes up for debate I will be there to point out the impacts these dwelling are having on our local community, while simultaneously advocating for substantially more housing to be built on the Scarborough U of T campus.

I also showed the mayor two stormwater management ponds (Willowlea Wetlands and Meadowvale Wetlands). They are part of the Centennial Creek watershed that are hidden gems in our community but have become overgrown with phragmites, an invasive plant. I am actively working with Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff to have these areas made more welcoming so that our community will want to more actively explore these trail systems as they transform into the serene spots that they were envisioned to be.

If I can ever be of assistance, please contact my office at 416-392-1373, by email  Councillor_Hart@toronto.ca or drop by the constituency office. I welcome you to also visit my website www.jimhart.ca for updates on issues, upcoming community meetings and events.