A bit of drama was injected Tuesday into the race to succeed George Smitherman as MPP in Toronto Centre.
NDP candidate Cathy Crowe criticized Elections Ontario for only providing three polling stations in St. Jamestown, one of the most densely populated areas in Canada. More than 15,000 people live in 18 high-rise buildings in one of Toronto’s poorest neighbourhoods.
Yet close to 9,000 voting residents will only be able to cast their vote at one of three polling stations: the Rose Avenue School, St. Simon’s Church and the Wellesley Community Centre. In the 2003 provincial elections, there were six polling stations. That was cut back to two polling stations in 2007.
“So I suppose we should be thankful we have three this election,” said Crowe. “In the past, Elections Ontario did respond to complaints and concerns about access to voting and promised to increase polling stations so that every building that had 100 voters could have a station.”
Crowe pulled out a map for reporters comparing St. Jamestown to an area just south of Bay and Wellesley with three polling stations for just over 900 residents in three buildings.
Crowe, in a news conference outside 260 Wellesley Street East, said she’s heard a lot of complaints from seniors, people with disabilities and families with small children, and suggested that there should be equitable and improved voting access across the riding.
Edward Lantz, a resident of St. Jamestown, said the community has a disproportionate number of people with disabilities and the low voter turnout is partly attributable to the distance a person has to travel to reach a polling station.
“For some of these people, it’s hard enough just getting up in the morning and getting dressed,” said Lantz. “These people have been left out of the equation, as far as democracy is concerned, and we want to see that corrected.”
Lantz wants to see polling stations in every high-rise building in St. Jamestown, just like they have over on Bay Street.
“If you were to take one of our buildings apart and stretch it out, you probably have four or five city blocks,” he said. “That gives you the same perspective as somebody living on the top floor with a walker having to come down in the middle of a snowstorm to go out and vote.”
Crowe decided to raise the issue two days before the by-election as a reminder, she said, that equitable voting access still hasn’t been achieved in spite of promises by Elections Ontario.
“It’s physically impossible for 3,000 people to go through each polling station, especially knowing that there will be a big rush after the five o’clock period,” said Crowe. “It’s one of the reasons that only a third of St. Jamestown voted in the last election.”
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