Amarjeet Chhabra is 24-years-old, an immigrant from India, an undergraduate at UTSC, and now a candidate for Toronto City Council.
“I feel great,” she said, moments after being announced the winner of the Scarborough-region finals of Toronto City Idol on June 10. She and three other winners – who are all under 30 years old-from Etobicoke, North York, and Toronto-East York will be receiving support in their campaigns from the volunteer-run non-profit group.
City Idol began with 100 candidates in February, with the numbers eventually being whittled down after successive final rounds in the four regions across Toronto. City Idol candidates were voted in by audience members at the events based on presentations and staged performances that revealed personalities and stances on municipal issues.
Though City Council elections will be held this November, Chhabra says the “political games” have already started with a fellow council candidate in her Ward 44 riding – also the area UTSC is located within and where Chhabra lives – pressuring her to run in a different riding due to the potential for vote splitting.
“I’m not worried, because I’m going to do what I want to do…what I’m supposed to and what I should be, and I’ll just play it by ear,” Chhabra said.
“I don’t know what’s going to come up.”
Whether she wins or loses though, Chhabra says she definitely hopes to get the youth to vote, as well as raising awareness their awareness of politics, and giving them the feeling that if she can do it, they can as well.
“I’m a youth myself, so I have the enthusiasm just to create that buzz,” she said.
Chhabra, majoring in Life Sciences and Political Science, always intended to run for City Council, though she did not expect it would happen this early. Participating in City Idol has not merely given her an early start though.
“Just feeling the same enthusiasm and energy as these people has just been awesome,” said Chhabra, referring to participants and volunteers of the project. Through City Idol, she has also met like-minded people, received guidance, and make substantial connections.
Dave Meslin, City Idol’s project coordinator, says one of the projects main goals is to get people thinking early.
“One problem with Toronto is that the City doesn’t actually wake up to the fact that elections are happening until two or three months before,” Meslin said. “City Hall does a horrible job at promoting the fact that elections are happening.”
Meslin warns the people of Toronto to not take democracy for granted.
“Voting isn’t enough, we need people taking the time to learn the issues and make an informed choice, and we’ll end up with a more interesting election, better choices on Election Day, and then a better city,” Meslin said.
At UTSC, Chhabra is a director on the board of the Scarborough Campus Students Union as well as a student with a course load. Though still thinking about how a win would affect her academic career, she says she is committed to her position on the SCSU.
“If there’s a need for me to resign, if I know that I cannot devote, then I’ll happily resign and give up the position to someone else,” she said.
Of the declared candidates so far, Chhabra will be throwing down with Donald Blair, Ron Moueser and Ward 44 incumbent Gay Cowbourne, on November 13. Nominations for City Council opened on Jan. 3, and will continue to be received until Sep. 28.
