Anshul Kapoor, organizer of the NoJetsTO campaign opposed to the expansion of the Toronto Island Airport, has declared his candidacy to run for city council.
Kapoor, 34, registered to run for Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina on Wednesday morning. He joins the race against 24 other candidates including Joe Cressy who lost the federal by-election to former Ward 20 councillor Adam Vaughan in June.
“It’s a big step. I’m changing my life considerably going from the private sector to the public sector,” said Kapoor, who is taking a leave of absence from his job as online marketing manager at Rogers Communication to pursue his candidacy. “There are a lot of conversations in the public sector, but we don’t necessarily turn those conversations into measurable actions and measurable solutions.”
Kapoor said it was his involvement with NoJetsTO that opened up his eyes to what could be achieved at city hall. The campaign takes credit for dissuading city council to endorse a proposal from Porter Airlines to use expanded runways and jets at Billy Bishop Airport, and conduct a thorough environmental assessment instead.
The issue is likely to surface again next year when city staff are expected to release a study examining 11 different factors including noise pollution, environmental hazards and traffic congestion caused by an increase in the number of passengers using the island airport. To date, Olivia Chow is the only mayoral candidate who has explicitly opposed the introduction of jets at Billy Bishop.
“My involvement in NOJetsTo led me to ask what does it take to bring creative solutions to city hall, and that’s exactly what I wanted to bring for our ward and for our city,” said Kapoor.
Kapoor is stepping down as chair of the activist group that lobbied over 14,000 Torontonians to influence city council’s decision on Porter Airlines’ proposal.
But Kapoor’s interest in city hall politics goes beyond the island airport issue. Inspired by Vaughan’s legacy, he said he is keen on building neighbourhoods where every resident in his ward has a say in projects that impact their community such as condominium development, waterfront revitalization, infrastructure planning and the creation of green spaces. He also wants city council to consider an overarching vision for transit in the city similar to the Transit City light rail plan that Mayor Rob Ford nixed in 2010 to potentially extend the Sheppard subway line instead.
Kapoor said his experience in the private sector has given him an understanding of how businesses work. But the married father of a 2-year-old daughter said his role as a family man is also relevant to his political aspirations.
“It’s about knowing what sacrifices you need to make to raise a family. I know first-hand that to find a big enough space in an affordable way is a challenge in this city,” he said. “[This has] actually been the hardest decision of my life, but both my wife and I feel that it’s the right decision for not only us, but for the ward and city.”
Still, Kapoor says he gets heart palpitations from the major changes in his life, especially since he and his wife are expecting another child due around the same time as the Oct. 27 election.
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