Incumbent councillors Josh Matlow and Joe Mihevc took aim at one another Thursday as they each tried to make the case that they are the best person to represent the new Ward 12.

The two candidates have represented adjacent wards for the past four years and have taken similar positions on a range of issues.

However due to a new 25-ward structure imposed on Toronto by the provincial government at the eleventh hour, the two are running against each other to represent a new enlarged ward, to be known as Ward 12 Toronto –St. Paul’s

While the two have been ideologically aligned for most of their time on council, the elimination-style campaign has forced them to differentiate themselves to voters through endorsements and close scrutiny of one another’s voting records and styles.  

Sitting down side-by-side for an interview with CP24 Thursday, Matlow acknowledged that the process has been less amicable than he would have liked.

“What saddens me most about what’s happened with this dynamic, and I hope that moving forward this will get a lot better, is that I was hoping this would be one of the friendlier races given our dynamic,” Matlow said. “We’ve worked well together and we’ve worked well with others.”

In particular, he took aim at Mayor John Tory’s recent endorsement of Mihevc, a rare move by the mayor in an election where he has mostly declined to endorse ward candidates.    

“I was obviously taken aback by it and it was a difficult moment, but I don’t think it’s resonating among voters,” Matlow said.

The two-term councillor has vocally opposed the mayor on a number of issues, the main one being funding for a one-stop subway extension to Scarborough, a project viewed by many progressives on council as having more to do with politics than good planning.  

“I think we all know that his endorsement wasn’t so much about Joe but about trying to get rid of me,” Matlow said. “Ultimately if I disagree with spending billions of dollars on one subway station in Scarborough rather than providing better service for more people and not prioritizing things like relief on the subway line on Yonge, which is really impacting residents across the city, then I have a duty to say that.”

Mihevc countered that he received the mayor’s endorsement because he has a more collaborative style at council.

“I would disagree with that. I do not support the Scarborough subway, but it is about an approach, a way of being on city council,” he said.

Mihevc said he’s been endorsed by the mayor and a number of other politicians because they know he’s someone they can work with.

“It is really about them saying that they want someone on council that they can work with in a collaborative manner and that’s what the mayor is saying as well, that he wants someone that he can work with, not necessarily agree with, but that we can come together and when we come together, and when we do disagree we disagree in a more honourable and gentlemanly kind of way,” Mihevc said.

For his part, Matlow said he has worked well with the mayor and others in the past on issues where he has agreed with them, but that he feels it’s important to be vocal when you don’t agree.

Matlow also took Mihevc to task for sending out a series of robocalls in which Tory endorsed Mihevc as a candidate – calls Mihevc conceded he paid for.

In terms of important issues in the ward, both cited the need for better community space and several other issues.

“What the people of St. Paul’s are telling us is that they want us to focus on affordability, the high rents, neighbourhood and road safety, transportation, infrastructure, services, better park space – things that actually improve their lives and matter,” Matlow said.

Mihevc said he would work to create neighbourhood hubs to bring people together.

“There’s been a lot of brick and mortar development along Yonge Street, especially between Yonge and Mount Pleasant.,” he said. “We have not put together the human side of development – community development. What we need to do is something like what was done in the west end of the riding at Wychwood Barns to create a heart and soul for that community. People are saying ‘we don’t know our neighbours.’”

In addition to Mihevc and Matlow, four non-incumbents are also vying for the chance to represent the new ward.

Voters head to the polls across the city on Monday.