On September 24, Innis Town Hall hosted a student-led discussion with mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat. The former city planner, who announced her campaign for mayorship last July, took questions from students and talked policy, John Tory, and Doug Ford.

The event was organized by the Urban Studies Student’s Union (URSSU), and was moderated by Anjuli Solanki – an urban planner and the Director of Community Programming at the STEPS Initiative.

The sold-out event was perhaps URSSU’s most well-attended in the union’s history. Online tickets for the event sold out early last week and the 190-seat auditorium was nearly filled.

Fresh off her first performance at yesterday’s mayoral debate, the evening began with Keesmaat discussing the importance of youth involvement and participatory budgeting in municipal governance, both of which she hopes to expand if elected next month. The candidate argued that initiatives like these, some of which she implemented while serving as Chief Planner three years ago, are key to ensuring the city’s priority is the people.

The conversation quickly pivoted towards more pressing issues as microphones reached the audience, which was largely made up of students. Questions raised dealt with Keesmaat’s transit plan, safe streets, and her political opponents.

One student questioned how the candidate proposed to fund her extensively detailed transit plan, which comes with a $50 billion price tag according to a Globe and Mail article published last month. Keesmaat argued that the price of her plan will be reduced when the province uploads the cost of the Scarborough Subway extension, something the Ford government committed to in August.

Keesmaat also discussed the flanks of her platform, which aim to reduce Toronto’s notorious geographic and racial inequality. The candidate touted her commitment to expanding transit, establishing neighbourhood policing programs, and expanding services to the city’s racialized, low-income suburbs.

Keesmaat also didn’t hesitate to take aim at current mayor, John Tory, saying that the mayor’s flagship transit program, Smart Track, “turned out to be nothing.” She further criticized Tory’s failure to open the city’s armories for respite during a cold spell last winter, and Premier Ford’s council-cutting Bill 5.

The evening concluded with the mayoral candidate’s plea for young people to vote. Torontonians head to polls to elect one mayor, 25 city councillors, and 22 school board trustees on October 22.