Joe Mihevc
Encyclopedia
Joe Mihevc is a city councillor in Toronto
, Canada
. He represents one of the two St. Paul's
wards, Ward 21 St. Paul's.
. They became refugees in the war and immigrated to Canada in 1948. Mihevc grew up in the Toronto area of Dufferin and Eglinton, an ethnic working class area that borders the northwest corner of his ward. A Catholic
, Mihevc obtained a PhD in theology and became a professor of ethics at the University of Toronto
. Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, the Catholic Archbishop of Toronto
, is from the same Slovenian village. Mihevc is a strongly progressive Catholic and has been active in social justice, human rights and anti-war issues.
, and defeated incumbent Tony Mandarano, who had been facing corruption charges. Backed by the New Democratic Party
, he rose to be deputy mayor of York.
Following the amalgamation of York with the five other municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto
, which he opposed, Mihevc was elected to the new Toronto city council. In 2000, redistricting resulted in an election battle with right-leaning councillor Rob Davis. The election was marred by an anonymous telephone campaign that attempted to paint Mihevc as anti-Semitic. This was especially odd as Mihevc had done his master's thesis on the Holocaust
, and was backed by a number of prominent rabbi
s. Controversy also developed when Mayor of Toronto Mel Lastman
endorsed Davis, despite an earlier pledge to remain neutral. Despite this, Mihevc won with a large majority.
He was chair of Toronto's World Youth Day
, and from 2000 to 2003 was chair of the health board. He was in that position during the 2003 SARS outbreak. He also shepherded through a ban on the use of lawn pesticide
s.
Mihevc is the vice-chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
and was one of the strongest supporters of the St. Clair Avenue streercar right-of-way, arguing that it was part of a rejuvenation and gentrification of the St. Clair West neighbourhood. The original price of $48 million in 2004 increased past $106 million by the project's completion in 2010. Legal challenges by local residents had to be overcome. The construction delays and reduced parking have also appeared to negatively affect local businesses, with a reported noted that seven shops have closed down on St. Clair between Oakwood to Dufferin. A report by a consultant for the TTC found numerous faults with the project, among them a lack of centralized project management. Mihevc was quoted as saying “I had a full head of hair when I started this project, and now I’m counting the ones left.”
Despite a high-profile challenge from former pre-amalgamation Toronto mayor John Sewell
, Mihevc was easily re-elected to city council in the 2006 election
.
In 2008, Mihevc stepped down as chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee but he maintained his membership upon the city's powerful Executive Committee as a councillor at-large. He remains as Vice-chair for community development.
Mihevc was re-elected by a substantial margin in November 2010, earning nearly 10,000 of the 17,500 votes cast and approximately 56% of the ward's popular vote.
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He represents one of the two St. Paul's
St. Paul's (provincial electoral district)
St. Paul's is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.The small but densely-populated riding covers the area to the north of Downtown Toronto...
wards, Ward 21 St. Paul's.
Background
His family was originally from a small village in SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. They became refugees in the war and immigrated to Canada in 1948. Mihevc grew up in the Toronto area of Dufferin and Eglinton, an ethnic working class area that borders the northwest corner of his ward. A Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Mihevc obtained a PhD in theology and became a professor of ethics at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. Aloysius Matthew Ambrozic, the Catholic Archbishop of Toronto
Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto
This is a list of the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto was created out of the Diocese of Kingston December 17, 1841....
, is from the same Slovenian village. Mihevc is a strongly progressive Catholic and has been active in social justice, human rights and anti-war issues.
Politics
He first ran for office in 1991 in the old City of YorkYork, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
, and defeated incumbent Tony Mandarano, who had been facing corruption charges. Backed by the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
, he rose to be deputy mayor of York.
Following the amalgamation of York with the five other municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
, which he opposed, Mihevc was elected to the new Toronto city council. In 2000, redistricting resulted in an election battle with right-leaning councillor Rob Davis. The election was marred by an anonymous telephone campaign that attempted to paint Mihevc as anti-Semitic. This was especially odd as Mihevc had done his master's thesis on the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, and was backed by a number of prominent rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s. Controversy also developed when Mayor of Toronto Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
endorsed Davis, despite an earlier pledge to remain neutral. Despite this, Mihevc won with a large majority.
He was chair of Toronto's World Youth Day
World Youth Day
World Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....
, and from 2000 to 2003 was chair of the health board. He was in that position during the 2003 SARS outbreak. He also shepherded through a ban on the use of lawn pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s.
Mihevc is the vice-chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
and was one of the strongest supporters of the St. Clair Avenue streercar right-of-way, arguing that it was part of a rejuvenation and gentrification of the St. Clair West neighbourhood. The original price of $48 million in 2004 increased past $106 million by the project's completion in 2010. Legal challenges by local residents had to be overcome. The construction delays and reduced parking have also appeared to negatively affect local businesses, with a reported noted that seven shops have closed down on St. Clair between Oakwood to Dufferin. A report by a consultant for the TTC found numerous faults with the project, among them a lack of centralized project management. Mihevc was quoted as saying “I had a full head of hair when I started this project, and now I’m counting the ones left.”
Despite a high-profile challenge from former pre-amalgamation Toronto mayor John Sewell
John Sewell
John Sewell, CM is a Canadian political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1978 to 1980.-Background:...
, Mihevc was easily re-elected to city council in the 2006 election
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
.
In 2008, Mihevc stepped down as chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee but he maintained his membership upon the city's powerful Executive Committee as a councillor at-large. He remains as Vice-chair for community development.
Mihevc was re-elected by a substantial margin in November 2010, earning nearly 10,000 of the 17,500 votes cast and approximately 56% of the ward's popular vote.
Election results
| 2010 Toronto election Toronto city council election, 2010 For information on the campaign for mayor see Toronto mayoral election, 2010The 2010 Toronto council election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect councillors to represent Toronto's 44 wards at Toronto City Council... , Ward 21 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Mihevc | 9,824 | 56.2 |
| Shimmy Posen | 5,328 | 30.5 |
| Peter Nolan | 921 | 5.3 |
| Beth McLellan | 644 | 3.7 |
| Alex Freedman | 454 | 2.6 |
| Marius Frederick | 295 | 1.7 |
| Total | 17,466 | 100 |
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
| 2006 Toronto election Toronto municipal election, 2006 The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest... , Ward 21 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Mihevc | 8,092 | 56.7 |
| John Sewell John Sewell John Sewell, CM is a Canadian political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1978 to 1980.-Background:... |
3,326 | 23.3 |
| John Adams | 2,712 | 19.0 |
| Tony Corpuz | 150 | 1.1 |