Mike Layton

Mike Layton
Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 19) Trinity-Spadina
Assumed office
December 1, 2010
Preceded by Joe Pantalone
Personal details
Born Michael Layton
(1980-11-26) November 26, 1980
North York, Ontario, Canada[1]
Nationality Canadian
Spouse(s) Brett Tryon (m. 2012)
Parents Jack Layton
Sally Halford
Occupation Deputy Outreach Director
Website http://mikelayton.ca

Michael "Mike" Layton (born November 16, 1980)[2] is a Canadian politician, who was elected to Toronto City Council in the 2010 city council election to succeed Joe Pantalone in Ward 19.[3] He was re-elected in 2014.

Background

Mike Layton at his campaign party with his father Jack Layton.

Layton is the son of former federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader and former city councillor Jack Layton and his first wife Sally Halford and step-son of Layton's second wife, former NDP Member of Parliament for Trinity—Spadina and city councillor Olivia Chow.[3] He is the great-great-great-nephew of William Steeves, a Father of Confederation.[4]

Layton married his wife Brett Tryon, a program coordinator for the charity Environmental Defence Canada, on Toronto Island in 2012 near the location where Jack Layton and Olivia Chow were married in 1988.[5]

Layton has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and environmental management from the University of Toronto where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and a Master of Arts in environmental sciences from York University. After graduating, he worked for Environmental Defence, a national environmental charity eventually becoming deputy outreach director. He was also the coordinator for the Green Energy Act Alliance.[6] He worked as a bartender and manager at a restaurant on King Street West for six years.[7]

In the 2013 CBC Television film Jack, he is portrayed by Conrad Sweatman as an adult and Mitchell Kummen as a child.

Politics

In 2010, he ran as a candidate in Ward 19 to replace Joe Pantalone who retired to run for mayor. Layton won the election with more than double the vote total of his closest rival, Karen Sun.

In 2011, fighting against proposed budget cuts by Mayor Rob Ford, Layton helped save a women's shelter[8] and a community pool in Stanley Park.[9]

In 2011, Layton took issue with an advertisement for the Toronto Argonauts. Layton claimed that it condoned domestic violence. The football team subsequently replaced the advertisement.[10]

Layton was an outspoken critic of plans to build a casino resort in downtown Toronto in 2012. Coordinating efforts with the grassroots campaign against the casino, his motion opposing the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commissions casino expansion plans passed 40–4 at Toronto City Council.[11]

Working with residents in the Liberty Village neighbourhood in Toronto, Layton worked to try to get cheaper fares on the regional transit system Go Transit[12] to improve public transit in downtown Toronto.

Layton pushed Toronto City council to develop a new home energy retrofit plan[13] that passed with unanimous support in 2013 which allows homeowners to repay home energy efficiency loans over their municipal property taxes.

Layton has been voted Best Toronto City Councillor in 2012 and 2013[14] and was nominated in the Torontoist along with No Casino Toronto as superheroes of 2013.[15]

For the gold medal hockey game in the 2014 winter Olympics, Layton gained passage of a motion[16] to allow bars to open earlier to serve alcohol during the game.

Election results

2014 Toronto election, Ward 19
Candidate Votes %
Mike Layton 21,014 83.66%
Scott Bowman 2,490 9.91%
Albina Burello 964 3.84%
George Sawision 649 2.58%
Total 25,117 100%
2010 Toronto election, Ward 19[17]
Candidate Votes %
Mike Layton 9,125 45.387%
Karen Sun 4,207 20.925%
Sean McCormick 3,650 18.155%
Jim Likourezos 1,313 6.531%
David Footman 518 2.576%
Karlene Nation 417 2.074%
Rosario Bruto 398 1.98%
George Sawision 356 1.771%
Jason Stevens 121 0.602%
Total 20,105 100%

References

  1. Layton, Jack (2004). Speaking Out: Ideas That Work for Canadians. Key Porter Books. p. 27. ISBN 1-55263-577-5.
  2. "Jack Layton: A timeline of his accomplishments". CBC News. 22 August 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Mike Layton joins parents in victory". National Post, October 25, 2010.
  4. "William Henry Steeves". ancestry.com. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  5. Robertson, Dylan C. (26 August 2012). "Councillor Mike Layton marries Brett Tryon on Toronto Island". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  6. Mike Layton: chip off the old block?, CBC.ca, 26 February 2010.
  7. About Mike, Mike Layton, city councillor Ward 19 Trinity-Spadina. Last accessed 27 August 2011.
  8. Councillor leads charge to save home for at-risk women. Toronto Star, Dec 04, 2011.
  9. Fairhaven, Stanley Park pools go dry. Toronto Star, Dec 01, 2011.
  10. Mean old Argos fold for Mike Layton. Toronto Sun, July 26, 2011.
  11. Councillors vote down downtown Toronto casino. "CBC News", May 21, 2013.
  12. Integrated TTC-GO fare urged for Liberty Village riders. Globe and Mail, Oct 23, 2013.
  13. Province proposes new path for financing energy, water conservation. Toronto Star, Jun 22, 2012.
  14. Best City Councillor. Now (newspaper), Dec 31, 2013.
  15. 2013 Hero: No Casino Toronto and Mike Layton. Torontoist, Dec 31, 2013.
  16. Mike Layton wants bars serving drinks at 6 a.m. for Olympic hockey. "CBC News", Feb 13, 2014.
  17. "Councillor - Ward 19: 41 out of 41 polls reporting". City of Toronto. 26 October 2010.
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