Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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TORONTO — A former Liberal MP and federal housing minister is putting his hat in the ring for a Toronto city council seat.
Nate Erskine-Smith says he’s running to represent the east-end ward of Beaches—East York after “countless people,” including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, asked him to continue working in politics.
Erskine-Smith resigned his federal Beaches—East York seat last month after briefly serving as housing minister in Justin Trudeau’s final cabinet and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first cabinet.
After Carney removed Erskine-Smith from the housing file, he turned to Ontario provincial politics and ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Ontario Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest.
In a statement about his Toronto city council run, Erskine-Smith says he’s “faced a series of twists and turns in politics” but his desire to make the biggest difference he can is driving his ambition to return to public service.
Erskine-Smith says he will focus on advancing housing solutions, defending Toronto’s waterfront and enhancing city services.
The Beaches—East York race has one of the most crowded slates as Torontonians prepare to head to the polls on Oct. 26. Incumbent Brad Bradford is not running in the ward as he campaigns for mayor.
Erskine-Smith is competing with 10 other candidates for the seat, including CTV News journalist Natalie Johnson, who criticized his run in a social media video.
Johnson said Erskine-Smith is hopping into municipal politics as a “backup plan” after his ambitions in Ottawa and Queen’s Park were derailed.
“Representing Beaches–East York at city council is my first choice, not a last resort,” she said in the video.
Erskine-Smith defended his pivot.
“Federal politics was no longer sustainable with two young kids. Provincial renewal efforts went sideways,” he wrote in a statement. “I’m putting cynicism aside, answering the call, and stepping up to participate again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2026.
Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press
