Three candidates step forward to represent Ward 5 in municipal election

June 18, 2026 · 0 Comments

Aurora’s Ward 5 will have a new Councillor this fall as incumbent John Gallo seeks the Town’s top job, and the race is now on to represent its residents.

Three residents stepped forward last week to put their name on the ballot, eager to represent the Ward they call home: paralegal and karate instructor Charity Dela Cruz-Toupin, educator Jessie Fraser, and Olympian-turned-educator Milton Hart.

CHARITY DELA CRUZ-TOUPIN

Charity Dela Cruz-Toupin has been a long-time resident of Ward 5 and says she can bring a fresh voice and perspective to the Council table as someone who emigrated to Canada.

“There needs to be a new perspective since the Town is growing bigger and better,” she says. “As a paralegal, I listen to problems and try to solve problems, or at least represent what [clients] want done. I want to do that as a Councilperson – I want to listen to what people need, what they want done, and find a solution for how it’s going to be done. I’m not a traditional politician where I will promise you it’s going to be done, but I’m here to listen and then I will help you find a way.”

There are “a lot of voices” in Aurora not being heard, she says, and she promises to be a listener.

Looking specifically at Ward 5, safety is a top priority. Students, particularly those attending the new Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School, need safer pathways to walk to school as they contend with traffic and speeding. Another priority is to increase voter engagement within Ward 5.

“I’m just your regular mom that lives in Aurora,” she says. “I encounter the same problems as everybody else, so I am going to advocate for better programs for the seniors, because there are a lot of programs that the Town offers, but I find it’s not being utilized well by the seniors who live in the area. For kids, I really want the Town to offer more programs that could develop their love for sports, the arts, and stuff like that.

“This is my new home, so I want to be able to represent other families like me – just ordinary families, but we want to be the voice of Aurora. It’s now time to not just be a bystander and just be a doer.”

JESSIE FRASER

Fraser, a resident of Ward 5 for 15 years, has been a community volunteer since she moved into the community and currently serves on Aurora’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee.

“I love being involved in my community, that’s one of my passions, but there are things I think that could be improved in the community,” she says.

With a Masters degree and Doctorate in education, one reason Fraser says she’s thrown her hat into the ring is to combat misinformation and improve communications.

“I’m looking at accountable, transparent leadership, community engagement and communication, and advocating for equity and inclusion,” she says. “To my mind, those three spheres are very intersectional…. While people love this community, there is some discord and there’s also some disconnect. I think all of those things come from a lack of clear information available, misinformation often – not necessarily coming from any given particular source, just misinformation in general.

“I’m passionate about education and social justice, but I think that background in education is going to help facilitate a clear understanding of what is happening and, therefore, communication with the community of what is going on…. I think that the diversity in Aurora is one of our strengths, but I think that is something that can be improved through these layers of transparency and community communication and engagement and advocating for inclusion. I think that these layers of leadership that I can bring to the role will help to lead to better collaboration with all members of the community, and, in particular, Ward 5.”

MILTON HART

A former Olympian, member of the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame, and long-time educator, Hart filed his nomination papers on Monday, stating it’s all about “taking care of the community I’ve come to know and love.”

“It’s about responsible growth in the sense that there’s a culture here, it’s a character that needs to be maintained, and it needs to be cherished,” says Hart, a resident of Aurora for 22 years. “I came here in 2004, and similar to my military career, similar to my teaching career, I want to work amongst people. I want to partner, I want to collaborate, and I think this is a very good time in my existence where, having seen a lot, having done a lot, I think I’m well-suited to give back a lot to the Aurora community.”

Ward 5, he says, is a “microcosm of the wider Aurora community” and he wants to advocate for “responsible development and responsible growth.”

“The culture and the character that we have come to love, we need to maintain that. There are things we need to demand of our developers; the houses we have need to be diverse because people are getting older, some people are getting richer, some people are getting poorer, and we certainly need to be diverse in our housing… so that we can all live here.”

Combatting crime is also a priority, he says, along with fiscal responsibility and community engagement.

“It’s about making sure that we continue to be the best place on the planet to live,” he says. “I chose Aurora for a reason, and I’ve stayed for a reason. There are so many different places I could have gone. I want people to understand that it’s all about every single person. Nobody should be left behind and it’s about lifting everybody. You should be able to prosper in Aurora, and that’s what I’m about.”

Residents have until August 21 to register as a candidate for Mayor, Ward Councillor, or education trustee.

The 2026 Municipal Election will take place October 25.

In the lead-up to the election, The Auroran will post individual, in-depth profiles with each registered candidate.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter