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Jaye Robinson
Robinson in 2010
Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
In office
December 13, 2018 – November 23, 2022
Preceded byJosh Colle
Succeeded byJon Burnside
Chair of Public Works
and Infrastructure Committee
In office
December 4, 2014 – December 12, 2019
Preceded byDenzil Minnan-Wong
Succeeded byCommittee dissolved
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 15 Don Valley West
In office
December 1, 2018 – May 16, 2024
Preceded byWard created
Succeeded byRachel Chernos Lin
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 25 Don Valley West
In office
December 1, 2010 – December 1, 2018
Preceded byCliff Jenkins
Succeeded byWard dissolved
Personal details
Born
Janet Joy Robinson

(1962-12-07)December 7, 1962
Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 16, 2024(2024-05-16) (aged 61)
SpouseWilliam Crossland

Janet Joy "Jaye" Robinson (December 7, 1962 – May 16, 2024) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Toronto City Council from 2010 to 2024. She was the chair of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) from 2018 to 2022. Robinson represented Ward 15 Don Valley West. She died in office on May 16, 2024.

Background

[edit]

Robinson was born in Orangeville, Ontario on December 7, 1962 to John “Jake” and Shirley Robinson (née Jackson).[1] Her parents named her Janet Joy but she went by Jaye.[1] She was a fourth-generation Torontonian;[2] her great-grandfather, John R. (Black Jack) Robinson,[3] was editor of the Toronto Telegram from 1888 to 1928.[4] Robinson’s grand aunt was Toronto Telegram political columnist, Judith Robinson.[5] She spent 20 years working for the City of Toronto, including as the director of events with the Economic Development and Culture Division, where she helped to organize Nuit Blanche.[2]

Political career

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Robinson ran for councillor in Ward 25 in the 2003 city council election against the incumbent Cliff Jenkins. The close race was marked by an election night error. The city website announced that, with all the ballots in, Jenkins had lost to Robinson by 30 votes.[6] However, only 90 per cent of the votes had actually been counted, and by the time the full count was completed two hours later, Jenkins had pulled into the lead by 80 votes and held on to win.[7]

Robinson ran again in Ward 25 in the 2010 city council election. It was a rematch of the 2003 election. This time, she narrowly defeated Jenkins, one of several incumbents that lost their seats in this election cycle.[8]

Robinson was re-elected in the 2014 city council election. During the 2014-2018 Council term she held several important Committee positions serving as Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) and as a member of the Executive Committee.[9] As PWIC’s chair she brought in and was in charge of the city’s first comprehensive road safety program known as Vision Zero.[10]

Robinson ran again for Councillor for Toronto City Council in the 2018 municipal election in the newly constituted Ward 15 Don Valley West, which has the same boundaries as the federal and provincial ridings with the same name. She defeated the incumbent councillor for former Ward 26, Jon Burnside.[11][12]

Following the election, Mayor John Tory announced that Robinson would serve as the chair of the TTC,[13] a position she held until 2022 when Tory appointed her to lead the city's plan for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[14] She continued to lead this team after Olivia Chow was elected in the 2023 mayoral by-election.[15] Alex Bozikovic, The Globe and Mail's architecture critic, described Jaye Robinson as "furiously anti-development".[16]

Illness and death

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Robinson was diagnosed with breast cancer and took a temporary leave of absence from council on October 29, 2019.[17] She returned to council meetings in November 2020, although her attendance was done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Robinson died – while still serving as a city councillor – on May 16, 2024, at the age of 61.[19][20] Following her death, City Council – on June 26, 2024 – approved the November 4, 2024 by-election to fill her seat.[21] Her son Sam Robinson ran in the by-election, and came in third.[22] He lost to school board trustee Rachel Chernos Lin.[23]

Electoral history

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2022 Toronto municipal election, Ward 15
Candidate Vote %
Jaye Robinson (X) 16,142 74.22
Sheena Sharp 2,780 12.78
David Ricci 2,438 11.21
Gregory Vaz 389 1.79
Source: City of Toronto[24]
2018 Toronto municipal election, Ward 15 Don Valley West
Candidate Votes Vote share
Jaye Robinson 16,219 49.22%
Jon Burnside 14,440 43.82%
Tanweer Khan 1,309 3.97%
Nikola Streker 583 1.77%
Minh Le 404 1.23%
Total 32,955
100%
Source: City of Toronto[25]
2014 Toronto election, Ward 25 [26]
Candidate Votes %
Jaye Robinson 19,066 83.24%
Richard Friedman 1,891 8.26%
Tanya Hostler 850 3.71%
Kim Diep 564 2.46%
Nikola Streker 534 2.33%
Total 22,905 100.00%
2010 Toronto election, Ward 25
Candidate Votes %
Jaye Robinson 9,258 45.49%
Cliff Jenkins (incumbent) 8,756 43.02%
Joanne Dickins 1,968 9.67%
Tanya Hostler 368 1.80%
Total 20,350 100%

Official results.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Councillor Jaye Robinson". Toronto. 2024. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Nicki (November 24, 2010). "City hall rookies 2010: Jaye Robinson". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "John Robinson Obituary". The Globe and Mail. August 11, 2012. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  4. ^ CP Staff (September 29, 1928). "J.R. Robinson, Noted Editor, Dies in Sleep". The Gazette. Montreal. The Canadian Press. p. 1. Retrieved May 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ CP Staff (December 18, 1961). "Award-Winning Political Columnist Dies Suddenly". The StarPhoenix. Saskatoon. The Canadian Press. p. 9. Retrieved May 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Star Staff (November 11, 2003). "GTA Votes: Toronto Results". Toronto Star. p. B2. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Rapp, Nick (November 12, 2003). "Erstwhile winner calls for probe into mix-up". National Post. Toronto: CanWest. p. A18. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Spears, John (October 26, 2010). "New mayor will face vastly different group". Toronto Star. pp. GT 1–2. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Powell, Betsy; Pagliario, Jennifer (December 5, 2014). "Meet team Tory". Toronto Star. p. GT2. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Spurr, Ben (July 20, 2018). "Bike lane guardian to push road safety in council run". Toronto Star. p. GT1. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ CTV Web Staff (October 22, 2018). "A look at Toronto's city councillors under the new 25-ward system". CTV News Toronto. Bell Media. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Westoll, Nick (October 13, 2018). "Toronto election 2018: Ward 15 Don Valley West". Global News. Toronto: Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Shum, David (December 12, 2018). "Mayor John Tory makes appointments to Toronto city council". Global News. Toronto: Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Jeffords, Shawn (November 24, 2022). "Tory puts key allies, newcomers in powerful positions at City Hall". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  15. ^ CBC News Staff (August 10, 2023). "These city councillors will play key roles in Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's new term". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  16. ^ Bozikovic, Alex (August 26, 2022). "Toronto Mayor John Tory's housing plan could bring real change. But is he ready for a fight?". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Wilson, Codi (October 29, 2019). "City councillor Jaye Robinson undergoing treatment for breast cancer". CP24. Toronto: Bell Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  18. ^ Rider, David (November 25, 2020). "Jaye Robinson returns to city council after 'very dark days' of cancer treatment during the pandemic". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 25, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Spurr, Ben; Hasham, Alyshah; Habibinia, Mahdis (May 17, 2024). "Toronto city councillor Jaye Robinson, the four-term North York representative, has died". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Jones, Ryan Patrick (May 17, 2024). "Toronto Coun. Jaye Robinson dies at 61". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  21. ^ Lavoie, Joana (July 2, 2024). "Byelection to be held in Toronto's Don Valley West on Nov. 4". CP24. Toronto: Bell Media. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  22. ^ Spurr, Ben; Cohen, Ben (November 4, 2024). "Rachel Chernos Lin beats Anthony Furey in Don Valley West byelection". Toronto Star. Toronto: Torstar. Archived from the original on November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  23. ^ CBC Staff (November 4, 2024). "Rachel Chernos Lin wins race for Ward 15 council seat: unofficial results". CBC News. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 4, 2024.
  25. ^ "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2018.
  26. ^ "2014 General Election Results for City Ward 25 - Don Valley West". Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  27. ^ City Staff (October 26, 2010). "Toronto Vote 2010 election results". Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
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