Karina Lemke for University–Rosedale
Toronto City Council · University–Rosedale
When Toronto Works, Toronto Wins
I am not a career politician.
I am a lifelong Torontonian who remembers what this city was: clean, safe, practical, creative, compassionate, and full of possibility.
I have also watched, with growing concern, as too many parts of Toronto have become harder to live in, harder to move through, harder to do business in, and harder to recognize.
What began as concern has become resolve. Resolve to stop accepting preventable problems as permanence.
I am running because Toronto needs less ideology and better judgment. Policies should not pursue a single goal while ignoring all the consequences that come with it.
I am running because taxes keep rising while basic services keep regressing. Residents are paying more and receiving less. That is not sustainable.
I am running because our streets, parks, and public spaces should not be covered with weeds, garbage, graffiti, and neglect. Clean streets are not a luxury. They are a basic sign that a city still respects itself.
I am running because open drug use on our streets is not compassion. Leaving people in crisis to deteriorate in public is inhumane. We need real treatment, real housing pathways, real mental health support, and real accountability.
I am running because affordable housing matters, but how we build matters too. We need planning that protects the character, scale, and vitality of the neighbourhoods that make this city worth living in.
I am running because traffic has become unbearable. Poor planning, endless construction, and road changes made without proper consultation are costing people hours every week. That time is taken from families, work, health, and life.
I am running because the combination of litter, towers that trap heat, and traffic forced to idle next to red lanes, are negatively impacting our climate and stability.
I am running because seniors, people with disabilities, parents, caregivers, and small businesses are being cut off by policies that forget that not everyone can bike, walk, or take transit for every trip. A city should be for everyone, and planned with accessibility built in from the start.
I am running because small businesses are being asked to survive decisions they were never properly consulted on. They are the backbone of our main streets, our local economy, and our neighbourhood identity.
They need fewer barriers, clearer rules, and a City Hall that understands what it actually takes to keep doors open.
I am running because antisemitism is out of control. Every single person deserves to feel safe in their practice of faith, and most especially their ability for their children to attend school without fear or danger or intimidation.
Toronto was once a city that worked. It was safe, clean, vibrant, and admired. We do not have to accept decline as the price of being a big city. Good intentions are not good enough.
We can do better.
This is not about anger. It is about resolve.
- Resolve to return City Hall to core services.
- Resolve to listen to residents rather than lecture them.
- Resolve to bring common sense back to planning.
- Resolve to make Toronto work.
I will be a councillor who returns calls, answers emails, listens carefully, and works hard to solve problems with the community. I will be a practical, approachable, and accountable voice for this ward.
Toronto is where I was born, raised, and chose to build my life. I want my son, and one day his children, to inherit a city that is safe, hopeful, livable, and worthy of its promise.
That is why I am running. And that is the work I am ready to do.
My Platform
I have heard the same pain points from people across University–Rosedale, and I will commit to a constituency office. The ward has not had one since 2022. I plan to bring the same level of service I have given my wedding planning clients to the residents of Ward 11: concierge-level service, with each member of staff maintaining specific portfolios, so that residents receive a response within 48 hours, an actual assessment of the request, and a plan of action to follow. If businesses can care for their customers, then your councillor and City Hall need to start treating residents as valued customers too. The time has come for citizens to expect and receive better service.
01Safe Homes, Safe Streets, Safe Neighbourhoods+
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and neighbourhood.
Learn more →02Fix the Basics and Fiscal Responsibility+
Taxes have risen 24% over the last three years. We are paying more and getting less.
Learn more →03Getting Around Toronto+
Transit that works and feels safe. Congestion planning that doesn't politicise every part of every street. Access to the curb for those who need it.
Learn more →04Building Neighbourhoods for Everyone, with Everyone+
University–Rosedale is lucky to have some of the city’s most important character neighbourhoods. We need development, but it must be thoughtful and in keeping with the community that is already established.
Learn more →05Small Business Champion+
Fighting for the shops and the people behind them. They give every block its soul, and fund our country.
Learn more →06Ending Antisemitism+
No one left unprotected, and no room for hate. Not here, not anywhere in our ward. Zero tolerance.
Learn more →Two minutes with Karina
Hear it from her.
Upcoming Events
Where I’ll be.
September 2026
What’s coming up
Nothing on the calendar just yet.
Events are being planned now. Join the mailing list below and you’ll be the first to hear when meet-and-greets and canvasses go up.
More events go up as they’re scheduled.
Want Karina at something you’re hosting? Invite her to your neighbourhood.