For Amanda Coombs, another campaign for Ward 7 is less about introducing a new list of concerns than showing that she has continued working on the ones residents raised four years ago.
Coombs, now making her third run for the Humber River–Black Creek council seat, said conversations at the door continue to return to community safety, the cost of living, opportunities for young people and better programs for seniors. She said residents also connect safety to the everyday condition of their neighbourhoods—from uneven sidewalks and failed streetlights to the challenges faced by transit riders, seniors and people with disabilities.
Affordability sits near the centre of her campaign. Rent, grocery bills and property taxes are stretching households at different income levels, she said, while families supporting relatives with autism, cognitive delays or physical disabilities are asking for more help closer to home.
One proposal Coombs is already developing with a community partner is a produce-box program intended to reach households beyond traditional low-income eligibility limits. Her concept would use warehouse space to pack fresh-food boxes and distribute them through existing partnerships. She acknowledged that a larger program would need cooperation from municipal, provincial and federal governments, but argued that the City can build on food programs that are already working.
“No one should have to go to school or work hungry,” Coombs said. She wants the City to examine bulk purchasing and expand school breakfast and lunch programs, while helping community food initiatives reach families whose incomes may look adequate on paper but no longer cover basic costs.
Coombs also speaks about the campaign through lived experience. Raised in Humber River–Black Creek, she described leaving school early, later returning to complete her education, experiencing housing instability and at one point relying on food banks. She now holds a master’s degree and said those experiences shape the way she approaches residents who are trying to navigate complicated social systems.
Her professional and community work has included the Toronto Community Crisis Service, where teams respond to people experiencing mental-health or substance-use crises as an alternative to a police-led response. Through Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services, the non-profit she founded, Coombs has hired local youth, offered mentorship and employment support, and worked with young people involved in the justice system. She also described assisting five area food banks and running an intergenerational program that helps seniors learn digital skills.
If elected, Coombs said one of her central commitments would be creating an inclusive local centre for children with autism and other disabilities. Too many Ward 7 families, she said, must travel to Scarborough or Peel to obtain specialized supports. She also wants more housing that is genuinely affordable to lower-income residents, rather than relying on new condominium construction alone.
Her pitch to voters is built on consistency. Coombs said she did not step away from neighbourhood work after the last election and believes her mix of lived experience, crisis-response work and community programming allows her to understand residents across age, income and cultural lines.
Toronto’s municipal election takes place Monday, October 26. Coombs is one of three candidates currently listed by the City Clerk for Ward 7, Humber River–Black Creek.
Telephone: 647-581-7362
Website: voteamandacoombs.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/_amanda.coombs
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amanda.ingrid.coombs