Rachel Chernos Lin

Ward 15's previous councillor, Jaye Robinson, was diagnosed with breast cancer and took a temporary leave of absence from council on 29 October 2019.^[11] She returned to council meetings in November 2020, although her attendance was done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12] Robinson died – while still serving as a city councillor – on 16 May 2024, at the age of 61.^[13][14] Following her death, City Council – on 26 June 2024 – approved the 4 November 2024 by-election to fill her seat.^[15] Her son Sam Robinson ran in the by-election, and came in third.^[1] Near the end of the campaign progressive candidates Dhruv Jain and Evan Sambasivam suspended their campaigns – too late to remove their names from the ballot – and endorsed Chernos Lin due to fears of splitting the vote and enabling an Anthony Furey victory.^[16] On election night, Cherson Lin won almost 55 percent of the vote, and her closest competitor, Furey, came a distant second with roughly 31 percent of the vote.^[17] Voter turnout was slightly better than the 2022 general election at 31 percent, which was somewhat unusual for a municipal by-election.^[16]