Irene Jones
| Irene Jones | |
|---|---|
| Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 6) Etobicoke-Lakeshore | |
|
In office December 1, 2000 – November 30, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Mark Grimes |
| Toronto City Councillor for (Ward 2) - Lakeshore Queensway | |
|
In office January 1, 1998 – November 30, 2000 |
|
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Etobicoke City Councillor for Ward 1 | |
|
In office December 1, 1988 – December 31, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Helen Wursta |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Residence | Mimico |
| Occupation | NGO Executive director |
Irene Jones is a former municipal councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A member of the social democratic New Democratic Party, she served on the Etobicoke and Toronto councils from 1988 until 2003, when she stood down to seek election to the provincial legislature.
Jones was the director of Storefront Humber during the 1980s, providing home support services to elderly residents of Etobicoke and Mississauga. Jones, a Mimico resident, also served as chair of Home Share Etobicoke, was a member of the Toronto District Health Council, and helped establish the New Toronto Nursery School.
Jones first campaigned for the Etobicoke council in 1985. The election night returns showed her losing to her conservative rival, Helen Wursta, by only ten votes. Her requests for a recount were turned down by the city, and a judge ruled in January 1986 that too much time had passed for a court-ordered scrutiny of the votes (although the judge also ruled that the council was certainly aware of ballot irregularities when it turned down Jones's request). In the aftermath of these events, Bob Mitchell of the Toronto Star wrote that the real result of the election would never be known for certain.
She sought election to the Etobicoke council again in 1988, arguing that the city should purchase waterfront properties for recreational use rather than sell them to developers. She was listed as forty-one years old during the campaign. This time, Jones defeated Wursta by an almost two-to-one margin.
Jones was frequently critical of development projects approved by the Etobicoke council. She voted against a high-rise condominium project at Kingsway-on-the-Park, arguing that it set a "dangerous precedent" for the city. She also argued that the redevelopment of the Lakeshore Blvd. area was proceeding at too quick a pace. Jones was especially critical of the council's approach to development issues, saying "While we do planning studies, we frequently don't do financial impact studies. We have to look at the ability of the average taxpayer in Etobicoke (to pay for) the urban responsibility of servicing all the residential redevelopment."
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