Ford favours ward byelection if Holyday or Milczyn leave

If one of two Toronto councillors win a seat at Queens Park, Mayor Rob Ford says he believes a byelection should be held to elect a replacement.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has called five byelections that will all be held on Aug. 1.

Two of those bylelections are being held in Toronto, in the ridings of Etobicoke-Lakeshore and Scarborough-Guildwood.

In Etobicoke-Lakeshore, two Toronto councillors, Doug Holyday and Peter Milczyn,are vying for the same seat.

Holyday is running for the Progressive Conservatives, Milczyn is the Liberals' candidate. P.C. Choo, who is not a Toronto councillor, is running as the candidate for the New Democrats in that same riding.

On Sunday, Ford said that if either Holyday or Milczyn depart Toronto City Hall, that will result in council having to choose whether to appoint someone to fill the vacancy or hold a byelection.

Ford said that if that scenario unfolds, a byelection should take place.

"You cannot put a price on democracy," Ford told listeners on his weekly Newstalk 1010 radio show.

The forthcoming provincial byelections were triggered by the exit of five Liberal MPPs in recent months, including former premier Dalton McGuinty.

Even if the Liberals manage to hold on to the five seats up for grabs, they will remain a minority government. At present, they hold 48 seats in the Ontario legislature, compared to 36 for the Progressive Conservatives and 18 for the New Democrats.

The byelections will be the first to take place since Wynne took the reins of the Ontario Liberal Party in January.

Former councillor will run in eastToronto riding

Elsewhere in Toronto on Sunday, the New Democrats nominated Adam Giambrone to be their candidate in the byelection held in Scarborough-Guildwood.

Giambrone previously served for two terms as a city councillor in Ward 18 Davenport. He also served as the chair of the TTC.

In seeking a provincial seat, Giambrone said that was impressed with Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and wanted to help get results for people living in the east Toronto riding.

On Sunday, he suggested that it's time for the governing Liberals to go.

"It's an out-of-touch government thats been around for over 10 years and I think I'm looking for a change," Giambrone said.

He'll be up against Mitzie Hunter, who has been nominated as the Liberal candidate, and Ken Kirupa, the candidate for the Progressive Conservatives.

In 2010, Giambrone sought to become the mayor of Torontobut dropped out of the race less than two weeks after announcing his bid after a university student came forward revealing that the two had been involved in an intimate relationship.

In the spring of that same year, Giambroneannounced he would not be running for re-election.