Jamaal Michael Anthony Myers is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has been the chair of the

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...

(TTC) since August 11, 2023. Myers has represented

Ward 23 Scarborough North Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...

since November 15, 2022. Before entering politics, he worked as a corporate lawyer.

Early life and education

Jamaal Michael Anthony Myers was born in Scarborough to Jamaican parents and raised in

Toronto Community Housing Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) is the public housing agency in Toronto, Ontario. A municipally owned corporation, municipal corporation of the Municipal government of Toronto, City of Toronto, TCHC provides approximately 60,000 unit ...

. He attended the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

, graduating in 2006 with a bachelor's in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, before completing a master's in

comparative politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...

and research methodology at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

in 2007. Myers earned a law degree from the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...

in 2013.

Career

Myers was previously employed at

TD Bank Toronto-Dominion Bank (french: links=no, Banque Toronto-Dominion), doing business as TD Bank Group (french: links=no, Groupe Banque TD), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. ...

and was promoted to senior legal counsel in 2020, with his work focusing on

environmental, social and corporate governance ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) data reflect the negative externalities (costs to others) caused by an organization with respect to the environment, to society and to corporate governance. ESG data can be used by investor ...

(ESG). He served as vice-chair of TAIBU Community Health Center and director of the Scarborough Business Association. Moreover, he was a volunteer with HousingNowTO and Scarborough Transit Action.

Political career

Myers was elected to

during the

2022 Toronto municipal election The 2022 Toronto municipal election was held on October 24, 2022, to elect the mayor and 25 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District ...

, replacing the late incumbent

Cynthia Lai Cynthia Lai ( ; ; October 19, 1954 – October 21, 2022) was a Canadian politician who represented Ward 23 Scarborough North on the Toronto City Council from 2018 to 2022. Background Lai immigrated from Hong Kong and moved to Canada in 1972. ...

who died days before the municipal election on October 21, 2022. Due to her death, Lai's votes were not counted. Myers ran on a platform of affordable housing, easier access to healthcare, increased funding and more buses for the

(TTC) in wake of the

Line 3 Scarborough Line 3 Scarborough (originally known as the Scarborough RT or SRT) is a light rapid transit line that is part of the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The line runs entirely within the suburban district of Scarborough, encompas ...

closure, as well as maintaining the ActiveTO program. He was endorsed by the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', Toronto & York Region Labour Council, and Progress Toronto. Myers began his first term on council by releasing a statement alongside other councillors opposing the ''Better Municipal Governance Act, 2022'', which is a controversial provincial legislation which would give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa the power to pass local bylaws with only a third of city council’s support. Myers was appointed as chair of the

(TTC) Board on August 11, 2023, by Mayor

Olivia Chow Olivia Chow (; born March 24, 1957) is a Canadian retired politician who was a federal New Democratic Party (NDP) member of Parliament (MP) representing Trinity—Spadina from 2006 to 2014. Chow ran in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, placin ...

Electoral history

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Jamaal Living people Toronto city councillors Black Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian politicians Year of birth missing (living people)