In surprise byelection upsets, two political rookies have won seats on the Toronto District School Board, beating a former incumbent and a member of a Toronto political dynasty. Hastings was seeking to regain the TDSB seat he held from 2006 to 2014 until losing to Michael Ford. In the Downsview-area ward of York Centre, Montessori teacher Alexandra Lulka, 26, won the seat vacated by the late Howard Kaplan, who died in April. Lulka won by just 116 votes over presumed front-runner Erica Shiner, niece of Councillor David Shiner and granddaughter of former North York and Metro councillor Esther Shiner. Etobicoke business owner Avtar Minhas, 62, won the Etobicoke North seat vacated by former trustee Michael Ford, who quit the school board after 17 months to run to replace his late uncle Rob Ford on Toronto City Council.

Source: thestar July 26, 2016 21:56 UTC