Undecided? Here's your guide to voting in the Toronto election

Hey, it's a big day for your city.

Toronto voting stations open at 10 a.m. ET Monday and are set to stay open until 8 p.m. (no, you can't vote online.) Expect results a short time after that — CBC Toronto will have you covered on that front; here's how to watch.

So, will you vote today? 

If so, here's what you'll need, per Toronto Elections:

• Your voter card, if you have one (but don't worry, you don't need it).

• Remember, you'll need to be a Canadian citizen and over 18 to vote.

Oh, and here's a thing you should know: You don't have to vote for everyone on the list. That means you could pick a local councillor, but not pick a mayor. Or if your life doesn't intersect with the school system, you don't need to vote for a trustee.

We double checked: This will not spoil your ballot.

What are the big issues?

Toronto is facing a huge budget shortfall (partly driven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic), a housing affordability crisis, it's got infrastructure issues and plenty more to sort out.

CBC Toronto asked during the campaign and more than 250 of your neighbours weighed in with their biggest issues (let's face it, some were simple gripes) with the city.

Housing and road safety popped up most often — you can find more of what people said here.

But we also heard a lot about traffic congestion, the police budget and keeping Toronto's arts sector alive. Read those responses here.

I want to vote but I've done next to no research. Help!

OK, we'll keep this simple.

The mayor's race features John Tory, who has been in charge for eight years now, seeking re-election. He's running on, well, what he's been governing on. That means: Holding property taxes below the rate of inflation (though, that rate is far higher now than it has been in the past), continuing with the transit projects as they're currently planned and doing a bit more when it comes to tackling Toronto's housing crisis. Major projects like the hybrid rebuild of the Gardiner Expressway, which remains costly and controversial, will continue under Tory's watch.

Some of Tory's rivals want to upend that.

Urbanist Gil Penalosa has vowed to tear down that section of the Gardiner. He's also pitched a range of big ideas on the campaign trail, ranging from bus rapid transit lines to a "renovation revolution" that will let seniors subdivide their homes as a right.

Environmentalist Sarah Climenhaga, meanwhile, is running for a second time on a largely progressive plan but one that's also critical of the city's move to require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

CBC Radio's Metro Morning spoke with Tory, Penalosa and Climenhaga last week, which you may find helpful if you're comparing the three.

The campaign has also seen first-time candidates, including Chloe Brown, Stephen Punwasi and Jack Yan, challenge Tory at two major debates — here's coverage of the first and second.

There are actually 31 people running for mayor this time out.

You can read more about some of their backgrounds here, though not all responded to the six key questions CBC Toronto sent their way.

If you want to go directly to the source, some of the mayoral hopefuls have their own websites, which you can find here on the city's election page.

Alright, what about councillors?

It's hard enough to learn about Toronto's mayoral candidates, so it's totally not your fault if you don't know who's running to be your local councillor.

In fact, that's a huge part of why incumbents win almost all of the time in municipal elections (read more about that here).

But this election's different.

In eight wards, there is no incumbent running, leaving those spots on council a bit more up for grabs than normal. Those are: Etobicoke North, Willowdale, Davenport, Spadina-Fort York, Toronto Centre, University-Rosedale and now Scarborough North following the death of current councillor Cynthia Lai.

In most of those wards, there's a long list of candidates trying to win the job.

So who are they? We'll defer here to the Toronto Public Library's Know Your Vote T.O. site, which breaks down who is running and provides some information about the candidates' platforms.

Wait, we skipped a step. If you're wondering, "What ward do I even live in?" you can search this map from city hall. Do not feel embarrassed by this question — it's not like you're always asking your friends what "ward" they want to hang out in.

Speaking of maps that make no sense …

The maps when it comes to electing school trustees are actually different from the ones used for councillors.

If you're the parent of a school-aged kid or connected to a school community, you likely know this and have a better window into trustee issues than the general public.

Trustees do make big decisions when it comes to the school system — and Toronto's schools certainly have tough calls to make, just take a look at the repair woes they have to deal with — but if you feel unprepared to pick someone, you can certainly leave it out.