Preceded by Joe Pantalone Name Mike Layton Nationality Canadian Role Canadian Politician | Spouse(s) Brett Tryon (m. 2012) Parents Jack Layton Education University of Toronto | |
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Occupation Deputy Outreach Director Grandparents Robert Layton, Doris Elizabeth People also search for Jack Layton, Olivia Chow, Robert Layton, Sally Halford Profiles | ||
Jack Layton Teaches His Son Mike About Taking A Stand: BEST STORY EVER
Michael "Mike" Layton (born November 16, 1980) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to Toronto City Council in the 2010 city council election to succeed Joe Pantalone in Ward 19. He was re-elected in 2014.
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Background
Layton is the son of former federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader and former city councillor Jack Layton and his first wife Sally Halford and step-son of Layton's second wife, former NDP Member of Parliament for Trinity—Spadina and city councillor Olivia Chow. He is the great-great-great-nephew of William Steeves, a Father of Confederation.
Layton married his wife Brett Tryon, a program coordinator for the charity Environmental Defence Canada, on Toronto Island in 2012 near the location where Jack Layton and Olivia Chow were married in 1988.
Layton has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and environmental management from the University of Toronto where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and a Master of Arts in environmental sciences from York University. After graduating, he worked for Environmental Defence, a national environmental charity eventually becoming deputy outreach director. He was also the coordinator for the Green Energy Act Alliance. He worked as a bartender and manager at a restaurant on King Street West for six years.
In the 2013 CBC Television film Jack, he is portrayed by Conrad Sweatman as an adult and Mitchell Kummen as a child.
Politics
In 2010, he ran as a candidate in Ward 19 to replace Joe Pantalone who retired to run for mayor. Layton won the election with more than double the vote total of his closest rival, Karen Sun.
In 2011, fighting against proposed budget cuts by Mayor Rob Ford, Layton helped save a women's shelter and a community pool in Stanley Park.
In 2011, Layton took issue with an advertisement for the Toronto Argonauts. Layton claimed that it condoned domestic violence. The football team subsequently replaced the advertisement.
Layton was an outspoken critic of plans to build a casino resort in downtown Toronto in 2012. Coordinating efforts with the grassroots campaign against the casino, his motion opposing the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commissions casino expansion plans passed 40–4 at Toronto City Council.
Working with residents in the Liberty Village neighbourhood in Toronto, Layton worked to try to get cheaper fares on the regional transit system Go Transit to improve public transit in downtown Toronto.
Layton pushed Toronto City council to develop a new home energy retrofit plan that passed with unanimous support in 2013 which allows homeowners to repay home energy efficiency loans over their municipal property taxes.
Layton has been voted Best Toronto City Councillor in 2012 and 2013 and was nominated in the Torontoist along with No Casino Toronto as superheroes of 2013.
For the gold medal hockey game in the 2014 winter Olympics, Layton gained passage of a motion to allow bars to open earlier to serve alcohol during the game.