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Jessica Bell (politician)

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For the Australian author, see Jessica Bell (author).

Jessica Bell
MPP
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for University—Rosedale
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byConstituency established
Critic, Housing
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 13, 2022
LeaderMarit Stiles
Critic, Transit
In office
August 23, 2018 – June 2, 2022
LeaderAndrea Horwath
Personal details
NationalityCanadian, American
Political partyNew Democratic
Residence(s)Toronto, Ontario, Canada
OccupationPolitician, community organizer

Jessica Bell is a Canadian politician who has represented University—Rosedale in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2018, as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP).

Bell is the Opposition Housing Critic[1] in the legislature. Prior to being elected, she was the founding executive director of TTCriders, an advocacy group campaigning for improvements to the Toronto Transit Commission.

Bell has also been a lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, and director of the California Food & Justice Coalition.[2]

She has a long history of community organizing and grassroots activism. Bell has been arrested twice at peaceful demonstrations, including at a 2004 environmental demonstration in Seattle.[3][4] At the time of her arrest, her legal name was “Jessica Bell Markham”.[4][5]

Politics

[edit]

In 2018, Bell was named the Ontario NDP's critic for transit. The same year, she introduced a private member's bill, Bill 62, Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act. The bill proposed increased penalties for vehicle drivers who injure or kill pedestrians, cyclists, or first responders. Bill 62 was not voted on by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario before it was dissolved for the 2022 Ontario general election.[6] Bell proposed two further related bills in 2019 and 2020; one which required the reporting of dooring accidents and another which would have established a Vision Zero strategy in Ontario, respectively. Neither bill was considered by the Legislature.[7][8]

Bell was reelected in the 2022 Ontario general election.[9] After the election her critic portfolio changed to housing.[10]

In 2024, Bell criticized the Progressive Conservative government for ordering the demolition of bike lanes in Toronto and removing legal protections for injured cyclists.[11]

Bell is a dual U.S./Canadian citizen and publicly announced that she had voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 US Presidential Election.[12]

Electoral record

[edit]
2025 Ontario general election: University—Rosedale
The 2025 general election will be held on February 27.
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Jessica Bell
New Blue Dylan Harris
Liberal Pam Jeffery
Green Ignacio Mongrell
Progressive Conservative Sydney Pothakos
Total valid votes/expense limit
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters
2022 Ontario general election: University—Rosedale
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Jessica Bell 13,961 37.55 −12.11 $96,148
Liberal Andrea Barrack 10,172 27.36 +5.30 $120,103
Progressive Conservative Carl Qiu 6,535 17.58 −3.53 $43,740
Green Dianne Saxe 5,904 15.88 +10.51 $118,893
New Blue James Leventakis 469 1.26   $47
Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda John Kanary 140 0.38   $0
Total valid votes/expense limit 37,181 99.49 +0.45 $121,100
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 189 0.51 −0.45
Turnout 37,370 43.20 −13.43
Eligible voters 86,192
New Democratic hold Swing −8.71
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023.
2018 Ontario general election: University—Rosedale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Jessica Bell 24,537 49.66 +25.39
Liberal Jo-Ann Davis 10,898 22.06 -26.04
Progressive Conservative Gillian Smith 10,431 21.11 +2.98
Green Tim Grant 2,652 5.37 -1.69
New People's Choice Daryl Christoff 284 0.57
Independent Doug MacLeod 220 0.45
Libertarian Ryan Swim 206 0.42
Go Vegan Paulo Figueiras 106 0.21
Special Needs Hilton Milan 78 0.16
Total valid votes 49,412 99.04
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 480 0.96
Turnout 49,892 56.63
Eligible voters 88,097
New Democratic pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Jessica Bell | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Riding Association". Ontario NDP. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  3. ^ ""Horwath defends activist NDP candidate, says people do 'radical' things for change"". CBC News. 31 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b ""Horwath defends activist candidates, says people do 'radical' things for change"". CTV News. 31 May 2018. pp. Video interview + article.
  5. ^ Clarridge, Christine (19 March 2004). "Protesters charged with sabotage of construction site". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Bill 62, Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act, 2018". ola.org. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Bill 148, Doored But Not Ignored Act, 2019". ola.org. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Bill 185, Vision Zero Strategy Act, 2020". ola.org. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  9. ^ "NDP Jessica Bell is re-elected in University—Rosedale". Toronto: Toronto.com. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Interim Official Opposition Leader Peter Tabuns names NDP deputy leaders, critics". Ontario NDP. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ Carter, Adam (21 November 2024). "Injured cyclists can't sue province under amendment to new Ontario bike lane bill, NDP says". Toronto: CBC News. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Jessica Bell's Twitter account".
  13. ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 8. Retrieved 20 January 2019.


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