If groups are going to act like political parties, maybe we should just bring the party system to city hall, along with transparency.

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Did Rachel Chernos Lin win the Don Valley West byelection or did Progress Toronto? Whatever the answer, Chernos Lin clearly won with the support of Progress Toronto, a third-party campaign group that few people know about.

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Progress Toronto can now claim six city councillors and a mayor that they have helped to elect, along with their former executive director, Michal Hay, being installed as Mayor Oliva Chow’s chief of staff.

This organization runs training workshops for candidates as well as volunteers. They back candidates, and they oppose other candidates and try to defeat them.

In a municipal system that doesn’t have parties, Progress Toronto has become a defacto political party pushing their agenda. There is no group at City Hall with more sway and after the byelection on Monday, their power is only growing.

© Toronto Sun