Paul Ainslie

Who is Paul Ainslie?

Paul Ainslie is a city councillor in Toronto, Canada. In 2006, he was appointed as an interim councillor in ward 41, and was then elected as the councillor for Ward 43 in Scarborough East.

On February 1, 2006, City Council appointed Ainslie to fill the vacancy in Ward 41 that was created when Bas Balkissoon was elected in a provincial by-election in the riding of Scarborough-Rouge River.

A condition of the appointment was that he would not run as a candidate in the 2006 election. However, when councillor David Soknacki announced his intention not to run in Ward 43, Ainslie put his name forward as a candidate to replace him. Ainslie used to be an executive assistant to Soknacki. Soknacki supported Ainslie's candidacy.

During the election campaign in 2006, a video surfaced which showed Ainslie promising to Toronto City Council not to run. "I will not run in Ward 41, or any other ward in the city." His campaign literature urged voters to "return" him to city hall. He said that his campaign team suggested using the word "re-elect". Ainslie said, "I didn't think it was proper." Despite the controversy, he elected in Ward 43.