Ying Hope

Who was Ying Hope?

Ying L.K. Hope P. Eng. was a Chinese Canadian politician, Toronto Public School Board trustee and Metro Toronto Councillor and Toronto Alderman.

Hope's grandparents, great uncles and aunts emigrated from China to Victoria, British Columbia in the 1880s as part of a wave of Chinese immigrants working on the railway and in mines. His father and uncle established "Wo Hope Tailoring". Though the family's surname was Low, it was assumed by the doctor delivering Ying Hope that the family surname was Hope so it is that name that was put on his birth certificate.

He left Canada in 1946 to study engineering at the University of Washington, earned his degree, and settled in Toronto. He was elected an alderman on Toronto City Council in the 1969 municipal election representing Ward 5 after having previously been a school trustee. He remained on council until he was defeated in the 1985 municipal election by Ron Kanter. He won a seat as a Metro Councillor representing Midtown Ward in a 1987 by-election but was defeated the next year, in the 1988 election, by Ila Bossons. He attempted to return to council again in the 1991 election but was defeated by John Adams in Ward 13 by a narrow margin of 747 votes.