Kids Vote Weekend

Victory tastes sweet! Sugar Maple has been elected Toronto's 2027 Tree of the Year and will be celebrated at a tree planting event on November 3.

Image of the Sugar Maple winner of kids vote weekend Toronto's 2027 Tree of the year. Text reads introducing Toronto's 2027 Tree of the Year Sugar Maple. Victory tastes sweet. There are the five leaf icons that represent the candidates.

More than 10,000 young voters cast their ballots during the first ever Kids Vote Weekend held during advance voting for Toronto’s municipal election. After receiving 4,549 votes, Sugar Maple has been elected as Toronto’s 2027 Tree of the Year! See the official results below.

For more details about how the Sugar Maple will be featured in special plantings and activities in 2027, visit Tree of the Year.

Kids Vote Weekend ballots were hand counted after the close of voting. Sugar Maple received 4,549 votes and has been elected as Toronto’s 2027 Tree of the Year.

Sugar Maple – Winner!

4,549 total votes

Orange icon image for kids vote weekend of a sugar maple leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face that is winking.

Red Oak

2,036 total votes

Red icon image for kids vote weekend of a red oak leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face that is winking.

Basswood

1,551 total votes

Yellow icon image for kids vote weekend of a basswood leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face.

White Pine

1,133 total votes

Green lines icon image for kids vote weekend of a white pine needles with a cartoon-like smiley face.

Paper Birch

913 total votes

Green icon image for kids vote weekend of a paper birch leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face.

 

Ballot Totals

  • Total valid ballots = 10,182
  • Total rejected ballots = 67
  • Total ballots = 10,249

Ward by Ward Results

The following are the vote totals for each of the tree candidates by each City ward.

*A rejected ballot refers to no clear voter intent.

Ward Total Votes Basswood Paper Birch Red Oak Sugar Maple White Pine *Rejected Ballots
1 255 41 34 47 124 9 1
2 377 61 36 94 149 37 2
3 434 68 54 92 179 41 5
4 466 75 34 90 203 64 2
5 584 113 50 106 262 53 10
6 286 40 26 56 128 36 2
7 159 27 16 29 67 20 1
8 571 68 50 113 284 56 7
9 631 83 62 125 271 90 3
10 379 46 32 98 147 56 4
11 321 39 38 58 136 50 3
12 603 90 45 135 265 68 9
13 336 61 23 56 156 40 1
14 706 122 58 152 281 93 2
15 241 36 16 40 118 31 1
16 252 27 33 47 122 23 1
17 685 114 54 140 324 53 2
18 451 61 35 77 224 54 0
19 694 102 61 146 292 93 2
20 497 82 49 86 228 52 3
21 247 33 28 45 115 26 2
22 215 41 12 41 109 12 0
23 253 38 33 50 115 17 3
24 239 38 18 49 115 19 0
25 300 45 16 64 135 40 1

 

The winning tree of the year will be celebrated at a tree planting event on November 3 and featured in other special plantings and activities in 2027, including:

  • 1,000 tree plantings on public land across Toronto.
  • Trees offered to Toronto schools to plant on school property.
  • Free trees available at public tree giveaway events.

Visit Tree of the Year for more details.

The Basswood, Paper Birch, Red Oak, Sugar Maple and White Pine were selected as candidates for Toronto’s 2027 Tree of the Year because they are large trees native to Toronto that play an important role in our urban forest.

These trees are found throughout Toronto’s green spaces, parks and streets and can be easily identified using the resources on this webpage.

Basswood

  • Basswood makes amazing shade, great for staying cool on hot days.
  • In summer, Basswood grows sweet-smelling flowers full of sugary nectar that pollinators love.
  • Basswood grows smooth and even, making it a traditional favourite for carving or making musical instruments.

Check out this candidate’s profile and learn interesting facts.

Watch this candidate’s educational video.

Yellow icon image for kids vote weekend of a basswood leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face.

Paper Birch

  • Paper Birch is fast-growing when it is young, helping establish new forests quickly.
  • Paper Birch has bright white and papery bark with dark lines making it easy to recognize.
  • Paper Birch has tiny seeds that can float long distances on the wind, helping new trees grow in different places.

Check out this candidate’s profile and learn interesting facts.

Watch this candidate’s educational video.

Green icon image for kids vote weekend of a paper birch leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face.

Red Oak

  • Many animals love Red Oak’s acorns, including blue jays, chipmunks, deer, squirrels and turkeys.
  • Red Oak’s leaves provide important food for caterpillars, which later turn into moths and butterflies.
  • Red Oak grows deep root systems that help them to stay strong in storms and prevent soil erosion.

Check out this candidate’s profile and learn interesting facts.

Watch this candidate’s educational video.

Red icon image for kids vote weekend of a red oak leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face that is winking.

Sugar Maple

  • Sugar Maple is famous for its extra sweet sap – pass the pancakes!
  • Sugar Maple seeds spin like little helicopters as they fall to the ground.
  • In the fall, Sugar Maple puts on a colourful show with orange, red and yellow leaves.

Check out this candidate’s profile and learn interesting facts.

Watch this candidate’s educational video.

Orange icon image for kids vote weekend of a sugar maple leaf with a cartoon-like smiley face that is winking.

White Pine

  • Many animals snack on the seeds hiding in White Pine’s cones, especially squirrels and birds.
  • White Pine keeps its needles all year round, creating cozy shelter for wildlife.
  • White Pine often grows to be the tallest tree in the forest.

Check out this candidate’s profile and learn interesting facts.

Watch this candidate’s educational video

Green lines icon image for kids vote weekend of a white pine needles with a cartoon-like smiley face.

The following are suggested teacher activities that can be used in the classroom to help prepare students for Kids Vote Weekend and voting for Toronto’s Tree of the Year.

Stage a Candidates Debate

Divide the class into teams representing each of the five candidate trees.

Using the candidate profiles, challenge each team to deliver short speeches, poems, songs and skits demonstrating why their preferred candidate tree deserves to be Toronto’s Tree of the Year.

Share a Kids Vote Weekend Voting Plan

Using the path of the voter, take students through the steps required to participate:

  • Learn about the five candidate trees
  • Find out where and when to vote
  • Learn what to expect at the voting place
  • Find out the results of the vote and how the Tree of the Year will be celebrated in 2027

Design Election Campaign Materials

Using the candidate profiles, challenge students to create campaign materials supporting their favourite candidate tree and present them to the class. Suggested materials include:

  • Posters
  • Pamphlets
  • Scripts for radio, television or social media

Invite students to highlight unique characteristics of their favourite candidate tree and its role in the environment through beautiful artwork, persuasive language and punchy slogans. Student work can be displayed on a dedicated bulletin board or uploaded to an online classroom.

Kids Vote Weekend Field Research

Using information found in the candidate profiles, take students on a schoolyard or neighbourhood walk to look for candidate trees. Collect and examine fallen leaves and needles, acorns and pinecones, take bark rubbings, make sketches and more.

Create a class display of the candidate trees using your collections alongside interesting facts from the profiles.

Share the following resources and activities in your learning spaces to encourage all young people to participate in Kids Vote Weekend.

View more audio and visual resources about the 2026 Toronto Municipal Election.

Date modified: October 23, 2026