The New Power Set: five young Torontonians on the verge of greatness

JAGMEET SINGH, 34 In 2011, Singh, a trilingual lawyer and mixed martial arts fighter, won Bramalea-Gore-Malton—defeating the two-term Liberal incumbent—for the NDP. He’s gained a profile by fighting for lower car insurance rates, gathering enough public support that Premier Wynne was forced to adopt the cause. Finance minister Charles Sousa has promised a 15 per cent reduction in the next two years.

ANDREW WIGGINS, 18 He’s a major reason why basketball is growing faster than hockey here (thousands of fans came to see him play at an exhibition game at McMaster). In July, he casually mentioned that he’d love to play for his hometown Raptors, triggering euphoria among Toronto’s basketball obsessives­—though the stars would have to align for the Raptors to acquire the number one pick.

GRANT VAN GAMEREN, 32 Since exiting the nose-to-tail restaurant Black Hoof in 2011, the self-taught chef has left a trail of imitators trying to integrate charcuterie and offal into their menus. In March, he opened Bar Isabel at College and Ossington, where he’s branched out to offer a Spanish twist on just about anything he feels like. In true Catalan style, a line snakes out the door late into the night.

JENNA BITOVE, 29 By day, she’s a stylist at the Bay’s couture shopping nook The Room, helping socialites look their smashingest. By night, she’s a red carpet mainstay, usually wearing dresses by her favourite Canadian designers (who come to her for help). In June, the Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell came calling for advice on outfits for the MuchMusic Video Awards.

Photographs: Menkes courtesy of Menkes Development; Singh by Felix Wong; Wiggins by Jeff Jacobsen, courtesy of Kansas Athletics; van Gameren by Ryan Szluc; Bitove by George Pimentel