By AMARACHI AMADIKE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The date for the byelection for the open Toronto Council seat in Scarborough Southwest has been set for Thursday, Nov. 30.
Following former councillor Gary Crawford’s resignation – a decision he made after deciding to run for a seat at Queen’s Park – Toronto’s City Clerk has now released key campaign information for the upcoming Scarborough Southwest byelection.
After declaring the Toronto Council seat in Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest vacant earlier this month, City Clerk John D. Elvidge announced on Aug. 28 that nominations for Ward 20’s byelection will begin on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 8:30 a.m. with interested residents having until Monday, Oct. 16 to register their candidacy.
With the Municipal Elections Act mandating that a byelection must be set 45 days after nomination day, voting day to select Scarborough Southwest’s new councillor will be Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting will also be available from Saturday, Nov. 25, until Sunday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The byelection date is set without influence from Toronto Council.
Candidates are reminded that they are forbidden from acquiring campaign funds through any avenue until they have filed their nomination documents with the City of Toronto.
So far, former candidates Parthi Kandavel and Kevin Rupasinghe have announced their interest in running again after losing to then incumbent, Crawford, in the 2022 municipal election. Kandavel finished second with 29.8 per cent of the votes while Rupasinghe came in third place after garnering 13.7 per cent of voter support.
Further details on the byelection, including information for voters in Scarborough Southwest, are expected to become available later this month.
For more information about the byelection, including the candidate nomination process and third party advertiser registration, please visit https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/2023-by-election-councillor-ward-20-scarborough-southwest/
— Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.
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