Five candidates signed up so far for Scarborough Southwest councillor byelection

By AMARACHI AMADIKE, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Nominations for the vacant Ward 20 Scarborough-Southwest seat on Toronto Council officially opened on Thursday, Sept. 7. As of noon on Friday, Sept. 8, five candidates had already filed their nomination papers with the City of Toronto.

The council seat became open after Gary Crawford relinquished his seat this summer in order to run in the July 27 byelection held for the vacant Scarborough-Guildwood MPP position which he did not win. Crawford was first elected as a councillor for Scarborough Southwest in 2010 and held the seat since then, including being re-elected in the October 2022 municipal election.

The byelection date for the Scarborough Southwest councillor position is Nov. 30.

Runners up to Crawford in last year’s municipal election, Parthi Kandavel and Kevin Rupasinghe who finished second and third respectively, were among the first to sign up this week as candidates for the Scarborough Southwest councillor byelection.

“I’m running to represent Scarborough Southwest and be an active voice in City Hall that implements immediate strategies to relieve the affordability, accessibility, and safety pressures so many of us are feeling,” said Rupasinghe.

Kandavel, who served Scarborough Southwest as the Toronto District School Board Trustee from 2014 until 2022 when he resigned to pursue a seat in Toronto Council, expressed progressive ideas which he believes will positively impact the community.

“Communities are the lifeblood of any city,” said Kandavel. “My community matters to me. I was raised and have lived here for over 35 years. My wife and I are raising our family here. Scarborough Southwest urgently needs a new enthusiastic, progressive, and genuinely strong voice at City Hall. I’m here to be that voice.”

Also signing up on Thursday was Suman Roy, who is the Founder and Executive Director of Feed Scarborough.

He has been a longtime advocate for food security and affordability issues across Scarborough and the entire City of Toronto. Roy is also a member of Toronto’s Board of Health, appointed as a citizen member earlier this year, but is now on leave for the byelection.

Sudip Shome and Trevor Sutton were also registered as candidates for the Scarborough Southwest councillor byelection as of noon on Sept. 8.

Nominations for the bylection are open until Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. Candidates are required to file nomination papers with a $100 fee in order to be eligible. Those interested in running for the vacant council seat are also required to provide at least 25 nomination endorsements from eligible voters.

Nominations must be filed in person at Toronto City Hall (100 Queen St. W).

For more information, please visit https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/

— 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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