The Issues in Ward 3:

‘Meeting Them Where They Are’
At Sistering, harm reduction means providing more than a space to sleep and the tools to use drugs safely.

“We Had to Save Ourselves”
When the pandemic hit Peel, it wasn’t the government that stepped in, but an army of citizens that mobilized to feed their neighbours, set up pop-up clinics, and demand better for their community.

“Somebody Is Going to Get Hurt”
Inspections at industrial workplaces in Ontario fell nearly 30 percent in the last decade, according to analysis by The Local. In the same period, critical injuries more than doubled.

“You Can’t Stop the Spread of the Virus if You Don’t Stop it in Peel”
Not enough support, not enough testing, not enough vaccines—Peel has been neglected at every step of the pandemic, and the results have been devastating.Not enough support, not enough testing, not enough vaccines—Peel has been neglected at every step of the pandemic, and the results have been devastating.

A Blurring Vision
Ms. Palmer is 93 and slowly losing her eyesight. Like so many seniors, she wants to keep living alone.
About the Ward
Scarborough Southwest is bordered by Eglinton Avenue to the north, Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Markham Road to the east, and the lake to the south. At 57 percent, the ward has a large visible minority population, with a significant proportion being South Asian. At $78,561, the ward’s average household income is 25 percent lower than the city average. Incumbent Gary Crawford has served on city council since 2010.
Where the Candidates Stand
For a ward with an incumbent, there are a fair number of challengers to Crawford—seven in total. They include Parthi Kandavel, the incumbent TDSB Trustee for Ward 18, Kevin Rupasinghe, a community advocate, and Lorenzo Berardinetti, a former city councillor in pre-amalgamation Scarborough and MPP.
The matrix below provides a head-to-head comparison of where council candidates stand. The Local combed through city council records to review all the decisions made over the last four years and identified a dozen votes that are the most telling on key issues: homelessness, transportation, housing, policing, taxes, and the environment. We then sent the challengers a survey asking them how they would have voted on those same 12 motions, and compared the results to Crawford’s votes.
Three candidates responded to The Local’s survey.
Here Are the Takeaways
- All the candidates that responded had very progressive views—in fact, they had the same voting record, save Corey David, who did not answer whether he would consider a personal vehicle tax.
- This puts all three in opposition to Crawford, who had the exact same voting record as John Tory except on one issue: Crawford voted against a stormwater charge.
- All three candidates who responded to our survey supported cutting the police budget to fund rent supplements.
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Information in Candidate Tracker was compiled and written by The Local’s team of journalists and fact checkers. City council candidates were emailed a questionnaire asking for information about their history, experience, and plans. They were also surveyed about their stances on twelve key votes that took place in the 2018-22 council term. Not all candidates were reachable or responded. The Local also conducted its own research to independently source and verify information about each city council and school trustee candidate. If you’re a candidate whose information is not here, please email us at elections@thelocal.to. Last updated: October 22, 2022.
Contributors: Inori Roy, Ann Marie Elpa, Nikky Manfredi, Danielle Orr, H.G. Watson, Emma Buchanan, Dhriti Gupta, Zeahaa Rehman, Neville Park, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Tai Huynh, Craig Madho, Steve Combes, and Lia Mattacchione.