Ward 24 — Scarborough-Guildwood

Biography: Incumbent Paul Ainslie has been on Council since 2006, when he was appointed as an interim councillor for the old Ward 41—Scarborough-Rouge River and subsequently ran and was elected in the old Ward 43—Scarborough East. He is currently chair of the General Government Committee and also sits on Executive Committee, the TTC board, the Toronto Zoo board, the Toronto Public Library board (which he formerly chaired), and many more, as well as working with inter-municipality organizations.

Over the years, Ainslie has closely allied himself with whoever the current mayor is, although he eventually broke from Rob Ford as the mayor’s scandals began to pile up. During this term, he hewed close to John Tory except on “strong mayor” powers, and has voted with Olivia Chow on virtually every key item—except the “bubble zone” bylaw, where he was one of a small number of councillors who consistently voted against restricting protests. He also tried and failed to have Guildwood Parkway excluded from the plan amendment permitting townhouses and low-rise apartments on major streets.

He has also championed and pushed to improve the city’s Open Data Portal.

He has been endorsed by former Scarborough city councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker.

Platform: Ainslie’s priorities include expanding housing options, building safe communities by partnering with the police and local organizations, and supporting local businesses. He wants to invest in public transit and safer roads and advocate for Scarborough not just at City Hall, but Queen’s Park and Ottawa.

Biography: Robert Bazil is an executive officer at the Guyana Consulate General in Toronto. His LinkedIn page says he’s the publisher and editor of Guyana Petroleum Digest, a currently inactive online publication about that country’s oil industry. Bazil is also a licensed paralegal and an award-winning former journalist and communications expert in Guyana prior to moving to Canada in 2008.

Bazil says he is part of the Miracle Arena for All Nations church. One pastor at this “charismatic” church has faced fraud charges; another has faced unproven allegations of financial exploitation, sexual violence (including against a minor), and trafficking.

Platform: Bazil says he will “Make Scarborough-Guildwood safe again,” by creating crime prevention programs for young people. He also says he will improve transit, work on more affordable housing, and focus on city-related issues like homelessness, addiction and traffic congestion.

His campaign website also says that he will create a city-funded program that will support single mothers.

Biography: No information could be found online about this candidate at the time of publishing.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available online at the time of publication.

Biography: Nachiappan “Nachi” Ramasamy is the president of the Tamil Nadu Cultural Society of Canada, a nonprofit that supports Tamil people in Canada. He has a background as a tool and die maker.

Platform: Ramasamy’s campaign website says he prioritizes safe school zones, flood protection, more frequent transit, and maintaining roads and infrastructure. He says he is committed to remaining transparent and communicative with the ward’s residents, if elected.

Biography: Arun Sivanandan is a real estate agent in Toronto.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available online at the time of publication.

Biography: No information could be found online about this candidate at the time of publishing.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available online at the time of publication.