Parthi Kandavel is back as city councillor for Ward 20 Scarborough Southwest, and his priorities include local decision-making, road safety, better transit and investment in parks, arts, culture and sports. 

Coun. Kandavel won the councillor seat in the 2026 Toronto municipal election with 35.99% of the vote, and will begin his first full term on Nov. 15. He was first elected councillor in the 2023 by-election. In this year’s race, Kevin Rupasinghe came in second with 30.93% and Sharmina Nasrin came in third with 8.86%.

The Green Line reached out to Kandavel to learn more about his priorities for the next four years. He didn’t respond to follow-ups, so we compiled promises and priorities shared during his campaign this election season. Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Scarborough-based decision-making: Kandavel says his top priority is making sure decisions about Scarborough involve its residents, from density to data centres.

• Road safety: Kandavel says he will champion traffic-calming where it’s needed, including adding speed humps, stop signs and new traffic signals.

• Better transit: Kandavel says he will advocate for a modern, accessible Warden Station and better frequency on overcrowded transit routes.

• Investment in arts and culture: Kandavel wants to invest in more public murals and City funding for Scarborough artists.

• Investment in parks and sports: Kandavel says he will advocate for new tennis, pickleball and basketball courts in his ward.

• Community benefits with growth: Kandavel says he will push for new child care, parks and public space with new housing units developed.

Here’s how Kandavel responded to election pledges shared by local organizations and advocacy groups:

• Kandavel fully pledged to all commitments under the Community-led Planning Pledge, which means he committed to funding community-led planning and centring community voices. 
• He didn’t sign or respond to TTC Riders’ pledge to push for more reliable, affordable, accessible, frequent, fast and safe public transit.
• He didn’t respond to Cycle Toronto’s pledge to improve cycling infrastructure in the city.
• He committed to all the demands raised by Toronto ACORN to give RentSafeTO teeth, stand up to Ontario, and tackle heat and affordability.
• He didn’t sign the Toronto Environmental Alliance’s pledge to commit to voting for a maximum temperature bylaw, plant trees in hot neighbourhoods, cut single-use trash at big events, pause approvals for big AI data centres and cut emissions.

Kandavel is also currently under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police, which hasn’t shared details. CTV News Toronto reported in May that the probe is related to developers alleging Kandavel asked for large amounts of money to approve projects in his ward.

What priorities would you like The Green Line to track and report on in the coming year? Leave a comment on this page.