Kevin Rupasinghe

The Mayor and City Council

I am laser focused on affordability and I will prioritize measures to improve the cost of living in Toronto. As a Cities engineer, I know how to build great cities where people can afford to live and move around easily. I want to build more affordable housing options and make transit more frequent and faster to get people moving and get cars off the road. I will bring my engineering skills and advocacy experience to ensure this is a city where everyone can find a home they can afford and move around safely and quickly.

Housing

First is using the City’s powers to build more affordable units to own and rent. Using public land to bring down costs so that nonprofit housing or co-op housing is built, and encouraging more family-oriented housing through zoning changes, will allow for more options that bring housing costs down. Second, the City can use its powers to give renters more suitable housing, by cracking down on negligent corporate landlords, by-lawing against unfair Above Guideline Increases, and getting more affordable rental built so renters have stable housing.

Cost of Living

Building more affordable homes is the single biggest priority. Giving people more options to raise their families in the neighbourhoods they grew up in, adding more density to our major streets, getting more affordable rentals built, and using public land to support nonprofit housing such as co-ops are all ways we can bring housing costs down. I also want to invest in public transit that is fast, frequent, and reliable, and bring in 10-ride fare capping, while making streets safe for kids to walk or bike to school, to save people money.

Safety in Public Spaces

Everyone deserves to be safe whether at home or on the move. I will redesign roads to be vibrant urban streets instead of dangerous highways to bring more foot traffic and eyes on the street, keeping us all safer. We also need to invest in more lighting at bus stops and parks, and to make sure that we are maintaining our infrastructure. I also want to invest in libraries and community centres so youth, adults, and seniors are staying connected to one another and out of trouble, and get more social and mental health workers to support residents.

Getting Around the City

As a transportation engineer, I will be uniquely able to help us all get moving. Everyone feels stuck though I know there are practical, effective solutions. I will bring a 10-minute bus network to Scarborough’s major roads to get more people on transit and out of their cars. I’ll speed up Eglinton Line 5, build platform edge doors in the subway to reduce delays, and get more safe routes for people to walk or bike for local trips, and properly maintain sidewalks year-round. More transport options = fewer car trips = drivers save time.

Confronting Hateful and Hostile Behaviour

Toronto thrives in its differences as an urban mosaic where everyone is able to be different. I have experienced those benefits & felt hostile behaviour firsthand. Where negative behaviours are the result of mental health problems I would work have the City get people off the street and into housing. I will work with City services to directly confront hateful individuals and groups including, where necessary, prosecuting offenders and enhancing police response training. And I will lead by example, listening to and welcoming all communities.