Kevin Rupasinghe

Young people should be able to find a home close to their parents without staying in their basements, and seniors deserve to downsize in the same areas they spent their lives in. Allowing buildings with more units provides the gentle density we need in areas that people already want to live in.

Encampments are never the answer, but neither is dispersing their residents without giving them a place to go. We need a holistic Housing First approach to prevent homelessness before it starts and rapidly get anyone experiencing homelessness into a home of their own that they can trust is safe.

Congestion is a key issue for Toronto, and is holding back our entire economy. I am uniquely positioned as a transportation engineer to lead City Council forward in using the transportation assets we have as efficiently as possible so we can get Toronto moving without blowing through our budget.

Absolutely we need funding from provincial and federal governments, and a diverse set of local revenue tools, such as a commercial parking levy, so that we stop over-relying on the property tax base.

Yes, transparent reporting is essential to project management and control, and provides accountability and improvement opportunities in any context, including the City's projects.

These all must work together. However, the biggest gap we can fill is in crisis and prevention services. The Toronto Community Crisis Service has diverted more than 75% of mental health & wellness calls away from police, allowing them to focus on critical matters.

Civilian services such as traffic wardens or Toronto Community Crisis Service social and health workers can much more cost-effectively resolve issues than relying on police, as can automated enforcement such as streetcar cameras. Then policing resources can stay focused on the most critical items.

Automated enforcement such as red light cameras or streetcar cameras save lives and resources. Only the City and its services should have access to that data, with minimal retention, appropriate training, and disciplinary measures. Private sector groups like FLOCK should never have access.

All of these are needed, they go together, and a piecemeal approach will continue to fail delivering Toronto residents the transit we deserve. Frequent, reliable service is the fastest win through our operating budget, and major capital investment will be needed for State of Good Repair & expansion.

Moving people and goods needs to be the priority on streets, as well as ensuring they are vibrant places for commerce. As well as passenger capacity, deliveries, trades, emergency vehicles and accessibility need to be designed in too.

More affordable homes are the only answer to Toronto's housing crisis. A new wave of social housing is part of supporting a new generation struggling with affordability, and would bring serious benefits: decreasing homelessness, crime, and health costs, while increasing access to jobs and education.

The biggest role we can play in the short-term is as a partner, but the City will have to take on a much larger role as direct provider. I intend to champion both of these approaches to tackle housing affordability.

Growth needs to be handled across the city, with different measures in different contexts. Our major corridors and transit hubs have the most potential to support new residents leveraging existing infrastructure.

This is one area where standards and more automatic approvals for reasonable proposals will help government more efficiently deliver in service of residents who need affordable places to call home.

Introducing a commercial parking levy would bring $0.5 to $1.5 billion per year which could be invested into our infrastructure.

We have to be pragmatic and work with what we have, building partnerships whenever there are shared goals. Part of a Councillor's role should be to also advocate so that provincial counterparts share the same priorities as local representatives, so there are more partnership opportunities.

I don't believe the Ford government thought these through when creating strong mayor powers. There could be a model where Ontario mayors take a stronger executive role, but that will need work. As it stands, it is better to work with Council on issues, and I'd like to see municipal ranked ballots.

An ambitious plan for the future must be built on a solid foundation of the basics. I'm going to work hard to make sure people can safely and efficiently move along our roads now while we deliver major housing and infrastructure projects for the future, on time and on budget.

Provincial legislation will interfere with some options to 'Accelerate', but there are many opportunities to build a safe, connected cycling network, including in the inner suburbs, while complying with provincial laws. I'm committed to seizing those opportunities to make streets safe for everyone.

We have a right to freedom of expression & peaceful assembly enshrined in the Charter. Restricting protest opens us to costly litigation. Intimidation, harassment, & assault are illegal under the Criminal Code. Adequate planning & enforcement can allow protest while mitigating any safety concerns.

Critical services & infrastructure that residents rely cannot be cut. We need to diversify our revenue streams beyond over-relying on the property tax base, to ensure shortfalls don't happen. Over time, I am committed to applying my engineering efficiency to ensure every resource is well-spent.

Starting with basic maintenance is important, but major improvements and stronger programming and activities are vital as well.

Funding would be most vital, however regulatory reform and protection from displacement are crucial to ensuring we have a thriving arts and culture scene across Toronto.

Toronto needs to be proactive and quick with regulating this tech or we risk a repeat of what happened with Uber; the world is changing fast and our elected leaders need to keep up.