Toronto 2026/Ward 25/Dharshan Casinathen
DC

Dharshan Casinathen

Campaign site
Website
Running for
Councillor
Ward 25
Scarborough-Rouge Park
Days until polls open
29

About Dharshan

Written by Dharshan Casinathen in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.

Dharshan Casinathen is a lifelong Scarborough resident, husband, father, community advocate, entrepreneur, and corporate leader running for Toronto City Council in Ward 25, Scarborough–Rouge Park.

Born and raised in Scarborough, Dharshan’s journey began in music. After studying audio engineering, he worked as a musician, radio host, and live sound engineer before building businesses and establishing a successful career in corporate leadership. His experience across the arts, entrepreneurship, and business has taught him how to bring people together, solve problems, and turn ideas into measurable results.

Dharshan is running because Ward 25 deserves leadership that understands the community and is accountable for delivering for it. As a father raising his family in Scarborough, he sees the challenges residents face every day, including unreliable transit, poorly maintained roads and parks, concerns about community safety, and the need for stronger local programs and services.

His campaign is focused on building a safer, moving, and thriving Scarborough–Rouge Park. Dharshan will bring practical leadership, fresh energy, and a results-driven approach to City Hall while ensuring residents remain at the centre of every decision.

Born and raised in Scarborough, Dharshan is ready to stand up for the community that shaped him.

Show Me The Results.

Our questionnaire

Where Dharshan Casinathen stands

Dharshan Casinathen’s own answers to the questions we put to every candidate, published as given — including, where they wrote one, their reasoning in their own words.

Five decisions facing the next council

Should Toronto permit substantially more housing as-of-right in every ward, including areas currently dominated by detached and semi-detached homes?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    No

    I need to understand this topic more before committing to a yes.

When a person living in a park has been offered an available indoor space that meets their accessibility, safety and household needs, should the city require them to leave the encampment?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Yes

Should Toronto introduce road-pricing measures, such as congestion charges or tolls, if the revenue is dedicated to transportation improvements?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    No

    Unsure, as citizens already are taxed, but there should be tolls for people to come into the city.

Should Toronto raise additional local revenue to address its infrastructure repair backlog rather than defer maintenance while seeking funding from other governments?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Yes

    But it can not be through raising property taxes

Should Toronto publish project-level budgets, schedules and performance updates for all major capital projects?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Yes

    Transparency is critical

Public safety and public space

Which approach should receive the greatest additional investment to improve public safety?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Lighting, maintenance, sanitation and active use of streets and parks

Over the next council term, the Toronto Police Service budget should:

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Remain approximately constant after inflation

    We need to find room for neighborhood patrols. This does not mean increasing the budget, instead, looking at the line items and finding a solution. Policing and all other services and spending in the city needs to be reviewed by line item to understand where are can become more efficient.

How should Toronto govern automated licence-plate readers and similar surveillance technology used on public streets?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing

Transit and transportation

What should receive the greatest share of the next available transit funding?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    New rapid-transit lines and extensions

    Scarborough has had enough. Subway extension is not enough for the amount of commuters we have. The East Eg extension needs to get done.

When there is not enough street space for every use, which should generally receive priority?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Deliveries, trades, emergency vehicles and accessibility

Housing and growth

If Toronto could make one major housing intervention this term, which should receive the greatest emphasis?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Reduce approval times, development charges and other city-imposed costs

What should be Toronto's primary role in delivering affordable and supportive housing?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Supply land, funding and incentives to non-profit and private providers

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Concentrate growth on major streets and near rapid transit

City government and service delivery

Which change would you implement to reduce the cost of building housing in Toronto?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Expand as-of-right zoning and automate routine permits

What is the most important change Toronto should make to reduce capital-project delays and cost overruns?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Prevent councillors from altering scope after approval without identifying funding

    Also, keep vendors accountable for delays.

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Expand permanent city staff and internal operational capacity

    This question is not fair, I don’t understand why I need to do any of these options.

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

Over the next council term, residential property-tax revenues should generally:

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Grow approximately with inflation and population

Which type of additional revenue should Toronto rely on most heavily?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Property taxes or new municipal income or sales taxes, if authorized

What should Toronto do first to address its infrastructure repair backlog?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Introduce a levy or other recurring source reserved for maintenance

Governance and representation

What should be Toronto's primary approach to the provincial government?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Plan budgets and services on the assumption that substantial new provincial support will not arrive

    There also needs to be alignment and advocacy, but we need to keep our city growing whether those two strategy’s work or not.

Strong mayor powers should be used mainly for:

  • Dharshan Casinathen    the powers should sit unused regardless of who holds them

Your ward and your record

Which objective should receive the greatest attention in your ward during the next council term?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Transit, roads, parks, waste collection and local infrastructure

Which single result should voters use to assess your performance at the end of the term?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Safer, cleaner and better-maintained streets and public spaces

Priorities and trade-offs

When demonstrations substantially block transportation or access to essential institutions, the city should prioritize:

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Protect protest subject to clear rules for locations, access routes and duration

Where should Toronto direct its next major technology investment?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Procurement, finance, staffing and administrative efficiency

When Toronto faces a structural operating-budget gap, what should it do first?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Reduce internal administration, staffing or contract costs

What is the most important municipal intervention for improving Toronto's business climate?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Accelerate permits, inspections and approvals

How should Toronto attract major employers, investment and events?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Concentrate resources on a small number of industries where Toronto has an existing advantage

What should Toronto prioritize to increase construction capacity?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Expand apprenticeships, training and recognition of international credentials

What should receive the greatest priority in Toronto's public-realm budget?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care

What should be Toronto's primary tool for supporting arts, culture and nightlife?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Planning and property measures that preserve existing venues and workspaces

If autonomous taxi services operate in Toronto, which condition should the city prioritize?

  • Dharshan Casinathen    Mandatory reporting on trips, collisions, congestion and curb use

Each card is one question, with Dharshan Casinathen filed under the answer they gave and their own words underneath it. The other options offered are not shown, nor how the rest of the field answered.

How the whole city answered

Registered candidates from the City Clerk’s official list, refreshed daily. Campaign sites are linked as published by the candidate; a link is not an endorsement.

Everyone running in Scarborough-Rouge ParkWhere the whole field stands