Bashar Kassir

Learn about my position on the Billy Bishop Expansion

• My Position

Watch my deputation before the Service Excellence Committee

• Holding City Hall Accountable

Who I Am

My name is Bashar Kassir, I bring a unique blend of engineering background, entrepreneurship, community & public service, commitment to diversity & inclusion and a principled leadership.

I am a proud father of three children and a husband of a loving wife;

I am a proud Syrian Canadian who immigrated to Canada in 2002 in anticipation of the tragic crisis that later unfolded in Syria. Canada gave me the opportunity to build a family, find safety and create a better future — and I believe in contributing back to the community.

I am an Electrical Engineer by education, specializing in Telecommunications Engineering. Before immigrating to Canada, I worked in engineering and software development.

Today, I operate a small business in the liquor industry and continue to provide professional services where needed.

I am also:
• A licensed and accredited Professional Interpreter with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
• Internationally trained Electrical Engineer
• A licensed Professional Scaler
• A licensed Professional Community Interpreter

Public service and volunteerism have always been important to me. I served for six years as a public appointee on the Council of the College of Optometrists of Ontario and have volunteered with multiple local organizations and community groups.
I am running for Council and asking for your vote.

Why I’m Running: Quality of Life

I believe we need to return to the basics and focus on the issues that directly affect residents' quality of life. A cleaner, quieter, and better-maintained Ward 10 should not be an aspiration—it should be the standard. That is why I am running.My priorities include:A - Claiming our rights of safer and cleaner streets, parks and playgrounds.B – Tackling the chronic noisy environment we live in.C - Advocating the homeless to be homed in dignity.D - Supporting affordable housing where homes are places to live first — not simply investment vehicles;E - Standing up for the voiceless;F - Shaping a stronger sense of community engagement and cohesion.G - Protecting residents’ right to peacefully enjoy their homes and neighbourhoods.H - Bringing fresh ideas and different perspective to City Council.I - Standing up against unfair pricing practices by large supermarket chains, because essentials like bread, milk, butter, cheese, fruits, and vegetables are necessities — neither commodities nor opportunities to maximize excessive corporate profit.J – Adjusting property tax increases which under the current City Hall approach, Toronto homeowners and renters have faced substantial year-over-year tax increases. Toronto residents are facing growing financial pressure; they deserve fiscal responsibility, transparency, and better value for their tax dollars.

Priorities Highlights: A Cleaner, Quieter, Neater Ward 10

* Claiming Our Rights Of Safer And Cleaner Streets, Parks And Playgrounds

We will reclaim our streets, parks, bike lanes, public transportation and playgrounds by ensuring they are safe, clean, and well maintained. Through proactive maintenance, responsive city services, and consistent enforcement of existing bylaws,I will work to restore confidence in the streets, parks, bike lanes, public transportation and playgrounds that belong to all of us. Ward 10 residents should be able to take pride in their city and enjoy the level of cleanliness, order, and quality of life that residents expect in the world's most successful urban centres.
My goal is for Ward 10 residents to feel proud of their neighbourhoods and for downtown Toronto to once again reflect the high standards of cleanliness, safety, and livability found in many of the world's leading cities.As your City Councillor, I will work to ensure Ward 10's public spaces are clean, safe, and well maintained.

** Tackling The Chronic Noisy Environment We Live In

Ward 10 residents deserve to enjoy their homes, parks, and public spaces without being subjected to chronic and excessive noise.
I will advocate for a shift from a complaint-driven approach to a compliance and enforcement approach. Rather than placing the burden on residents to repeatedly report and document violations, the City should proactively enforce existing noise regulations in known problem areas and at predictable times of recurring disturbances.
By focusing on compliance first, we can:
• Reduce chronic noise before it becomes a recurring problem.
• Improve residents' quality of life and well-being.
• Reduce the burden on residents to repeatedly file complaints.
• Allow enforcement resources to be used more effectively.
A proactive enforcement strategy will help create quieter, healthier, and more livable neighbourhoods across Ward 10.As your City Councillor, I will advocate for proactive enforcement that creates quieter, healthier, and more livable neighbourhoods.

*** Delivering Affordable Housing and Responsible Growth

I believe the benefits of growth should be shared fairly with the community.When public planning decisions create immediate private value, they should also create lasting public value.Ward 10 continues to grow, and growth is essential to Toronto's future. However, growth must improve—not diminish—the quality of life of current and future residents alike.
I support affordable housing because homes should be places to live first—not simply investment vehicles. I also believe that homelessness must be addressed with dignity by increasing access to stable, affordable housing while maintaining clean, safe, and welcoming public spaces.When City planning approvals substantially increase the value of land, the public should share fairly in that benefit.Development rights created through public decisions should create lasting public benefits, not simply greater private profits.I will advocate for planning policies that:
• Require major residential developments to contribute affordable housing units or equivalent public benefits as part of the approval process.
•Support affordable housing that remains affordable permanently, or where that is not feasible, for the longest practical term.
• Ensure new development is supported by the infrastructure, parks, transit, and public services growing communities need.
• Respect the livability of existing neighbourhoods while accommodating responsible growth.
• Put residents' interests at the centre of planning decisions through meaningful public consultation.
Responsible growth should strengthen our neighbourhoods, improve quality of life, and ensure that the benefits of development are shared fairly with the communities that make that growth possible.As your City Councillor, I will support planning decisions that ensure growth benefits residents, strengthens neighbourhoods, and leaves Ward 10 stronger for future generations.

What Can You Trust Me To Do?

✓ Focus on the issues that affect your quality of life.
✓ Be an independent and accountable voice for residents.
✓ Bring experience, judgement, and common sense to City Hall.

What am I asking you to do?

I am asking for your support and your vote.

Most importantly, I encourage everyone to participate in the election process. Higher voter turnout leads to stronger representation and a Council that better reflects the diversity of our community.
In Ward 10, voters turnout have historically been low — Last election was at 24%. Together, we can increase civic participation and strengthen our local democracy.

Every vote matters.
Please participate in the election and vote.­

Speaking at Toronto City Hall:
Holding City Hall Accountable - Advocating for Our Rights

I believe elected officials should do more than make promises—they should advocate for residents, challenge ineffective processes, and work to improve City services.
In July 2026, I appeared before Toronto's Service Excellence Committee to to present my experience and documented correspondence on how exempt waste collection noise complaints are handled and how recurring 311 reports can fail to produce a lasting operational response.
During the meeting, Committee members questioned both me and City staff about improving the accessibility of the City's voluntary mitigation process and whether the current approach to waste collection noise should be revisited.

Watch the meeting:

My deputation and questions: 2:05:40 – 2:17:22
Committee discussion with City staff: 2:25:58 – 2:38:52

Key outcomes of the discussion

• Committee members questioned City staff about improving access to the City's voluntary mitigation process.
• Councillor Paula Fletcher suggested revisiting the exemption for waste collection under Chapter 591, particularly with respect to the timing of collections.
• The discussion highlighted broader concerns about how recurring complaints are identified, tracked, and addressed through the City's service delivery process.

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Turning Up the Heat – A New Tone in Town

In my campaign literature, I advocate for core community priorities: noise reduction, safer and cleaner streets, and the preservation of quality of life and enjoyment of one’s home. These principles are especially relevant given the ongoing concerns surrounding the proposed expansion of Billy Bishop Airport.

Federal Consultation Process:

The federal government has launched a consultation process through an online survey. I do not intend to participate in its current form, as it appears structured in a way that may not fully capture the lived experience of those most directly affected.
It is reasonable that some residents—particularly those outside the immediate area—may view the airport expansion as beneficial, offering occasional convenience and reduced travel time compared to Pearson Airport.
However, for residents in surrounding neighbourhoods, the impacts would be continuous and year-round. Even if the benefit is occasional for some, the burden on local communities is ongoing. This imbalance raises serious questions of fairness.
This is not a contest between those inside or outside a notional catchment area. Civic responsibility does not end at electoral or geographic boundaries.
The virtual catchment borders do not apply to citizenship values and political riding do not prevent any resident of the city from standing up for what is right and standing up to what is wrong. Every resident has the right to speak to developments that affect the city as a whole, particularly when local quality of life is at stake.

The consultation, as currently designed, risks being perceived as a means of validating a predetermined direction rather than genuinely exploring alternatives. That is not the support that I am looking to see from a party that I had supported to be in charge of our affairs; and certainly not the right discourse that I, as a registered liberal, would like to see from our liberal government.

Leadership and Representation:

Effective leadership requires openness to informed advice, a willingness to reconsider direction, or clarity in setting aside proposals that do not serve the public interest.
In the absence of clear consensus at the Federal level, I am calling on Toronto Liberal Members of Parliament—working collectively—to provide coordinated and constructive advice to the Prime Minister on this issue. In particular, I encourage MP Chi Nguyen to help facilitate a joint statement among Toronto MPs reflecting the concerns of affected communities.

Toronto Liberal Representation:

Toronto is represented federally by a broad group of Liberal Members of Parliament across multiple ridings, including:

Beaches—East York: Nathaniel Erskine-Smith
Davenport: Julie Dzerowicz
Don Valley North: Maggie Chi
Don Valley West: Rob Oliphant
Eglinton—Lawrence: Vince Gasparro
Etobicoke Centre: Yvan Baker
Etobicoke—Lakeshore: James Maloney
Etobicoke North: John Zerucelli
Humber River—Black Creek: Judy Sgro
Scarborough—Agincourt: Jean Yip
Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East: Salma Zahid
Scarborough North: Shaun Chen
Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park: Gary Anandasangaree
Scarborough—Woburn: Michael Coteau
Spadina—Harbourfront: Chi Nguyen
Taiaiako’n—Parkdale—High Park: Karim Bardeesy
Toronto Centre: Evan Solomon
Toronto—Danforth: Julie Dabrusin
Toronto—St. Paul’s: Leslie Church
University—Rosedale: Danielle Martin
Willowdale: Ali Ehsassi
Scarborough – SouthWest: Doly Begum
York South – Weston – Etobicoke: Ahmed Hussen

Closing Position:

The enjoyment and livability of one’s home should not be treated as subject of virtual consultation process.
Toronto support for any political party at the federal level is not unconditional and never engraved in stone, but rather depends on continued engagement with community concerns and responsiveness to legitimate local impacts.
I am calling on fellow municipal candidates in Spadiana-Fort York to take a clear and unified stance in support of the community. This issue should not become a political tool or an electoral advantage-seeking exercise. The affected residents deserve respect, clarity, and fairness.
When a community is experiencing sustained concern, it should not be reduced to an election issue. Regardless of electoral outcomes, elected representatives carry a responsibility to act in the best interests of those they serve.
For these reasons, I do not support the proposed expansion project.

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Authorized by the Bashar Kassir Campaign.