Malika Ghous is running to be the next City Councilor for the Scarborough Southwest district of Ontario in a by-election that will take place on November 30, 2023. Ghous was born and raised in Scarborough and is running on a platform of keeping the city clean and safe.
Ghous is currently the Toronto District School Board Trustee for Scarborough Southwest. She is the youngest trustee to hold the position and was elected in 2022. Ghous graduated from Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate Institute as an Ontario scholar and went on to receive a Bachelor of Commerce from Ontario Tech University. Over the past year, Ghous has embraced her role as trustee for the Toronto District School Board, working with students, teachers, and parents to build stronger and safer schools. She was encouraged to run for City Councillor by families she has met during her civil service.
Ghous’ campaign for City Councillor is built on a platform of safer streets in Scarborough. Her goals are to protect the environment and reduce crime. Preserving local parks is high on her priority list, and she seeks to ban alcohol in these spaces. Ghous promises to advocate for affordable housing and decrease the flow of traffic. She plans to use artificial intelligence to help with the traffic problem, as well as advocate for additional public transportation. Ghous also hopes to expand the Toronto Police Neighborhood Program in order to reduce crime rates.
In addition to protecting public parks, Ghous is committed to preserving the Scarborough Bluffs. The Bluffs are beautiful, natural cliffs lining the Scarborough coast. There are nine parks along the edges of the Bluffs, including Bluffer’s Park which features a beach. The Bluffs have been subject to erosion over the years, as well as being decimated by industrialization. The Bluffs formerly extended much further down the coast but were destroyed by explosions designed to free up space for urban planning. Between this destruction and erosion over time, The Bluffs have shrunk dramatically. The Bluffs and their parks are a huge asset to the community in Scarborough, providing space for families and individuals to enjoy the natural beauty of the Canadian coast. Aside from the beach at Bluffer’s Park, the Bluffs’ parks include bike paths, hiking trails, camping areas, fire pits, picnic tables, and a large marina. Preserving the Bluffs is of utmost importance to the Scarborough community and to Ghous.
Ghous has been endorsed by former City Councilor and member of the Scarborough Southwest Provincial Parliament Lorenzo Berardinetti. Berardinetti served on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 representing Scarborough Southwest. He worked with Ghous during his tenure and was impressed by her ability to guide people to better lives. Ghous’ other endorsers include Imam Ismail and Kamrul Hafiz Ahmed. Ismail is an Imam and community service worker in Scarborough, while Hafiz is a Toronto-based lawyer.
Residents of the Scarborough Southwest area should get acquainted with Malika Ghous before the date of the upcoming by-election. Her campaign is building steam and she is ready to change the lives of more citizens of Toronto for the better.
