Announcing the MSA Candidate for Mayor of Toronto in the Current by-election Campaign

Announcing the MSA Candidate for Mayor of Toronto in the Current by-election Campaign

The Municipal Socialist Alliance, at its monthly convention held on March 20, selected Kiri Vadivelu to be its candidate for mayor of Toronto in the current by-election.

Kiri Vadivelu is a social justice activist who was the MSA for the seat in Scarborough Centre Ward 21 in the October 2022 city election. Kiri, who immigrated from Sri Lanka as a child, successfully resisted illegal eviction of his family at the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board during the 2020 emergency lock down. He passionately strives to make housing a human right in Ontario. A founding member of the Scarborough Tenants’ Union, Kiri is a leading voice of Toronto ACORN and a committed member of Justice for Workers. He was a shop steward in the United Steelworkers Union where he fought for better working conditions, and was recipient of a 2019 leadership award from USW headquarters in Pittsburgh, USA. Kiri Vadivelu acquired a Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies at the University of Ontario in 2010.

Socialist Solutions to Capitalist Crisis

Kiri and the MSA call for immediate mass social housing construction, expropriation of giant landlords, free public transit, repair our schools, cut the police budget by at least 50%, for a climate justice agenda, replace "strong mayor" powers with a grassroots participatory budget process, and tax big business and the rich. He finished fourth in the 2022 Toronto Ward 21 city councilor election with 1800 votes.