SCARBOROUGH — During this year’s Tamil Heritage Month, the Ontario NDP candidate for Scarborough Centre Neethan Shan officially launched his campaign for the upcoming 2022 election Wednesday evening. A longstanding community leader, educator and activist, Shan was joined at the launch by Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Brampton East NDP MPP Gurratan Singh, Scarborough Southwest NDP MPP Doly Begum and special guest federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.

Also in attendance were Tamil youth activist and community leader Vharshaa Punithechelvan, and community organizer and scholar-activist Janelle Brady, who joined members of the community in highlighting Shan’s outstanding work in the community. Roughly 200 people attended the virtual campaign launch.

Quotes

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath:

“Neethan’s longstanding community involvement and devoted advocacy are exactly what people in Scarborough Centre need after years of Doug Ford’s big cuts to health care, long-term care, and education. The Ford Conservatives failed to protect children in schools and allowed small businesses to go under during COVID-19. He’s refused to protect workers with paid sick days and a living wage, and to give working families a break on child care. Ford is here for his developer buddies, not regular people. We need Neethan on our team to fight for working folks, local businesses, and racial justice for people in Scarborough Centre. It’s an honor to celebrate Tamil Heritage Month by kicking off the campaign of a fantastic candidate from the Tamil community.”

Neethan Shan, NDP candidate for Scarborough Centre:

“I love Scarborough and I’m committed to fighting for our residents to get the community services we need to thrive, from health care to education to better protection for workers. I am so excited to join Andrea Horwath in pushing for a more equitable province, more opportunities for youth and a fair and dignified living wage that acknowledges the hard work and sacrifices of frontline workers. As MPP, I will never stop fighting for greater equity and a more affordable life for families in Scarborough Centre.”

Biography  

* Shan is the current executive director of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, a national racial justice organization.

* Shan is a former Toronto City Councillor and Toronto District School Board Trustee for Scarborough—Rouge River and York Region District School Board.

* A former youth outreach worker, Shan’s extensive involvement in the social services sector includes work with Parent Action on Drugs, Malvern Community Coalition and Scarborough Youth Task Force

* Shan is a staunch advocate for racial justice and has been pushing for systemic policy change in education, employment, health, and justice.