Scarborough Centre candidate Taiba Ahmed, 22, makes youth support and affordability her campaign priorities

Taiba Ahmed, 22, is running for Toronto city council in Scarborough Centre on a platform rooted in her family's experience. Her brother disappeared three times between the ages of 15 and 17, with one stretch lasting about nine months. He returned home in October 2025.

The disappearances exposed gaps in the support system for young people and their families. "It made me realize that there's a lot of issues in the system, and we're not seeing the municipality or province work on it, and that's why I'm running," Ahmed said.

Ahmed believes the core issue is disconnection. "When individuals are disconnected from a community, a system, it makes it more difficult to reintegrate back into the community, a society," she said. Although her family set up therapy and other supports, engaging her brother was difficult. Ahmed envisions a more hands-on approach: "We need a third person willing to step in and be like, 'This is the structure we're having. When we're having children that are coming back, you need somebody to step in and be like, 'This is what you have. These are your options.'"

Ahmed connects affordability to youth vulnerability. Financial pressure can push teenagers toward crime or gang involvement as they seek to fit in with peers. "One thing I have kind of condensed down is that desperation and the fear of missing out," she said. "They get involved with these things because their parents, unfortunately, cannot afford these basic luxuries. Because of that, they find other ways to fund their needs."

In Scarborough Centre, Ahmed's campaign priorities include more community infrastructure—parks, playgrounds, and affordable programming. "It's also because we don't have infrastructure," she said. "All these things contribute to young people feeling like they're not being looked after."

She believes the solution requires more than policing: stronger community connections, mentorship, and active support for at-risk youth. "It takes a village to raise a child," Ahmed said. "I think that we've lost that."