Shan, who represented the former ward of Scarborough-Rouge River almost eight years ago, is now the new councillor-elect for Ward 25.
Neethan Shan has served as a school board trustee and city councillor at various points since 2006, and has been the chair of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) since 2024, after former chair Rachel Chernos Lin won that year’s Don Valley West city council by-election. As TDSB Chair, Shan voted against the TDSB’s most recent balanced budget, which was tens of millions short in funding and contained a $9.5-million cut to operating expenses. (The board is obligated to pass a balanced budget at the risk of being taken over by the province; a takeover has since occurred despite the budget passing.) He has been vocal in his criticism of the province’s cuts to education and the school board takeover, accusing them of trying to cover up “chronic underfunding.” Shan was also the TDSB trustee for Ward 21 from 2016 to 2018, and a Toronto city councillor from 2017 to 2018 for Scarborough–Rouge River. He began his political career as a York Region District School Board trustee in 2006, but took leave after less than a year on the job to run for MPP in Scarborough, where he came third out of six candidates, after which he returned to the York school board. Shan has also worked extensively with the NDP. He has been nominated by the NDP to run for MPP in 2016 and 2021, and was elected president of the Ontario NDP in 2012. Outside politics, Shan is the executive director of Urban Alliance on Race Relations, a non-profit organization that provides research and educational programs for racial equity. He is endorsed by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council and by Progress Toronto in this election.
As TDSB chair, Shan supported an initiative to rename schools named after figures like former prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald, who was an architect of the residential school system. “This work is not about erasing history or wasting money,” Shan said at the time. “It’s about acknowledging harm and ensuring that public institutions reflect the values of equity and belonging.”
The TDSB chair also co-signed a letter in January 2025 calling on the City to invest tens of millions of dollars in youth jobs and after-school activities to tackle increasing violence, food insecurity, and unemployment.
Platform: Shan’s platform includes building more community spaces and investing in programs for children and youth in the neighbourhood. Shan also wants to address the rising number of break-ins and car thefts in the ward. He wants to bring more jobs to local neighbourhoods and lower the cost of living for residents, though he has not elaborated on specific plans to carry out these initiatives. Shan is also looking to improve transit and street safety in the ward, as well as end gridlock. In a questionnaire conducted by Scarborough United Neighbourhoods (SUN), Shan stated that he wants neighbourhood associations and community consultations to help shape decision-making at City Hall. He told SUN that he supports a regional transit plan for Scarborough. He mentions making the TTC free for seniors.
In a survey conducted by transit advocacy group TTC Riders, Shan said he supported TTC fare caps and freezes, funding the Eglinton East LRT, implementing transit signal priority on the crosstown LRT, opening the Scarborough RT replacement busway in 2027, and new revenue tools to fund the TTC. When asked about expanding bus lanes and protecting existing bus lanes in Scarborough, Shan said “I support more TTC and bus service in Scarborough and whatever is needed to get Scarborough moving quickly.”