Priya Vadivel
CANDIDATE FOR CITY COUNCILLOR — WARD 1 PICKERING
Priya Vadivel, Ward 1 Councillor Candidate — Full Interview
- Proud Ward 1 resident — I live in the Highbush neighborhood and this community is deeply personal to me
- Double Master’s degrees: Information Technology & Business — 20+ years leading and consulting for major global companies
- Built and run a million-dollar business in the GTA (8 successful British Swim School franchises) — I know jobs, budgets, and real accountability
- Founder of the Highbush Neighborhood Association — I’ve been giving residents a voice long before this campaign
- I’m running because Ward 1 deserves a Councillor who was already here, already showing up — not someone who arrives at election time
- Highbush, Liverpool, Dunbarton, Amberlea, etc. — established, family-oriented neighborhoods with deep roots
- Strong senior population — aging population and people who built this community and deserve to stay in it affordably
- Growing fast — new families, new development pressure, infrastructure trying to keep up: Pickering is projected to be one of the fastest growing cities in Canada
- Waterfront, parks, green spaces — things people love and want to protect
- A community that is engaged, that pays attention, and that is ready for stronger representation based on what has transpired on Council in the past four years
- City hall is a large, complex organization — I’ve spent 20 years navigating exactly that
- Budget accountability: I’ve managed multimillion-dollar budgets — public money deserves the same rigour
- Stakeholder management: leading global teams means bringing people together to solve hard problems — that’s council work
- Technology lens: Pickering is growing fast; smart infrastructure and data-driven decision-making matter now
- I don’t come to the table to learn the basics — I come ready to get things done on Day 1
- I saw residents who cared deeply about their street — but had no formal way to be heard together
- Founded it to give Ward 1 residents a collective, unified voice at the table
- Organized community events, raised issues with the city, built connections between neighbours — I’m particularly proud of the job fair I initiated that helped people find good paying local jobs
- It taught me that residents don’t need to be saved — they need to be equipped and heard
- Running for council is the next step of the same mission — just at a bigger table
- Community isn’t a backdrop for my campaign — it’s the reason I’m running
- Food bank: I see the reality of affordability in Pickering — it isn’t abstract for me. I witness first-hand weekly what happens when social services don’t protect the most vulnerable in our city
- Legion Branch 606: our veterans gave everything; supporting them is the least I can do
- DARS and Road Watch: safety and inclusion are everyday issues, not just platform points
- One of my proudest moments was seeing someone I worked with graduate out of the DARS program and invite me to their housewarming
- I believe a Councillor who only shows up on election years isn’t really a councillor — they’re a visitor
- Safer streets: traffic calming, speeding, sidewalks — especially near schools and senior communities
- Affordability: property taxes, cost of living, seniors on fixed incomes being priced out
- Development: residents want growth, but growth that works for them — not just for developers
- Community spaces: not enough infrastructure and rec facilities keeping pace with Pickering’s projected population growth
- Accountability: people are frustrated with how city hall operates — they want a Councillor who is honest, inclusive and present for their needs
- Growth is necessary — Pickering needs housing and Pickering needs jobs. I’m not anti-growth
- But growth has to be done right: with proper consultation, adequate infrastructure, and community input
- The Northeast Pickering Secondary Plan is a live example — 70,000+ homes on agricultural land. Residents deserve transparency
- Protect what makes Ward 1 special: the parks, the waterfront, the green spaces, the neighborhood scale
- My standard: does this development serve the people already here, or just the developer’s bottom line?
- Grow the commercial tax base so the burden doesn’t keep shifting onto residents, so we can fight against unreasonable tax increases
- Make Pickering a place where entrepreneurs want to set up shop and stay — permitting, support, environment: we have an international population and we should foster that for small business growth
- Fiscal discipline: every dollar of public spending should be justified and accounted for
- Support for local small businesses — they are the backbone of Ward 1’s character and economy
- Economic development that creates local jobs, not just buildings
- How engaged people are — Ward 1 residents are paying close attention, more than people assume
- The consistency of concerns — streets, affordability, development, council accountability — everywhere I go
- How much people just want to be listened to — a candidate who actually hears them is rare and it matters
- The warmth and openness — people invite conversation when you show up genuinely, without a script
- And honestly — the energy. It has reminded me every day why I’m doing this
- Your councillor decides what gets funded on your street, your park, your community centre
- Your councillor is the person who votes on how your tax dollars are spent — every year
- Local government is the level of government closest to your daily life — it’s where real change happens fastest (parks, garbage pickups, property taxes)
- A weak or disengaged Councillor means your voice is silent at the table. A strong one means Ward 1 is heard
- This election is a chance to get it right — to choose someone who is already part of this community
- Website: www.priyavadivel.ca — sign up, volunteer, donate, learn more
- Email: ward1@priyavadivel.ca — Priya reads her messages personally
- Phone: (905) 519-9118
- Social media: @priyapickering on Facebook and Instagram — follow along and join the conversation
- Volunteer: we canvass weekly — even a few hours make a difference. Great exercise too!
- A Councillor families can actually reach — who responds, who shows up, who follows through
- Streets that are safe enough for children to walk to school and seniors to cross without fear
- A Ward 1 where people can afford to stay — not priced out of the community they helped build
- Development that respects what residents love about this neighbourhood
- Honestly — I want Ward 1 families to look back and say: she was here, she fought for us, and she delivered
PERSONAL / LIGHTER QUESTIONS
- Morning walk along the waterfront — it never gets old
- Coffee somewhere local in Ward 1 — I love supporting the small businesses I’m fighting for
- Time with family — I have two daughters who are my world, they are my grounding force in all of this
- The waterfront — especially early in the morning before the city wakes up
- Esplanade Park — there’s a sense of community there that I love
- Anywhere with a good view of the lake — it reminds me why we fight for green spaces
- Arrived in Canada over 18 years ago with a dream and a deep respect for everything this country stood for
- From day one, this wasn’t just a place to live — it became home, fully and completely
- Both my daughters were born in this great country and I’m proud I started a family here
- I didn’t wait to feel settled before giving back — I started getting involved almost immediately
- Volunteering, building relationships, learning the community because that’s how you truly become part of somewhere
- Founded the Highbush Neighborhood Association because I saw what was possible when people came together
- Food bank, Legion Branch 606, DARS, Ajax-Pickering Road Watch — these weren’t obligations, they were choices I made because this community gave me so much
- When you choose a country — when you build your life here intentionally — you feel a responsibility that goes beyond just living in it
- I want my daughters to grow up in a Ward 1 that is safe, affordable, and full of opportunity — and I realized the only way to guarantee that is to help build it
- Public service isn’t a career move for me. It’s a natural extension of 18 years of showing up
- I want Ward 1 to be a place where every child — regardless of where their parents came from — has access to safe streets, strong community spaces, and a local government that actually listens
- My daughters will vote in this city one day. I want them to be proud of what their mother fought for
- The best thing I can do for the next generation is model what it looks like to show up, speak up, and never take this community for granted
- Canada gave my family a foundation. Ward 1 gave us a home. Running for council is how I say thank you — and how I make sure the next family who arrives feels exactly the same way
