Ward 41 Scarborough-Rouge River

Bas Balkissoon served as the City Councillor for Scarborough Rouge River - Ward 41 in the City of Toronto.

Bas was first elected in 1988 as a Councillor with the former City of Scarborough, and served in this capacity for three straight terms of office. Bas was elected to the new City of Toronto Council 1997 and was overwhelmingly re-elected again in 2000.

Expertise in Municipal Finance:
Bas served as Chairman of Scarborough's Budget Committee and was instrumental in ensuring Scarborough's debt free status at the time of amalgamation. His work on Toronto's Budget Advisory Committee resulted in reduced city spending and a three year tax freeze. Councillor Balkissoon worked to improve the city's financial efficiency and accountability as Chairman of the Toronto Audit Committee.

Dedicated Community Leader:
Prior to entering politics, Bas held various senior management positions with a major telecommunications firm. He also distinguished himself as a dedicated community volunteer, serving as President and Treasurer of the Goldhawk Community Association. He also founded and was President of SHAFT (Scarborough Homeowners Alliance for Fair Taxation), an organization that fought to lower the property assessments of thousands of local homeowners.