Parthi Kandavel.Supplied
A police probe will loom over Toronto City Council when it convenes next week, the body’s first meeting since a councillor disclosed he was under investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police.
Parthi Kandavel, the councillor for Scarborough-Southwest, issued a social media statement last week stating that the OPP was investigating unspecified allegations against him. The OPP has since confirmed the probe, calling it “an active investigation related to allegations against Councillor Kandavel.”
Mr. Kandavel will be permitted to participate as usual at next week’s council meeting, as there is nothing in the law “precluding the Councillor from serving during the investigation,” according to city spokeswoman Nichole Jankowski.
Details about the allegations against him remain scarce, but the OPP confirmed to The Globe on Friday that a team from its Anti-Rackets Branch is leading the investigation. The police unit investigates complex fraud, corruption and financial crimes.
Authorities have been scrutinizing the first-term councillor since July 8, 2025. That’s when the office of Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner says it received a complaint concerning Mr. Kandavel. A source familiar with the complaint said it originated from the developers of a property located along Kennedy Rd. near Eglinton Ave. E.
The Globe is not identifying the source because they are not authorized to speak on the matter.
By law, the Integrity Commissioner has to refer any complaints where there are “reasonable grounds” of a Criminal Code violation to police. Deputy Integrity Commissioner Kate Zavitz said in an e-mail that the office referred the Kandavel complaint to the Toronto Police Service on July 22, 2025, who then passed it along to the OPP.
In his social media post, Mr. Kandavel said he only learned about the investigation on May 8 – 10 months after the initial complaint.
“There has been no wrongdoing on my part, which I’m confident the OPP investigation will conclude,” Mr. Kandavel told The Globe in an e-mailed statement on Friday.
“I am still learning about these allegations and my intention is to respect the process and let the OPP complete their work,” added the councillor, a former Toronto District School Board Trustee who was elected to council in a 2023 by-election.
Two sources linked to a different development application in the councillor’s ward have told The Globe that a detective with the OPP’s Anti-Rackets Branch has contacted them about the investigation.
The Globe is not identifying the sources because they fear repercussions while their development application remains before the city.
According to public records, the Kennedy Rd. developers had difficulties getting city approval for a project to replace two low-rise buildings near Kennedy subway station with two towers.
The developers and municipal officials couldn’t agree on a stipulation to increase non-residential space, which city council requested in a motion amended by Mr. Kandavel.
Kennedy Road Holdings Limited initially proposed in 2022 to redevelop the site with 21- and 42-storey towers.
On May 21, 2024, the promoters appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal, citing the city’s failure to make a decision within the statutory time frame.
After a mediation attempt, solicitors for Kennedy Road Holdings Ltd. tabled a settlement proposal on June 9, 2025: The developers offered to scale down the 42-storey tower to 38 floors, and would provide a minimum of 1,500 square feet for non-residential uses.
On the evening of June 26, 2025, city council adopted a motion on the matter, with an amendment by Mr. Kandavel. The amended motion said that the city would accept the settlement offer if the developer agreed to expand the non-residential space to 4,000 square feet.
The company was given until July 11, 2025, to agree to those conditions in writing. Instead, the developer complained to the Integrity Commissioner, then went ahead with its appeal before the land tribunal, which held a hearing by video on July 30, a week after the matter was referred to police.
Alex Savanyu, a land use planner testifying on behalf of the promoter, told the tribunal that imposing a 4,000-square-feet retail requirement was an “unjustified amendment” and that comparable developments on Kennedy Road had not included such stipulations.
The tribunal agreed with the developers that the expected foot traffic in the area couldn’t justify the 4,000-square-feet retail requirement in a decision issued on Oct. 22, 2025.