Wesal TV(Whitby): For Yar.M Naeme, running for Whitby council is not just about winning a seat, but also about showing that immigrants can—and should—take part in local democracy and help shape the communities they now call home.
“I am not running only for Afghans,” said Naeme, an Afghan-born Canadian, “I am running for everyone who lives here.”
Naeme moved to Whitby about 12 years ago. He is a real estate agent and has worked with the Afghan community for many years. He is now running for town councillor in West Ward 2.
Naeme told Wesal TV the municipal government affects people’s daily lives more than any other level of government.
His priorities include property taxes, housing, homelessness, road construction, traffic and better access to community facilities.
“We have been paying more property tax year after year, but we have not seen much more service,” he said.
In Ontario, municipal governments are responsible for local services such as roads, parks, recreation facilities, libraries, waste collection, and setting local property tax rates.
Whitby Council approved a 3.44 per cent increase to the Town’s 2026 budget, which translates to about a 1.2 per cent increase on the total residential property tax bill for Town services.
The town says the money will help pay for services including road maintenance, snow clearing, parks, waste collection, fire services and new community projects.
Housing affordability, however, is shared between municipalities, provinces and the federal government, with cities having limited powers over housing supply and planning.
Naeme also said road construction often takes too long and suggested contractors should work longer hours to finish projects sooner.
Naeme said that, even if he does not win, he hopes his campaign encourages more immigrants to get involved in local politics.
“It is not necessary that we must win,” he said. “But it is a very strong message for our young people, for talented young Afghan women who are educated and hold citizenship of this country. What are we waiting for — for someone to knock on our door and take us by the hand to sit in Parliament? That will never happen.”
About two hours west of Whitby, another Afghan-born candidate, Wazhma Frogh, is running for mayor of Kitchener, Ont.
Farogh, a lawyer specializing in international human rights law who has lived in the Kitchener area since 2018, has more than 25 years of professional experience in Afghanistan, South Asia, the United States and Canada. She has worked in government sectors, international development programs and donor organizations, including the U.S. Department of State, Canada’s Department of International Development and USAID.
She said her priorities include housing, affordability and making City Hall more open and accessible to residents.
Afghanistan has experienced decades of conflict and has never held democratic municipal elections. Since the Taliban regime returned to power in 2021, elections have not been held.
The Taliban regime has also imposed wide-ranging restrictions on women, including banning girls from attending school beyond Grade 6, restricting most women from working in many sectors, and requiring many women to be accompanied by a male guardian in public.
Now, Frogh says she wants to help lead the community she calls home.
Despite the challenges of starting a new life in Canada, Frogh said she wants to challenge the perception that immigrants only receive support and do not contribute to society.
“There is a perception that immigrants and refugees are a one-time cost on the system,” she said. “I want to show that refugees and immigrants can also be active members of society and take responsibility.”
She also wants more public involvement in how the city’s budget is spent.
“People need to understand where this budget is spent,” Frogh told Wesal TV. “If I succeed, I will create processes so people themselves can help decide where the money should go.”
She also criticized Ontario’s Strong Mayor powers, saying they give too much authority to one person. Kitchener is one of the municipalities where those powers apply.
Ontario introduced Strong Mayor powers in 2023 intended to help municipalities speed up housing and infrastructure projects. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic has used the powers 59 times, but says most were administrative decisions confirming he would not veto council decisions.
During her campaign, Frogh said she has met people from many different communities. She said she has also experienced racist and sexist comments because she is both an immigrant and a woman.
“If elected, I will represent everyone in the city,” she said.
Among voters interviewed for this story by Wesal TV, most said a candidate’s background is less important than their ability to do the job.
Brennon Aldridge of Whitby said municipal elections matter because councils make decisions that affect people’s everyday lives and voters should choose candidates based on their record and ideas. “I look for who are the right candidates,” Aldridge said.
Amin Qazi of Pickering says newcomers are familiar with federal and provincial elections but pay less attention to municipal campaigns.
Qazi said immigrants from countries with little or no local democracy should take part in municipal elections and encourage other new Canadians to do the same.
“For people who came from countries where local democracy did not exist, running for office or voting in municipal elections is more than politics,” he said. “It is a chance to take part in a democratic system they never had and to encourage others to do the same.”
Qazi also said he believes more immigrants should vote in municipal elections.
Ontario’s municipal elections will be held on Oct. 26.
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