- Who is Amanda
Community advocate and founder of Back 2 Basickz — running for Humber River–Black Creek.
Amanda Coombs brings lived experience, grassroots leadership, and a deep commitment to supporting youth, families, and vulnerable residents across the community.
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- About us
About us
Who we are
Amanda’s Priorities for Scarborough
Focused on practical solutions that improve housing affordability, food access, and financial stability, while supporting community programs and helping long-term residents stay rooted in the Jane and Finch community.
Supporting residents through eviction prevention, housing advocacy, and tenant-focused resources while helping prevent displacement, protecting vulnerable households, and building stronger, healthier communities.
Committed to ensuring every resident has access to inclusive and compassionate support through programs for seniors and youth, resources for newcomers and single-income families, and equity-focused community leadership
Focused on creating safer neighbourhoods through prevention, community-driven programs, youth engagement, and responsive services that strengthen public safety, build trust, and reduce violence.
About Amanda Coombs
Founder & Executive Director, Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services
Amanda Coombs is a longstanding resident of the Jane and Finch community who is deeply rooted in the neighbourhood she serves. Having raised her son in this community and graduated from York University, Amanda brings both lived experience and education to her commitment to uplifting youth and families.
In 2013, Amanda founded Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services, a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting marginalized youth. The program provides wraparound services including mental health support, academic assistance, employment readiness, and specialized support for youth involved in the justice system. Through engaging programming, mentorship, and opportunities such as camping trips and community outings, Amanda and her team create safe, empowering spaces where young people can grow, heal, and thrive.
Amanda also leads annual community initiatives including a backpack drive that helps provide school supplies to youth and families in need, as well as a holiday toy drive that brings joy and support to children during the festive season.
Amanda is passionate about meeting youth where they are and walking alongside them on their journey toward success. When she is not working directly on the frontlines with youth, she serves as a Community Advocate and Engagement Specialist, advocating for the needs, voices, and well-being of residents across the Humber River–Black Creek riding.
Driven by purpose and a deep love for her community, Amanda continues to be a strong advocate, mentor, and leader dedicated to creating lasting change.
Candidate
What She Stands For
Four personal values that guide everything she does.
Togetherness, wide-scale inclusion, and working as a team to solve problems.
Integrity, doing what is right, and being genuine in your intentions.
Pushing through barriers, not giving up, and doing what it takes to get to the other side.
Togetherness, wide-scale inclusion, and working as a team to solve problems.
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Early Roots
Vanessa's Early Days in Toronto
From the very beginning, Vanessa has called Toronto home.
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Before she was born
Two Families, One City
The Italian side of her family immigrated to Toronto in the 1950s, seeking opportunities for a better future. The Sri Lankan side of her family came to Toronto for safety — fleeing the Tamil genocide — with her immediate family among the earliest Sri Lankan arrivals in Canada in the early 1970s. The Italians settled in the East End, and the Sri Lankans settled in the West End. Her parents married in 1993 at The Old Mill.
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Growing Up
A Toronto Childhood
Vanessa grows up immersed in Toronto — in addition to growing up on the Danforth and Leaside, she spent much of her time with her family in the streets, parks, and communities that make up Parkdale–High Park. This ward isn't just a constituency to her; it's a place that shaped her.
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2014–2018
McMaster — and Back Again
Vanessa heads to Hamilton to study Engineering at McMaster University, graduating in 2018 with all the top awards for graduating students, including: The Image of an Engineer Award, the President's Award of Student Excellence, and an award given to a single engineering student in the entire country: the Engineers Canada Gold Medal Student Award. She returns to Toronto with a sharpened sense of purpose — and a national non-profit in her pocket
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2018–2026
A Canadian Toy Story
Following her internships at Bombardier Aerospace (Downsview location), PepsiCo Food & Beverages Canada, and an internship in France, Vanessa spent 8 years of her engineering career working at Canadian-founded, international children's toy company Spin Master. Working directly downtown, Vanessa led a global team of engineers, and facilitated the offset of 3 million pounds of plastic through her sustainability work, including making a 100% recycled Rubik's cube, Gund teddy bears made out of water bottles, and converting the Etch A Sketch to be over 75% recycled plastic forevermore.
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2026
Volunteering on the Front Lines
As a frontline volunteer at the Parkdale Community Food Bank, and a contract staffer at Daily Bread Food Bank facilitating the 2026 Who's Hungry report data collection, Vanessa sees the crisis of food insecurity up close. One in ten Torontonians visited a food bank this year. That number moved her from witness to candidate.
Ready to help Amanda win?
There are many ways to get involved — pick the one that works for you.
Ready to help Amanda win?
There are many ways to get involved — pick the one that works for you.