At the age of 12, Hratch Aynedjian immigrated to Canada with his parents. Embracing his new life in Scarborough and learning English as his second language, he credits his civil servant father and teacher mother for his deeply rooted values: the importance of community, social responsibility, and respect for oneself and others.
After successfully founding and operating several businesses, including an art gallery and a renovations firm, Hratch found his footing as a constituency and legislative aide at Queen’s Park. It marked the beginning of an extraordinary career in public service that now finds him as a leading candidate in Ward 41 and if elected the first Armenian-Canadian city councillor in Toronto.
Over the last 16 years, Hratch has diligently worked across partisan stripes and multiple levels of government. In 2003-2004, he was budget assistant to Toronto’s budget chief, city councillor David Soknacki, helping to develop an operating budget that prevented larger property tax increases.
Hratch fought to ensure Scarborough homeowners were receiving fair current value assessments following Toronto's amalgamation when he was executive assistant to then-city councillor Brad Duguid, who held citywide portfolios in community services and works and is now Liberal MPP for Scarborough Centre.
Most recently, as executive assistant to city councillor Raymond Cho, Hratch has fought hard for improved public transit, such as TTC bus service to Morningside Heights, and advocated for green initiatives including a new park at Telfer Gardens and the planting of over 6400 trees. He also sits on the board of his condominium, where he spearheaded cost-saving initiatives that resulted in a $700,000 budget surplus over 3 years.
A passionate community leader, Hratch has served on the Toronto fire chief’s Community Advisory Committee, where he promoted fire safety and advised on numerous citywide initiatives including Fire Prevention Week. He is also a former municipal representative on the Rouge Park Alliance and member of the Malvern Community Coalition.
A recipient of the Ontario Volunteer Service Award for 15 years of community service, Hratch studied computer science at York University and Ryerson University. In addition to English, he is fluent in Armenian and has basic skills in Arabic and French. Hratch currently lives in Scarborough with his wife, Sose, and their two children, Ari, 3, and Veronique, 2.
