Toronto Mayoral Candidates Focus on Affordability and Housing Ahead of Elections

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As Toronto prepares for its municipal elections, candidates emphasize affordability, housing, public safety, and transit as key voter concerns, with a tight race expected between incumbent Olivia Chow and councillor Brad Bradford.

In Toronto, as the city gears up for the upcoming municipal elections on October 26, the leading candidates are actively campaigning and presenting their visions to the electorate. Voters have identified affordability, housing, public safety, and transit as the foremost issues they wish to see prioritized by the next mayor. With over 50 candidates in the running to take the helm of Canada’s largest city for the next four years, the polls indicate a competitive race, particularly between the incumbent, Olivia Chow, and councillor Brad Bradford.
Olivia Chow has made several key promises aimed at enhancing the quality of life for Toronto residents. Her platform includes initiatives to lower grocery prices, provide free lunches in schools, and increase the availability of affordable housing units. In contrast, Brad Bradford has committed to freezing property tax rates during his first year if elected and eliminating the land transfer tax for homes valued below $1.1 million.
Voter sentiments reflect a pressing need for affordability, particularly among long-time residents like Ilham Saydna, who has lived in Toronto for three decades. She expressed that many are struggling financially and will support candidates who prioritize affordability. “I am looking to see who is going to be having a good platform for food security because a lot of people are hungry right now, and people are going to food banks and they cannot afford to pay rent,” Saydna noted. Additionally, she highlighted the need for better support for renters and a redefinition of what constitutes affordable housing.
While public safety remains a concern for some voters, Saydna indicated that she feels secure in her community, citing a downward trend in crime rates. Data from Toronto police corroborate this, showing decreases in homicides, shootings, and robberies this year. Saydna advocates for addressing homelessness as a more pressing issue, emphasizing that alleviating poverty and meeting basic needs could lead to a reduction in crime.
Residents like Terry Chamberlain from Don Mills are calling for increased housing development, provided it aligns with community standards. He expressed support for new housing initiatives, stating, “As long as the development is done in a reasonable manner and it fits into the area, I’m all for it.” Chamberlain also noted the reliability of public transit in his neighborhood and suggested lobbying the province to extend the ongoing Ontario Line subway construction beyond Eglinton Avenue.
In the Beaches area, Ross Rowlands plans to vote for a candidate who challenges Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s controversial measures, including the removal of municipal speed cameras and bike lanes. He criticized these decisions, stating, “It’s unsafe, and despite all the empirical studies that have been done showing that it makes roads safer.” While Chow has firmly opposed the removal of bike lanes, she has cooperated with Premier Ford on various issues, a relationship he has described as “phenomenal.” Rowlands is also advocating for investments in preventive measures for crime and mental health, rather than reactive policing strategies.
The homelessness crisis is a significant topic in this election cycle, with Toronto's decade-long plan to increase shelter availability facing mixed reactions from the community. Some residents, like Patty Wegrzyn from Scarborough, have voiced concerns regarding the placement of shelters near family-oriented neighborhoods. “Everybody has a right to have a home,” she stated, “But do not put homeless shelters where there are small children and families.” Chow contends that her approach to homelessness is effective, while Bradford proposes increasing supportive and transitional housing options.
Peter Formica, a resident of senior co-operative housing, suggested that the city could optimize its real estate holdings by selling underused properties to fund affordable housing for seniors. He also proposed freeing up larger units to increase the availability of affordable housing.
Chow and Bradford have engaged in multiple debates, including one centered on issues facing Scarborough, a district with over 600,000 residents often described as a “transit desert.” Recently, the Toronto Transit Commission unveiled a new four-kilometer Scarborough Busway, which connects Kennedy Station to Scarborough Town Centre, replacing the Line 3 train service that had been shut down following a derailment over three years ago. The city has celebrated the busway’s early opening as a significant milestone, though many Scarborough residents feel it falls short of what is needed. Leonel Juan expressed frustration over the lack of full integration of Scarborough into Toronto’s transit network nearly 30 years post-amalgamation and called for expedited progress on the long-awaited Scarborough subway extension line.
Furthermore, the Scarborough East Rapid Transit project, an 18.6-kilometer light-rail transit line connecting Kennedy to Malvern Town Centre via the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, remains in the design stage almost two decades after its initial proposal. This project has faced numerous delays due to financial constraints and political disagreements, with Juan urging the next mayor to prioritize its completion. He also emphasized the need for increased housing development along Scarborough’s waterfront areas, arguing that downtown and other parts of Toronto receive disproportionate attention compared to Scarborough.

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