Chow and Bradford neck-and-neck with days left in Toronto mayoral election campaign

The race for the mayoralty of Toronto has tightened significantly in the final days before the October 26 election, with incumbent Olivia Chow and challenger Brad Bradford trading attacks over housing enforcement and transit reliability. Two new surveys released just under a week before voting day indicate the contest is effectively tied, leaving the outcome dependent on a substantial block of undecided voters. While both candidates are sharpening their key policy messages to sway late deciders, they are simultaneously attacking each other’s records in specific wards and on public infrastructure projects. Polling data from Mainstreet Research and Build Canada places Bradford slightly ahead of Chow among decided voters, including those who cast ballots in advance. The results show 48.9 percent support for the Beaches-East York councillor compared to 47.5 percent for the sitting mayor. The remaining 3.6 percent of the electorate is divided among forty-six other candidates, none of whom garnered even a single percentage point. When undecided voters are included in the calculation, the gap narrows further. Forty-two point four percent favor Bradford, while 41.1 percent support Chow. A decisive 13.4 percent of respondents stated they have not yet chosen a candidate, giving this group the potential to determine the winner. Quito Maggi, president and chief executive officer of Mainstreet Research, described the situation as too close to call, though he noted that Bradford currently holds the upper hand. On Tuesday, Chow visited 500 Dawes Road in the Beaches-East York ward, an apartment complex known for poor maintenance and pest problems. She returned to the site to highlight her administration’s response to tenant complaints. In May, her office dispatched by-law officers to perform emergency repairs at the location. Residents had previously alleged that their landlord neglected basic upkeep and that municipal intervention was necessary. Chow stated that $200,000 in fines were issued against the property during that period. Standing outside the building alongside renters, Chow accused Bradford of failing to assist the tenants adequately during his tenure as their city councillor. She claimed that residents had sought help for years and that her office intervened by coordinating city staff to address their needs. Chow asserted that her phone receives daily calls from renters seeking assistance against negligent landlords. She pledged that if re-elected, she would establish a task force within the RentSafeTO bylaw enforcement program to target landlords who consistently violate maintenance standards. Bradford’s campaign responded quickly to Chow’s visit, arguing that she waited until an election year to take meaningful action. His team maintained that he utilized available municipal tools to address building violations in the area long before Chow assumed the mayoral role. However, several tenants and advocacy organizations have challenged Bradford’s account of the situation at 500 Dawes Road. Some residents told media outlets that the councillor failed to meet with them or engage with tenant rights groups such as ACORN. Shifting focus to transportation, Bradford emphasized transit efficiency and congestion reduction during his Tuesday appearance. He proposed eliminating reduced speed zones on the Toronto Transit Commission system if elected. These slow zones require trains to operate at lower speeds, sometimes as low as 15 kilometers per hour, while track maintenance is underway. The TTC currently limits these zones to twelve instances. Bradford declared that he would set the target for slow zones to zero, aiming to raise standards and hold the city accountable. Any future slow zones would require a published justification and a scheduled repair date. He also announced plans for an independent track condition audit and a dedicated track renewal program for the subway system. Bradford argued that voters who value their time and commutes should support his candidacy, claiming that Chow has accepted business as usual. Chow’s campaign issued a statement rebutting Bradford’s transit proposals. They pointed out that as a former TTC commissioner, Bradford supported budgets that allowed the system to deteriorate and halted preventive maintenance, which contributed to the current track work requirements. In the release, Chow stated that even one slow zone is excessive and that she intends to eliminate them. She asserted that Bradford helped create the maintenance challenges the TTC is currently addressing and committed to continuing efforts to improve service. The exchange highlights the divergent narratives both sides are promoting in the final stretch of the campaign, with each candidate framing the other’s record as evidence of incompetence or neglect in critical areas of city governance.