EDITORIAL: Brad Bradford our choice for Toronto mayor

We believe the decision on who to vote for in the race for Toronto mayor between Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford comes down to trust.

Who do you trust to do what they say they will do?

In 2023, while running for mayor in the byelection to replace John Tory, Chow promised “modest” property tax increases.

“It would be modest in terms of increase because affordability is something big in my platform,” Chow told toronto.citynews.ca.

“Ordinary folks are barely making their mortgage these days, and if you have a big property tax increase, it gets transferred to the renters, and that doesn’t help.”

Chow hiked property taxes almost 20% over three years

Upon winning the election, Chow imposed the largest annual property tax increase since Toronto was amalgamated in 1998 – up 9.5% in 2024.

That was followed by a 6.9% hike in 2025 and, this being an election year, when property tax hikes always miraculously go down, 2.2% in 2026.

Even so, that’s a cumulative tax hike of almost 20% over three years, far beyond inflation and in no way “modest.”

Now, Chow is promising to keep annual property tax hikes at or near inflation.

We don’t buy it. We believe the best indicator of future performance is past practice.

Chow says she had to hike property taxes far beyond inflation because she inherited a $1.8 billion post-pandemic deficit from the previous council.

But that has been cushioned by one of the things Chow lists as her achievements – the province taking over the upkeep of the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, saving the city $1.9 billion in capital costs over the next decade that can now be spent elsewhere.

The real test is whether Torontonians feel there has been a significant improvement in city services to match a property tax hike of almost 20% in three years.

We don’t see it, nor do many Torontonians.

Mayor must represent all Torontonians

We also believe the mayor has to represent all of the people of Toronto when a community is under siege.

In our view, Chow’s failure to publicly stand with Toronto’s Jewish community when it mattered – during the worst outbreak of antisemitism in Toronto since the 1930s, in the wake of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023 – was a failure of leadership.

Coun. Bradford’s mayoral campaign has been focused on letting people keep more of their own money, versus Chow’s philosophy, consistent with her NDP politics, of raising taxes and redistributing the money to what she thinks are priorities, like paying for school breakfasts and now lunches, which should not be financed by property taxes.

Property taxes are meant to pay for police, fire and ambulance services, public transit, road and bridge maintenance, garbage collection, street sweeping, grass-cutting and maintaining public parks, snow removal, keeping traffic signals, street lighting and water and sanitary sewers in a state of good repair.

Toronto needs a mayor who understands the difference between what we must have and what we might like to have but can’t afford, making the same tough, necessary decisions Toronto families make every day.

Bradford to keep property tax increases below inflation

Given Chow’s record on property taxes, Bradford’s proposed one-year property tax freeze combined with an actual line-by-line review of the city’s $19 billion annual budget is long overdue, as is his plan to keep property tax increases below inflation, not triple inflation.

We support eliminating the municipal land transfer tax on eligible principal residences for homes under $1.1million, which Bradford estimates would save home buyers up to $18,000.

We support Bradford’s proposal to cut water bills, which Torontonians pay in addition to property taxes, by 25%, through restructuring Toronto water into a taxpayer-owned utility, provided it maintains water quality and does not lead to excessive long-term debt.

We also agree with his plan to hire 1,000 new police officers, mandatory addiction treatment for addicts and removing little used bike lanes when they impede the flow of traffic.

There is no magic bullet to fix Toronto’s problems overnight, but what’s needed is a mayor ready to point the city in the right direction.

In our view, Bradford is that leader.

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