Former chief executive of the Canadian National Exhibition running for Mayor.
Darrell Brown is on the City of Toronto’s list of certified candidates for Mayor, with a nomination filed on May 28, 2026. He was chief executive of the Canadian National Exhibition from 2022. CarnivalWarehouse.com reports that the CNE fired him in May 2025 after accusations of workplace harassment and other misconduct, which he denied. His campaign website lists plans on City revenue, transit, open contracts, term limits for Councillors, homelessness and youth jobs.
Darrell Brown appears on the City of Toronto’s list of certified candidates for Mayor. A certified candidate is one whose nomination the City Clerk has accepted. The list shows the nomination date as May 28, 2026. His campaign website, which is the address he gave the City, carries the motto “Your Voice, Our Platform” and says he has deep roots in Scarborough-Rouge Park and has also lived and worked in the downtown core.
The Local describes him as a lawyer who runs a legal consulting firm and was chief executive of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) from 2022 to 2025. CarnivalWarehouse.com reported on November 7, 2025 that he first worked with the fair as outside counsel in 2016, became its Executive Director of Corporate Support and Legal Services in 2020 and became chief executive in 2022. His campaign website says he has worked in 15 countries, that he raised $15 million during COVID to prevent the CNE from closing, and that it now has the largest surplus in its 146-year history. These are the campaign's own statements, and voche.me has not checked them against another source.
CarnivalWarehouse.com reports that the CNE fired him in May 2025 after he was accused of workplace harassment and other misconduct, and that he denied the claims. The Local, citing the Toronto Star, says he was fired without cause by the Canadian National Exhibition Association while being accused of workplace harassment, and that he denied the allegations. voche.me could not open the Toronto Star report. The sources opened do not say who made the accusations and mention no decision by a court or a regulator. The Darrell's Story page of his campaign website describes his time at the CNE and does not mention the departure.
The City's declaration of results for the Ward 25, Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election of September 29, 2025 lists Darrell Brown with 601 votes, seventh among the 20 candidates it lists. Neethan Shan was elected with 5,174 votes. The Local identifies this candidate as the Darrell Brown on that ballot, and the City's document gives the name only.
Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform.
01
New revenue sources for the City
His campaign website says Toronto does not have the revenue tools other cities have, that property taxes cannot fund what the City needs, and that the fiscal framework should change.
Read the full position
It also says the City should share in the economic growth it supports, and offers this in place of tax increases.
A presentation listed on the site says the 2026 City budget defers payment obligations to lower taxes artificially in an election year. These are his statements about the budget.
His campaign website says Toronto needs a transit system that gets people anywhere in the city reliably, efficiently, at a reasonable cost and safely, and that all wards need adequate coverage.
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It says cars cannot be eliminated while adequate alternatives do not exist.
The Local reports that his plan includes more train and bus lines within Scarborough and funding for the Eglinton East light rail line. voche.me did not watch the video The Local describes.
His campaign website says the City needs holistic solutions in place of patchwork respite centres, that people without homes need homes first and treatment for health and addiction problems, and that more jails are not the answer.
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The Local reports that his video plan includes managing the Toronto Community Housing repair backlog and stopping the sale of City-owned land for short-term gain.
His campaign website promises to publish all City contracts in full, and to change the rules that allow a Councillor to sit on several boards with opposing interests.
His campaign website calls youth unemployment of 20 percent a disgrace and proposes using money already in the system for proven programs, including a City-backed small-loan fund for young entrepreneurs that he calls Capitalizing Youth.
Evidence reviewed on October 4, 2026: the City of Toronto's list of certified candidates, the home page, Darrell's Story page and Why Choose Darrell page of the campaign website he gave the City, The Local's candidate page, a CarnivalWarehouse.com article of November 7, 2025 and the City's declaration of results for the September 29, 2025 Ward 25 by-election. His plans come from his campaign website and are written here as his campaign's statements. His career comes from The Local, CarnivalWarehouse.com and his own site.
Gaps. The Toronto Star report on the CNE dismissals could not be opened, so the account of the accusations rests on The Local and CarnivalWarehouse.com. The presentations on his site are videos, and voche.me read their descriptions and did not watch them. His LinkedIn page returned HTTP 999 and his Facebook address was not opened, so nothing from social media is used. His degrees, licence, work abroad and the CNE figures were not checked with the issuing bodies or the CNE. The Local gives his 2025 by-election placing as seventh of 37 candidates, and the City's declaration lists 20, so this page uses the City's figure. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Chief executive of the Canadian National Exhibition
CarnivalWarehouse.com reports that he first worked with the fair as outside counsel in 2016, became Executive Director of Corporate Support and Legal Services in 2020 and chief executive in 2022. The Local gives 2025 as the end year. The biography above describes how his time there ended, according to those two sources.
The Local describes him as a lawyer who currently runs a legal consulting firm. His campaign website describes legal and governance work for governments and organizations. voche.me did not check his licence or his firm with a regulator or a registry.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Have your own question?
Ask Darrell Brown directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Darrell Brown's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Darrell Brown?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Darrell Brown's own campaign.
Does Darrell Brown currently hold public office?
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Darrell Brown.
How many sources does this Darrell Brown profile cite?
This profile lists 7 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Darrell Brown's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Darrell Brown in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Darrell Brown is running in?
The 2026 Toronto municipal election, including the Mayor race, is decided on October 26, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
