Bradford campaign drops North York event co-host over anti-Islam posts
Mayoral candidate Brad Bradford removed real estate developer Avi Glina as a co-host of a campaign rally after the National Council of Canadian Muslims raised concerns about his social media posts.
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The Toronto Star reported on October 7 that mayoral candidate Brad Bradford's campaign removed a Toronto real estate developer as co-host of a campaign rally after the National Council of Canadian Muslims raised concerns about his social media posts criticizing Islam.
Campaign spokesperson Laryssa Waler confirmed to the Star that Avi Glina would no longer be one of three co-hosts of "Rally for change in North York," which was scheduled for Thursday evening. The National Council of Canadian Muslims had flagged Glina's Instagram account, which the Star reported included posts expressing concern about Islam's influence on society and calling New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani a "jihadi terrorist."
Bradford responded with a statement: "There's no room for Islamophobia on my campaign. Not in a volunteer, not in a staffer, not in a supporter, not in me. This individual is no longer involved with the event this week. Every community in Toronto deserves to live fully, openly and without fear, and as mayor I'll fight for that every single day."
Steven Zhou, a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told the Star: "While Mr. Glina should never have been involved, it was the correct decision for Mr. Bradford to remove Mr. Glina from any involvement in his mayoral campaign."
Mayor Olivia Chow's campaign responded through spokesperson Shirven Rezvany, who pointed to two earlier incidents involving Bradford supporters with similar concerns. In late August, the Bradford campaign had posted a video of an endorsement from business advocate Catherine Swift, then pulled it after Swift described herself in social media posts as a "proud Islamophobe." Rezvany told the Star: "When (Bradford) is caught, he quickly backtracks, but he shouldn't be courting people with extreme views in the first place."
Glina had not responded to the Star's request for comment at the time of publication. The Star did not report any formal complaint or investigation.
The Toronto municipal election is on October 26, 2026. You can read about all candidates for mayor at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor.
Questions this story answers
Why did Brad Bradford remove Avi Glina from the campaign event?
The Toronto Star reported that Brad Bradford's campaign removed Avi Glina as a co-host of a North York rally after the National Council of Canadian Muslims raised concerns about Glina's social media posts. Those posts included criticism of Islam and comments about what he described as threats from Islamism to Western society. The campaign confirmed the removal to the Star on October 7, 2026.
What did Brad Bradford say about the decision?
The Toronto Star reported Bradford's statement: 'There's no room for Islamophobia on my campaign. Not in a volunteer, not in a staffer, not in a supporter, not in me. This individual is no longer involved with the event this week.' He added that every community in Toronto deserves to live 'fully, openly and without fear.'
What was the event Avi Glina was supposed to co-host?
The event was called 'Rally for change in North York.' It was scheduled for Thursday, October 8. Glina was one of three co-hosts. After the National Council of Canadian Muslims raised concerns, Bradford's campaign confirmed to the Toronto Star that Glina would no longer be involved.
What did the National Council of Canadian Muslims say?
The Toronto Star reported that Steven Zhou, a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said: 'While Mr. Glina should never have been involved, it was the correct decision for Mr. Bradford to remove Mr. Glina from any involvement in his mayoral campaign.'
What did the Chow campaign say?
The Toronto Star reported that Shirven Rezvany, a spokesperson for Mayor Olivia Chow's campaign, faulted Bradford's campaign for the association with Glina. Rezvany said: 'When (Bradford) is caught, he quickly backtracks, but he shouldn't be courting people with extreme views in the first place.' The Chow campaign also pointed to two earlier incidents involving Bradford supporters with similar concerns.
Has something like this happened before in Bradford's campaign?
The Toronto Star reported that in late August, Bradford's campaign posted a video of Bradford being endorsed by small-business advocate Catherine Swift, then pulled it after Swift had described herself in social media posts as a 'proud Islamophobe.' The Chow campaign cited both incidents in its response to the Glina situation.
When is the Toronto municipal election?
Toronto's municipal election is on October 26, 2026. Advance voting ran from October 6 to 11. Voters choose a mayor, one city councillor in each of the 25 wards, and school board trustees. You can find candidate information for the mayor's race at the voche.me Toronto 2026 candidates page.
Where can I learn more about the candidates running for mayor?
You can read about all the candidates on the Toronto 2026 ballot, including Brad Bradford and Mayor Olivia Chow, at the voche.me Toronto 2026 candidates page at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor. The election is October 26, 2026.
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