Chow and Bradford trade sharp exchanges at final mayoral debate
Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford clashed over housing, water services and the city budget at their last debate before Toronto's Oct. 26 vote.
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With three days left before Toronto votes, Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford faced off at their final debate on Thursday night, trading disputes over housing, water and the city budget. NOW Toronto reported on the exchanges at the CP24-hosted event.
Housing starts and development charges
Bradford pointed to housing as the clearest gap between the two candidates. He said housing starts are at their lowest level in 30 years and criticized Chow for promising to build 65,000 purpose-built units by 2030 while delivering only 1,500 so far. At that pace, he said, it would take 115 years to fulfill the commitment.
Bradford's platform calls for eliminating the Municipal Land Transfer Tax. He said the change would save the average homebuyer $18,000.
Chow said Bradford contributed to slow housing starts by voting to increase development charges during his time as chair of the Housing and Planning Committee from 2022 to 2023. She said she has since lowered development charges and improved the approvals process by 80 per cent, citing that figure as her own account.
Water restructuring
Water services have become a central point of dispute in the final stretch of the campaign. Bradford's plan would restructure Toronto Water into a publicly-owned utility modelled on Toronto Hydro, which he says would cut water bills by 25 per cent and save households an average of $300 per year.
Chow, city workers' unions and environmental activist David Suzuki have raised concerns that restructuring the service would open a door to privatization and cut funding for infrastructure and repairs. Chow cited Ontario Premier Doug Ford's legislation, which she said allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to create public corporations to manage municipal water systems.
Bradford said the plan keeps the service publicly owned and pledged to resign his seat if water were privatized under his administration.
The debate moderator noted that provincial legislation does not currently permit privatization.
Councillor obligations
Chow said Bradford has not met his obligations to constituents during his mayoral campaign, pointing to conditions at a building at 500 Dawes Road. Bradford denied the claim. He said the city identified more than 170 deficiencies at that building over the past two years and that 73 prosecutions have been pursued since 2010.
What voters can do
Toronto's municipal election is on Monday, Oct. 26. Voters choose the mayor, a ward councillor and school board trustees. Information on polling locations is available from the City of Toronto at /on/toronto-2026/news.
Questions this story answers
When did the final Toronto mayoral debate take place?
The debate was held on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2026, three days before Toronto's municipal election on Oct. 26. It was hosted by CP24 and featured Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford, the two main candidates for mayor. NOW Toronto reported on the exchanges at the debate.
What did Brad Bradford say about housing at the debate?
Bradford said housing starts are at their lowest level in 30 years and criticized Chow for vowing to build 65,000 purpose-built units by 2030 while delivering only 1,500 so far. He said at that pace it would take 115 years to meet the target. He proposed eliminating the Municipal Land Transfer Tax, which he said would save average homebuyers $18,000.
What did Olivia Chow say about housing at the debate?
Chow said Bradford had contributed to slow housing starts by voting to increase development charges while he was chair of the Housing and Planning Committee from 2022 to 2023. She said she has lowered development charges and improved the approvals process by 80 per cent, according to her own account at the debate as reported by NOW Toronto.
What is Brad Bradford's water plan, and why is it contested?
Bradford says his plan would cut water bills by 25 per cent, saving households an average of $300 per year, by restructuring Toronto Water into a publicly-owned utility similar to Toronto Hydro. Chow, city union workers and environmental activist David Suzuki have said the plan could open a door to privatization and cut funding for infrastructure and repairs. Bradford said at the debate that the plan does not involve privatization and pledged to resign if water were privatized under his administration.
What did Chow say about Bradford's conduct as a councillor?
Chow said Bradford has failed to comply with his councillor obligations during his mayoral campaign, citing issues at a building at 500 Dawes. Bradford denied the claim and said the city identified more than 170 deficiencies at that building in the last two years and that 73 prosecutions have been pursued since 2010.
How did Bradford respond to questions about Chow's tax record?
Bradford pressed Chow on how she plans to pay for campaign promises, including a school lunch program across Toronto public schools by 2030, without raising taxes. He said Chow has raised property taxes three times since she took office in 2023. Chow said most of her campaign plans are already included in the 2027 budget and that she will keep taxes around the rate of inflation.
When is Toronto's 2026 municipal election?
Toronto's municipal election takes place on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Voters choose the mayor, one councillor in each of 25 wards, and school board trustees. For information on where to vote, visit the City of Toronto's elections website. You can also read coverage of the campaign at /on/toronto-2026/news.
Where can I find the candidates' pages on this site?
You can read the profile for Olivia Chow at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow and for Brad Bradford at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford. The full list of candidates for the mayoral race is at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- NOW Toronto – Chow and Bradford final debatenowtoronto.com
- City of Toronto – election day informationtoronto.ca
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