---
title: "Chow and Bradford campaign on public safety with nine days to the vote"
description: "Both mayoral candidates held separate events on Saturday, each making the case for their approach to policing and community safety in Toronto."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/chow-bradford-public-safety-campaign-october-17"
last_updated: "2026-10-18T01:27:53.420Z"
---

With nine days until election day, [Brad Bradford](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford) and [Olivia Chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow) both spent Saturday making their cases on public safety, the issue that has dominated the final stretch of the mayor's race.

CityNews Toronto reported on both candidates' events on October 17.

## Bradford in Etobicoke: a satellite police college

Bradford held a campaign stop in Etobicoke where he argued Toronto needs 1,000 more frontline officers by the end of his first term. He said the city has added 500,000 residents since 2010, a 21 per cent increase, while the number of police officers on the street has stayed about the same.

To get there, Bradford says he would work with the Ontario government to open a satellite campus of the Ontario Police College in Etobicoke. The college currently operates out of Aylmer, in southwestern Ontario, and Bradford says that limits how many Toronto recruits can train at a time. He also said he would seek more seats for Toronto applicants at the existing college and work to improve retention of experienced officers, so each new hire would add to the total rather than replace someone leaving.

"Half a million. Five hundred thousand. That's how many more people live in Toronto today than in 2010," Bradford told supporters, according to CityNews. "The city's grown by 21 per cent... But the number of police officers on our street, it stayed about the same since 16 years ago."

## Chow in Dovercourt Park: hiring done, more to come

Chow held a rally in Dovercourt Park in the west end, where she said crime has declined during her time as mayor and cited Toronto Police statistics in support. She told CityNews her administration has hired more than one thousand officers and mental health crisis workers in her first term, and that the two groups work together.

"Going forward, we will do more," she said.

CityNews noted that Toronto police statistics largely back Chow's claim that crime has fallen during her tenure. Chow was joined at the rally by ward councillor Alejandra Bravo. Musician Feist and film director Sarah Polley also attended and spoke in support of the incumbent mayor.

## What a voter can do

Torontonians vote on **October 26** at polling locations across the city. Most locations open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. The City of Toronto's election website has a tool to look up your voting location by address.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/on/toronto-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.