---
title: "Chow and Bradford clash on transit, budget and safety at Scarborough debate"
description: "Mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford debated transit, the city budget and public safety in Scarborough on October 7, 2026."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/chow-bradford-scarborough-debate-october-7"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:10:30.163Z"
---

Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford held their second debate in two nights on October 7, 2026, this time hosted by the Scarborough Community Renewal Organization and moderated by CityNews' Cynthia Mulligan, according to CityNews Toronto. The candidates clashed on the city budget, transit safety and policing.

[Brad Bradford](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford) opened the budget discussion by calling for a line-by-line review of city spending carried out by outside municipal experts. He said the last such review happened in 2011, and accused [Olivia Chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow) of delivering a 20 per cent property tax increase over three years after promising voters a modest hike. "That's how we got a 20 per cent tax hike after promising people a modest tax hike," Bradford said, according to CityNews.

Chow responded that the city's budget committee had already gone line by line and found $700 million in savings, and that she began her term carrying a $1.8 billion deficit, according to CityNews. Bradford disputed her account of how those savings were found, saying he wanted outside experts rather than city staff to conduct the review.

**Transit**

Transit was one of the main topics of the debate, with Chow and Bradford offering different accounts of the TTC's recent record. Chow said her administration hired 400 frontline staff, including police officers and mental health crisis workers, for the transit system. Bradford said transit remains unsafe and ridership has fallen under Chow's leadership, according to CityNews. The two disputed who was responsible for a past fare increase, with Chow saying Bradford raised fares and cut services during his time on council. Bradford replied: "I was not on TTC in 2023."

Both candidates said they opposed allowing electric bikes in bike lanes when asked in a rapid-fire round, according to CityNews. Both also said they would increase affordable housing requirements for developers.

**Public safety**

Bradford proposed hiring 1,000 additional front-line police officers and questioned Chow's decision not to sit on the Police Services Board. "Some things when it comes to leadership are just so important, you don't delegate those responsibilities away," he said, according to CityNews.

Chow said gun violence in the city is down 40 per cent, 911 calls are also down, and car thefts and break-ins have fallen, according to CityNews. She pledged to invest $28 million in programs, jobs and mentorship for young people: "This is the way to go and prevent crime."

**What this means for voters**

Advance polling is open until October 11, 2026. Election day in Toronto is October 26, 2026. Candidate profiles for both Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford are on this site at [/on/toronto-2026/candidates](/on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor).

## Sitemap

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