---
title: "Olivia Chow commits to permanent Scarborough Busway and local jobs on LRT project"
description: "Mayor Olivia Chow visited Scarborough on October 19 and committed to making the Scarborough Busway permanent, advancing the Scarborough East LRT, and directing 20 percent of construction jobs to local residents."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/olivia-chow-scarborough-platform-october-19"
last_updated: "2026-10-20T17:57:47.839Z"
---

Mayor Olivia Chow returned to Scarborough on October 19 to lay out transit and employment commitments for the area, with one week left before voting day on October 26, 2026.

Chow's campaign says it will make the newly opened Scarborough Busway permanent, a dedicated bus corridor that is currently operating in the area. Her campaign also confirmed she will move forward with the Scarborough East LRT, a planned light rail line for eastern Toronto, and that 20 percent of the construction jobs on that project would go to local residents, according to NOW Toronto.

Beyond construction jobs, Chow's campaign committed that 15 percent of apprenticeships on the LRT project would be targeted toward people aged 18 to 35. "Every crane means jobs," Chow said, as reported by NOW Toronto. "Workers buying lunch. Shopping at local grocery stores."

Chow also announced plans to install smart traffic lights and intelligent intersections at key points across Scarborough. These systems change signal timing based on real-time traffic rather than fixed schedules. Her campaign said this would reduce delays for buses and cars in the area, but did not specify how many intersections would receive the upgrade or provide a cost figure for the work.

The Scarborough East LRT has been part of both candidates' platforms throughout the campaign. Brad Bradford's platform also calls for shovels in the ground on the LRT by 2030, though Bradford has not committed to the local jobs or apprenticeship targets Chow announced on October 19. Bradford's transit platform for Scarborough includes removing red bus lanes on Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Kennedy Road, and Midland Avenue.

Voters in Scarborough can compare both candidates' full platforms at [/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow) and [/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/brad-bradford). Voting day is October 26 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at voting places across Toronto; check toronto.ca for the location nearest you.

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