---
title: "Chow announces 15,000 youth jobs and $28 million employment pledge"
description: "Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow said on October 15 that she would create 15,000 new youth jobs across Toronto and commit $28 million to youth employment and violence prevention if re-elected."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/olivia-chow-youth-jobs-announcement-october-15"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T18:40:00.328Z"
---

Mayoral candidate [Olivia Chow](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/olivia-chow) announced on October 15 that she would create 15,000 new youth jobs across Toronto if voters return her to office on October 26. CP24 reported the pledge as part of a live update on late-campaign announcements.

## What Chow announced

Chow's campaign, as reported by CP24, commits to three connected goals on youth employment:

- 15,000 new youth jobs across the city
- A guarantee that 20% of Scarborough East LRT construction jobs go to local residents
- A target of 15% of apprenticeships for residents aged 18 to 35

The campaign also puts $28 million toward youth violence prevention, mentorship, and employment programs. These are the campaign's own figures and have not been independently audited.

## The Scarborough East LRT connection

Chow's platform frames the Scarborough East LRT as a tool for local hiring alongside its transit role. The 20% local-hiring guarantee and the 15% apprenticeship target both depend on the line being built. The campaign has not published a timeline for construction or a breakdown of how the $28 million would be split across violence prevention, mentorship, and direct employment programs.

Chow announced the pledges with 11 days left before voting day, October 26. She made the announcement at the same time that Bradford was outlining his own transit and transit-related commitments to CP24.

## Bradford's announcements the same day

CP24 also reported that Brad Bradford named the Eglinton East LRT his top transit priority, with a goal of beginning construction by 2030. Bradford also said he would remove 12 kilometres of red bus lanes in Scarborough and guarantee 15-minute service on key bus routes. Those are Bradford's campaign commitments and have not been independently verified.

## What voters can do

Toronto votes on October 26, 2026. Voters can read about the candidates before election day at [/on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor](/on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor). Voting places open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

## Sitemap

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