Advocacy group accuses transit union of paying TTC workers to canvass for Chow
Canadian Women Against Antisemitism filed a complaint saying ATU Local 113 used a lost-time system to pay TTC employees to campaign for Olivia Chow. The union says its actions are compliant. Chow's campaign did not respond.
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Canadian Women Against Antisemitism alleged in a complaint reported by the Toronto Sun on October 8 that ATU Local 113, the transit workers union that endorsed Olivia Chow for mayor, used a union lost-time system to pay TTC employees to canvass for her campaign. The union said its actions are compliant. Chow's campaign did not respond to the Sun's requests for comment.
No regulatory finding has been made. The allegation is at the stage of a complaint to a newspaper and a public statement by a competing campaign.
What the complaint alleges
Under a lost-time arrangement, a union member takes paid time away from their regular shift for union business, with the union covering the cost. CWAA brought the allegation to the Toronto Sun based on a whistleblower complaint from a TTC employee and what it described as an unaudited ATU financial statement for the first half of 2026. That statement, according to the Toronto Sun, shows $49,248 listed as political action lost time and $21,387 earmarked for elections. These are CWAA's figures from an unaudited document, and ATU has not confirmed them.
CWAA also alleged that some workers signed up for double shifts so that replacement pay would cover their absence while they campaigned.
The responses
ATU Local 113 told the Sun its actions "are compliant" and gave no further comment.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the transit agency does not pay employees for political activity and that workers may be eligible for unpaid leave for union business.
The Brad Bradford mayoral campaign amplified the allegation. Campaign representative Laryssa Waler told the Sun: "Unions are entitled to support candidates. That's not the issue. The issue is that this is a city agency, the mayor oversees it and transit operators were seemingly taken off a system that already can't keep buses on schedule so they could campaign for the person who runs it."
Chow's campaign did not respond to the Sun before publication, the newspaper reported.
What voters can do
The allegation is unresolved ahead of the October 26 vote. Advance voting in Toronto runs from October 6 to October 11 at City-run locations. See the candidates running for mayor at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor and find your voting location at toronto.ca/elections.
Questions this story answers
What is the allegation against ATU Local 113?
Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, a non-profit advocacy group, filed a complaint reported by the Toronto Sun on October 8, 2026. The group alleges that ATU Local 113, the union representing transit workers at the TTC, used its lost-time system to pay TTC employees to canvass for Mayor Olivia Chow's re-election campaign. Under a lost-time arrangement, a union member is paid by the union for time taken away from their regular shift for union business. The allegation is that this system was used for campaign work rather than union business.
What financial figures were reported?
The Toronto Sun reported that CWAA holds an unaudited ATU financial statement for the first half of 2026. That statement shows $49,248 listed as political action lost time for ATU members and $21,387 earmarked for elections. These figures are from an unaudited document provided by CWAA to the Toronto Sun. ATU has not confirmed or denied the figures publicly.
What did ATU Local 113 say?
ATU Local 113 told the Toronto Sun its actions 'are compliant' and gave no further comment. The union endorsed Olivia Chow for mayor earlier in the campaign. Unions are entitled under Ontario law to support candidates during elections. The allegation in this case is not about whether unions can endorse, but about whether city employees received compensation from a union system for doing campaign work.
What did Olivia Chow's campaign say?
Chow's campaign did not respond to requests for comment from the Toronto Sun, the newspaper reported. The Toronto Sun said neither Chow's campaign nor Progress Toronto, a political organization linked in the article, replied. This article does not reflect any later statement Chow may have made after the Toronto Sun's publication deadline.
What did the TTC say?
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told the Toronto Sun the transit agency does not pay employees for political activity. Green said workers may be eligible for unpaid leave for union business, but the TTC itself does not cover shifts taken for campaign work. The TTC's position does not resolve the question of whether the union compensated workers for campaign time.
What is CWAA and who brought the complaint?
Canadian Women Against Antisemitism is a non-profit advocacy group that brought the allegation to the Toronto Sun, citing a whistleblower complaint from a TTC employee and an unaudited financial document. The Brad Bradford mayoral campaign also raised the allegation publicly, with a spokesperson demanding answers from Chow. An allegation brought to a newspaper is not a formal legal or regulatory complaint; no regulatory finding has been made.
Has any regulator looked into this?
The Toronto Sun article does not report that a formal regulatory complaint has been filed with an elections or labour body, or that any investigation has been opened. The allegation is at the stage of a complaint to a newspaper and a public statement by a competing campaign. No finding has been made.
How does this affect the mayoral race?
The allegation is unresolved as of October 8, 2026. Election day is October 26, 2026. Advance voting is open from October 6 to October 11 at City of Toronto voting locations. You can see the candidates running for mayor at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor and find your voting location at toronto.ca/elections.
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