Chow and Bradford neck-and-neck with days left in Toronto mayoral election campaign

With just a week remaining until Toronto's mayoral election, the campaign has narrowed down to a tight contest between incumbent Olivia Chow and challenger Brad Bradford. Both candidates are intensifying their efforts to sway voters and criticize each other's records.

Chow made the rounds on Tuesday, visiting 500 Dawes Road in Bradford's Beaches-East York ward. The apartment building had been plagued with derelict conditions and pest issues, leading Chow to send city by-law officers in May to complete emergency repairs. She praised her office for intervening on behalf of tenants, issuing $200,000 in fines to the landlord for neglecting basic living conditions. Chow asserted that Bradford's lack of action while he served as councilor for the ward disqualified him from being mayor.

Bradford's team rebuked Chow's claims, stating she waited until an election year to take action. They argued that he had been using municipal tools to address building violations prior to Chow's tenure as mayor. The candidate then shifted focus to transit and congestion, proposing to eliminate reduced speed zones on the TTC for repairs. If elected, Bradford intends to set a zero target for slow zones and implement an independent track condition audit and renewal program for the subway.

Responding to Bradford's announcement, Chow's campaign highlighted Bradford's support for budgets that allowed the TTC to age and stop preventative maintenance, contributing to the current track work. A Mainstreet Research poll indicated a close race, with Bradford at 48.9% and Chow at 47.5%. However, Pollara Strategic Insights found Chow with a seven-point lead (53% to 46%). The mayoral election is set for October 26, with a strong gender gap in voting intentions, with Chow leading among women and Bradford among men.