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On Saturday at separate media appearances, Toronto mayoral candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford had strong words to say about Bradford’s platform on public safety. Bradford has proposed working with the province to open a satellite campus of the Ontario Police College in Etobicoke and hiring 1,000 police officers by the end of his first term.
When asked about the proposal at a press conference at a rally, Chow said that Bradford, “Probably doesn’t read the budget very much,” before saying her administration has hired over 1,000 police officers and crisis workers since her term began in 2023.
In a statement to On The Record, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) refused to comment on any campaign promises from either candidate. The TPS did confirm Chow’s numbers saying that there have been 1,094 cadets hired between 2023 and 2025, with 362 expected by the end of 2026.
Toronto’s 2026 police budget is $1.43 billion, making it the second largest item on Torontonian’s property taxes—only second to the TTC, which has a $3.03 billion budget. According to Statistics Canada, crime has dropped across most of the country, including in Toronto.
As a city councillor for Ward 19, Bradford has shifted his position on police funding. In June 2020, he was one of eight city councillors who voted for a motion to decrease the police budget by 10 per cent, citing concerns surrounding systemic racism. The motion, which followed the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in the United States, ultimately failed. Bradford wrote in a blog post that “for too long, the size and scope of policing has grown.” In 2023, Bradford questioned whether a proposal to transfer $900,000 from a planned $48.3 million police budget increase was meant to “defund the police,” marking a departure from his police funding stance 2 years prior.
During the 2023 election, Chow emphasized reducing 911 wait times as part of her approach to public safety. According to municipal FOIA data obtained by the CBC, the average wait time for 911 calls in 2022 for 55 days was one minute. A similar report by the Auditor General of Toronto found that Toronto only met the 911 service level standard for ten days in 2021. Since being elected, Chow posted an Instagram reel where she says 911 wait times have been reduced by seventy per cent.
The Toronto Police Association (TPA) failed to respond to On The Record in time for publication. However, in a Sept. 22 post on X, the TPA thanked Chow for her commitment to the group’s members. “We also appreciate that she is the only mayoral candidate to engage and consult with the TPA through this election,” said the post, which also included an image of Chow sitting alongside TPA president Clayton Campbell. The TPA, however, has not formally endorsed a candidate.
Other candidates have weighed in on public safety for their campaigns. For instance, Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam,on the ballot for mayor of Toronto, has emphasized a focus on combating gun violence and human trafficking.
According to a September 18th report from Mainstreet Research, 69.8 per cent of Torontonians surveyed felt concerned about crime, despite it trending downwards. It’s an issue some voters plan to focus on this election.
The municipal election takes place on Monday, Oct. 26th. Polling stations will be open between 10 a.m and 8 p.m.
Reporter, OTR, F2026.
