Opinion
The Voice the Panel Left Out
On September 16, a CityNews panel spent ten minutes breaking down Toronto’s mayoral race. It talked about Olivia Chow, Brad Bradford and Chris Alexander. Since then, Chris Alexander has announced he is stepping back, though his name remains on the ballot because the official withdrawal deadline passed on Aug. 21. Now the media is calling this a two-way race between Chow and Bradford. With voters told they have only two options, they deserve to hear the independent alternative.
I’m that alternative. I’m a proud Arab Muslim hijabi and pro-Palestinian, and I don’t bow to any political party. I answer only to Torontonians. So let me take the questions the panel raised and answer them.
Safety. The panel said it plainly: “for the election, it’s the perception that matters” (4:09). Chow’s platform points to the police, firefighters, paramedics and crisis workers she has hired. Bradford, as CBC reported, promises 1,000 more officers and police substations. I say police money has to buy safety, not waste. I’ll hold the police budget at $1.43 billion in year one and put illegal guns, trafficking and child exploitation first. I’ll expand violence interruption programs, and I’ll sit on the Police Services Board myself. Read my plan
Transit. The panel called transit safety the mayor’s weakness (1:45). Chow offers “10 rides, then free” each week. Bradford, as CBC reported, offers refunds when trips run 15 minutes late. I’ll make the TTC free, phased in, with every stage funded before it starts, and make it safer and faster. Read my plan
Encampments. They’re down 70%, but the last 30% still matter (3:43). I’ll reverse the $126 million shelter cut and make sure no one is turned away into the cold. Read my plan
Taxes and jobs. At the end, the panel asked what candidates will do about the land transfer tax, the vacant home tax and jobs (10:00). Bradford would eliminate the municipal land transfer tax on homes under $1.1 million. I’ll keep the vacant home tax and the higher land transfer tax on sales above $3 million. I’ll freeze residential property taxes for a year and cut taxes for small businesses. And I’ll put local hiring first. Read my plan: taxes, jobs
Priorities. I love Toronto’s festivals. They bring neighbours together and keep small businesses going. But a budget is a list of priorities. In 2025, Mayor Chow’s administration raised the Cultural Festivals Funding Program 33% to $2.57 million and renewed $1.35 million in event stabilization funding. This February, she said she had set aside $4 million for festivals and wanted the increases made permanent. In the same 2026 budget, shelter services fell $126 million, from $912 million to $786 million. People see the mayor dancing on festival stages. The families who are turned away from shelters, or are choosing between rent and groceries, need to see the same energy for them. I’ll keep supporting festivals, and I’ll reverse the shelter cut first.
What they didn’t say. In ten minutes, the panel never mentioned housing affordability for renters, child care, or the cost of groceries beyond a single anecdote. Climate didn’t come up, and neither did accessibility or the racism many Torontonians face every day. And not one Independent candidate was named, even though 53 candidates are on the ballot for mayor. When the media decides who counts, voters lose the full picture. These are the issues I hear about at the door, and they’re the heart of my plan.
Toronto is being told it has two choices. It has a third. Toronto needs an engineer.
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Candidate for Mayor of Toronto, bahira.ca
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