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Bahira Abdulsalam: Why Not Olivia Chow?

Oct 15, 2026 | 3 min read

I keep hearing it: “Vote Chow to stop Bradford.”

I understand the fear. But Toronto is being told it has only two choices, and that is exactly how nothing changes.

Why not Olivia Chow?

Taxes timed for the election. 9.5% in 2024, 6.9% in 2025, then 2.2% in 2026, the year she’s on the ballot. That’s not a plan. It’s a calendar.^1,2

Doug Ford’s favourite mayor. In 2023, Ford said her election would be an “unmitigated disaster.”³ Last month he said she’s doing an “incredible job” and told voters to “read between the lines.”^4,5 When the premier taking over the Gardiner and the DVP is this happy, ask who City Hall is really working for.⁶

She voted to restrict protest. Chow voted for the bubble zone bylaw, which lets schools, daycares and places of worship apply for 50-metre zones that restrict protest activity, despite Charter warnings from dozens of community groups. I will repeal it.^7,8

One standard, applied unevenly. Since Olivia Chow registered to run again in May, she has stood with police to announce extra protection for Jewish communities and spoken out against antisemitism again and again, as she should.^11,12 In that same time, I could not find a single public statement from her on Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism. Her mayoral website has a full page on fighting antisemitism, as it should.¹³ I could not find a similar page on anti-Palestinian racism or Islamophobia.

Three years, and still no fix. An $18 billion repair gap, a TTC that doesn’t show up, and rents people can’t pay.⁹

On October 14, an abandoned building at 2 Matilda St. burned in a three-alarm fire that shut down the DVP and the Gardiner. Vacant buildings sit empty for years, and the City acts only after they burn.¹⁴

On September 3, part of the grandstand at Rogers Stadium collapsed in a storm. Thankfully no one was hurt, but there is still no independent investigation into a temporary stadium built for 50,000 people.¹⁵

In July 2024, Torontonians made more than 700 calls about flooded basements in a single storm, and at today’s pace the City says its basement flooding fixes will take about 50 years.^16,17

When the International Criminal Court wants someone for war crimes, Toronto should say clearly they are not welcome here. As mayor, I will.¹⁸

A third choice

And a vote for me is not a vote for Brad Bradford. It’s a vote for honest budgets, a free TTC phased in and paid for, public land kept public, and homes people can own.

The “wasted vote” line isn’t a fact. It’s how the same two names stay on every panel and in every debate.

Vote your values on October 26. I’m #2 on the ballot.¹⁰

Read why both need to go: Why Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford need to go.

References

1. City of Toronto, “City of Toronto’s 2026 Budget now final” (combined residential increase of 2.2%, including the City Building Fund levy); 2025 and 2024 residential increases of 6.9% and 9.5% as reported by The Canadian Press: https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-torontos-2026-budget-now-final-focuses-on-affordability-service-stability-and-financial-sustainability/
2. CityNews / The Canadian Press, “Toronto city council approves 2026 budget including 2.2 per cent property tax hike” (Feb. 10, 2026): https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/02/10/toronto-city-council-approves-2026-budget-including-2-2-per-cent-property-tax-hike/
3. Global News, “‘An unmitigated disaster’: Doug Ford weighs in on Toronto mayoral frontrunner” (June 21, 2023): https://globalnews.ca/news/9783907/doug-ford-olivia-chow-toronto-mayor-race/
4. CP24, “Ford says he has a ‘phenomenal relationship’ with Olivia Chow” (video, Sept. 16, 2026): https://www.cp24.com/video/2026/09/16/ford-says-he-has-a-phenomenal-relationship-with-olivia-chow/
5. CP24 / The Canadian Press, “Ford will not endorse any Toronto mayoral candidate: premier’s office” (Sept. 17, 2026): https://www.cp24.com/politics/queens-park/2026/09/17/fords-comments-about-supporting-chow-were-not-an-endorsement-his-office-says/
6. Government of Ontario, “Terms of the New Deal Between Ontario and Toronto” (Nov. 2023): https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1003887/terms-of-the-new-deal-between-ontario-and-toronto
7. City of Toronto, Agenda Item History 2025.CC30.5 (vote record, May 22, 2025): https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.CC30.5
8. Social Planning Toronto, “67 Community Groups Call On City Council to Reconsider ‘Bubble Zone’ Bylaw” (May 16, 2025): https://www.socialplanningtoronto.org/bubble_zone_letter
9. City of Toronto, corporate asset management plan: $18 billion 10-year state of good repair gap: https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-releases-corporate-asset-management-plan-and-reports-significant-progress-on-infrastructure-backlog/
10. VoteToronto, 2026 Toronto Mayoral Election, candidates listed alphabetically as on the ballot: https://votetoronto.com/election/mayor
11. CBC News, “Mayor, Toronto police unveil safety plan ahead of Jewish high holidays” (Sept. 8, 2026): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/police-unveil-jewish-high-holiday-safety-plan-9.7336185
12. Mayor Olivia Chow on X (Oct. 7, 2026): https://x.com/MayorOliviaChow/status/2107818606478160128
13. Mayor Olivia Chow, “Fighting Antisemitism in Toronto”: https://www.mayoroliviachow.ca/fighting_antisemitism
14. CityNews, “Fire in abandoned building shuts down parts of DVP, Gardiner” (Oct. 14, 2026): https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/10/14/fire-in-abandoned-building-shuts-down-parts-of-dvp-gardiner/
15. CBC News, “City orders Live Nation Canada to repair Rogers Stadium after ‘significant damage’” (Sept. 2026): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/city-toronto-order-remedy-unsafe-building-rogers-stadium-9.7333167
16. City of Toronto, “City of Toronto provides an update on response efforts following heavy rainfall” (July 16, 2024): https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-provides-an-update-on-response-efforts-following-heavy-rainfall/
17. City of Toronto, Agenda Item History 2025.IE20.7, Basement Flooding Protection Program Status Update: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2025.IE20.7
18. Bahira Abdulsalam, “If I Get Elected as the Next Toronto Mayor, I Will Call for Netanyahu’s Arrest” (Oct. 14, 2026): https://bahira.ca/2026/10/14/no-welcome-for-those-wanted-by-the-icc/

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam is an engineer, educator and independent candidate for Mayor of Toronto. Her full platform is at bahira.ca.

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Independent Candidate for Mayor of Toronto
bahira.ca

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