Article
The Debate Toronto Isn’t Having
Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Brad Bradford are fighting over how to label Toronto’s money. Their debate is taking us away from the real issue: the city doesn’t build what it promises.
Councillor Bradford wants to split the operating and capital budgets and borrow more for construction. Mayor Chow says that’s reckless and points to her savings. They trade numbers about transfers, reserves and line-by-line reviews.
I’m a structural engineer. I don’t care how you label the money. I care whether the bridge gets built, the pipe gets fixed and the bus shows up. Here is the debate Toronto should be having.
Photos: Olivia Chow by Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped). Brad Bradford by Mykola Swarnyk, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
The real issue: projects that never get built
Councillor Bradford’s own campaign says more than $1 billion of capital money went unspent. That means projects the city committed to were never delivered. On that, he is right.
But his answer is to borrow more. Borrowing doesn’t build anything if the city still can’t deliver on time and on budget. It only adds interest, and residents pay it for decades.
Meanwhile, Toronto faces a repair backlog of about $18 billion in transit, Toronto Community Housing, the road network and City facilities. My plan fixes delivery before it adds debt:
- Repair first. We fix what we have before we cut ribbons on new projects.
- A public projects dashboard. Every major project’s budget, forecast, changes and percent complete, online and kept current.
- Independent reviews at every stage. No project moves to its next phase or gets more money without a review.
- Multi-year budgets. Honest forecasts that are not timed to the election calendar.
Paying for a long-life asset over its life is fine. But only once the city can prove the asset will actually get built.
Projects are built by people
The money was there. What’s missing is the capacity to deliver. When the City lacks experienced engineers, project managers, inspectors and cost controllers, projects stall. Then the work goes to outside consultants and contractors at a higher price.
As mayor, I will hire for experience:
- The best person for the job. City hiring will be based on experience, skills and qualifications, not on ethnicity, religion, gender or colour. Every job is posted openly, every applicant is judged by the same standard, and there are no jobs for insiders or donors.
- Stronger City teams, fewer contracts. The City will plan, manage and inspect its own projects instead of paying consultants to do it.
- Local knowledge leads local projects. Toronto’s projects must handle freeze-thaw winters, aging pipes under busy streets, and Ontario’s codes and permits. Leadership roles go first to qualified professionals who live and work here, including newcomers who already call Toronto home.
- Licensed to practise here. Anyone leading engineering work for the City must hold a licence to practise in Ontario.
- Knowledge stays in Toronto. When we need outside specialists, they train local staff, so the next project is led from here.
Low bids that cost us more
Too often the City accepts the lowest bid even when it is unrealistic. Then the change orders start, the schedule slips and the budget grows. The contractor who underbid wins the job, and residents pay the difference.
- Best value, not lowest price. Contracts are awarded on price, experience, track record and a realistic plan.
- Every bid checked against an independent estimate. A bid far below what the work really costs gets questioned, not accepted.
- Past performance counts. Contractors with a history of overruns or delays on City work lose points or lose eligibility.
- Strict change-order control. Every change order is justified, approved and published on the projects dashboard.
- Real consequences. Contracts carry clear penalties for unjustified delays and overruns, and the City enforces them.
None of this works without experienced engineers inside City Hall to judge the bids. That is why hiring and delivery are the same issue.
Property tax: a freeze is not a plan
This council raised property taxes 9.5% in 2024 and 6.9% in 2025. Then, in election year, the increase dropped to 2.2%. That is budgeting for the ballot box.
The operating budget grew from $16.16 billion in 2023 to $18.9 billion in 2026. Residents can see that something isn’t adding up.
I will freeze residential property taxes for one year. But a freeze alone is not a plan. Councillor Bradford promises increases “below inflation” afterwards. Mayor Chow promises increases “at or around inflation.” Both mean the same percentage for a senior on a fixed income as for the owner of a mansion.
After the freeze, I will tie property taxes to the ability to pay:
- Stronger luxury-home and vacant-home taxes, so speculators and the billionaire class pay their fair share
- Expanded tax relief for low-income seniors and people with disabilities
- Pressure on the province for the tools a fair system needs
And instead of hiring consultants for another review, I will strengthen Toronto’s independent Auditor General, give that office the major projects to audit, and act on what it finds.
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam is an engineer, educator and independent candidate for Mayor of Toronto. Her full platform is at bahira.ca.
Toronto needs an engineer. Vote Bahira.
On October 26, vote Bahira Abdulsalam for Mayor of Toronto.
Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Independent Candidate for Mayor of Toronto
bahira.ca
Volunteer with us → | (647) 785-3729 | bethechangeno1@gmail.com
