Petition

Petition: Keep Party Machines Out of City Hall

Oct 29, 2026 | By Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.

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Total Petition Signatures Received

1 Signature

Includes 1 public endorser.

Organizations: endorse here

The Petition

To: The Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (changes to the Municipal Elections Act)
And to: Toronto City Council and every candidate for Mayor and City Council in Toronto (the clean-campaign pledge and a fair field)

Toronto does not elect its mayor by party. There are no party names on our municipal ballot, and that is by design: City Hall is meant to answer to the people of Toronto, not to provincial or federal party organizations.

Yet in every mayoral race, party organizers, donor networks, volunteer lists and endorsements play an outsized role behind the scenes. Voters are told the real choice has already been made for them, and that anything else is a wasted vote. That is not how a free city should choose its leader. A municipal ballot without party labels does not mean a race without party machines.

Our money, their machines

Ontario’s political parties are funded in part by taxpayers. Through the per-vote subsidy introduced in 2017, they receive public money every quarter based on the votes they won in the last provincial election, millions of dollars a year (Elections Ontario; CBC News). The province has now made that subsidy permanent (Government of Ontario).

Every resident pays for that subsidy, whatever party they support or none at all. When organizations sustained by public money put their networks to work in a municipal race, Torontonians are entitled to ask whose interests City Hall is being asked to serve.

We, the undersigned, call for:

A clean-campaign pledge. Every candidate for mayor and council should commit not to use the staff, data, volunteer lists or resources of a provincial or federal party.
Full disclosure. The province should amend the Municipal Elections Act so campaigns must report any party staff, data or resources they use.
No public subsidy in municipal races. Party money that comes from taxpayers should never flow, directly or indirectly, into a race for City Hall.
A fair field. Debates and coverage should be open to independent candidates on equal terms, so voters can hear every choice before deciding. Media outlets and debate organizers, public or private, should be required to include all certified candidates, and to publish the criteria they use to decide who is invited or covered.
Equal treatment by nonprofits and charities. Nonprofits and charities should not interfere in municipal politics, and should never give different access to their resources, spaces or audiences to different candidates.
Nonprofit leaders off campaign teams. Leaders of nonprofits and charities should not serve on a candidate’s campaign team.
No City grants in political campaigns. City grants should never be used, directly or indirectly, to support any candidate or political campaign.
Ranked ballots for Toronto. The province should restore municipalities’ power to use ranked ballots, and Toronto should adopt them, so every winner has majority support and no vote is called a wasted vote.
Step aside to run again. The province should amend the Municipal Elections Act so any sitting mayor or councillor seeking re-election takes a mandatory unpaid leave of absence from nomination day to election day. (Read: Step Aside to Run Again)
No police intimidation of opponents. Candidates, elected officials and their campaigns should never use the police, or the threat of police action, to intimidate or silence political opponents, volunteers or voters.
Donors before the vote. Any campaign that raises more than $100,000 should publish its major donors before election day, so voters know who is funding a campaign before they cast their ballot.
Third-party advertisers named before the vote. Every registered third-party advertiser, and who is funding it, should be publicly listed before election day.
Polls that include every candidate. Any corporation or pollster, public or private, that conducts or publishes polling on a Toronto mayoral race should be required to test all certified candidates, not only a selected few. Every published poll should also disclose how its sample was selected and on what basis, including sample size, method, dates, weighting and who paid for it.

Individual Endorsements

Total signatures received so far: 1 (1 public endorser listed below).

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng. (Petition Initiator, Toronto)

Organization Endorsements

Community groups, unions, faith organizations, student associations and advocacy organizations are invited to endorse this petition. Endorsing organizations will be listed here and included in the official submission to Toronto City Council and the Province of Ontario.

No organizational endorsements have been listed yet.

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Proposed Motions

Proposed Motions to Toronto City Council

These four motions can each be moved and seconded separately.

Motion 1: Clean Campaigns and City Resources
Motion 2: Election Money Transparency
Motion 3: A Fair Field: Debates, Media and Polling
Motion 4: Electoral Reform

Motion 1: Clean Campaigns and City Resources

Summary

This motion asks City Council to keep City resources, City-funded organizations and the police out of election campaigns, and to set a voluntary clean-campaign pledge for every candidate.

Proposed by: Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng., Founder, Be The Change Movement
To be moved by: [Councillor]
Seconded by: [Councillor]
Referral: Executive Committee
This motion needs a member of City Council to move it and another member to second it under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 27 (Council Procedures).

Whereas

WHEREAS there are no party names on Toronto’s municipal ballot, and that is by design: City Hall is meant to answer to the people of Toronto, not to provincial or federal party organizations.

WHEREAS in mayoral races, party organizers, donor networks, volunteer lists and endorsements can play an outsized role behind the scenes, and a municipal ballot without party labels does not mean a race without party machines.

WHEREAS voters can only make a full choice when they can hear from every certified candidate on equal terms.

WHEREAS City of Toronto grant policy already states that grant recipients must not use City grants for partisan political activity, directly or indirectly (Toronto Grants Policy; Guide to Political Activities for City-Funded Groups), and residents are entitled to know that this rule is reported on and enforced.

WHEREAS federal guidance from the Canada Revenue Agency (CG-027) already states that a registered charity must not directly or indirectly support or oppose any candidate for public office, including a candidate for municipal government, and that inviting only one candidate to speak without giving all candidates an equal opportunity is a form of direct support.

WHEREAS nonprofit organizations that are not registered charities are not covered by that federal guidance, and many nonprofits and charities in Toronto receive City grants or use City space.

WHEREAS police and by-law enforcement must serve every resident impartially, and no candidate, volunteer or voter should face the threat of police action for taking part in an election.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council adopt the following recommendations.

Recommendations

City Council endorse a voluntary clean-campaign pledge and invite every candidate for Mayor and City Council to commit: not to use the staff, data, volunteer lists or resources of a provincial or federal political party; never to use police or by-law enforcement, or the threat of it, against political opponents, volunteers or voters; and to publish voluntarily, before voting day, the names of contributors whose contributions must be disclosed in the financial statement under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
City Council affirm that no Member of Council, and no staff of a Member of Council, will use police or by-law enforcement, or the threat of it, against political opponents, volunteers or voters.
City Council request the Toronto Police Service Board to report on safeguards that make sure election-period complaints involving candidates are handled independently and impartially.
City Council direct the City Manager and the City Solicitor to report to the Executive Committee on strengthening City grant agreements so that City grant funds, and any staff time or resources paid for by City grants, cannot be used directly or indirectly for any municipal, provincial or federal election campaign. The report should include options for recipients to report on and certify their compliance, and for the City to recover grant funds when the rule is broken.
City Council direct the City Manager, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to report to the Executive Committee on options to add conditions to City grant agreements and City community space agreements so that organizations receiving City funding or City space do not engage in partisan municipal election activity, and give all certified candidates equal access to any candidate events, spaces or resources they offer.
City Council direct the City Manager, in consultation with the City Solicitor, to include in the report under Recommendation 5 options so that the executive directors and board chairs of organizations receiving City funding do not serve on municipal campaign teams while their organization receives City funding.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to consider amending the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 so that organizations receiving public funding give all certified municipal candidates equal access to any candidate events or resources they offer, and so that the executive directors and board chairs of those organizations do not serve on municipal campaign teams while their organization receives public funding.
City Council request that the City, its agencies and corporations, and any organization funded by the City that commissions or publishes polling on a Toronto municipal election include all certified candidates in that polling.
City Council direct the City Clerk to report to the Executive Committee on options to make sure that any candidate information or debates that the City runs or supports are open to all certified candidates on equal terms, and that the criteria for any City-run or City-supported candidate event are published in advance.
City Council forward this motion to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and all Members of Provincial Parliament representing Toronto ridings, and the Toronto Police Service Board.

Notes before tabling

The City Clerk and the City Solicitor should confirm the final wording, the right committee, and the timing before this motion is tabled.
The pledge is voluntary. It asks candidates to make a public commitment; it does not create a legal ban.
Rules for registered charities are set federally under the Income Tax Act and enforced by the Canada Revenue Agency. City Council cannot change or enforce those rules. Recommendations 4, 5 and 6 apply only to the City’s own grants and space agreements.
The City Solicitor should review Recommendations 4 to 7 for concerns under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including freedom of expression and freedom of association. Federal guidance (CG-027) allows charity leaders to take part in politics in their own personal capacity, as long as the charity’s resources are not used, so any City condition on leaders would go further than federal rules and needs careful legal review.
City Council cannot direct police operations. Under the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, the Toronto Police Service Board sets policy and cannot direct the Chief of Police on specific operational decisions. That is why Recommendation 2 is a commitment by Members of Council, in the style of the Code of Conduct, and Recommendation 3 is only a request to the Board.

Sources

Motion 2: Election Money Transparency

Summary

This motion asks the Province to keep taxpayer-funded party money out of municipal races and to let voters see who is funding campaigns and third-party advertisers before they vote.

Whereas

WHEREAS Ontario’s registered provincial parties receive a quarterly per-vote allowance funded by taxpayers under the Election Finances Act, and the Province has acted to make that allowance permanent.

WHEREAS every resident pays for the provincial party allowance, whatever party they support or none at all, and residents are entitled to know whose staff, data and resources are used in a race for City Hall.

WHEREAS municipal elections in Ontario are governed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, which only the Province can amend.

WHEREAS under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the name and address of every contributor who gives a candidate more than $100 is listed in the candidate’s financial statement, but that statement is filed and published only after the election (Government of Ontario 2026 voters’ guide; City of Toronto: Candidate Financial Filings), so voters do not know who funded a campaign until after they have voted.

WHEREAS under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, third-party advertisers must register with the City Clerk before they spend money on advertising, and the City publishes a list of certified candidates and registered third-party advertisers (City of Toronto: Become a Registered Third Party Advertiser; City of Toronto: List of Certified Candidates and Third Party Advertisers), but the contributors to a third-party advertiser are disclosed only in its financial statement after the election.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council adopt the following recommendations.

Recommendations

City Council request the Province of Ontario to ensure that provincial per-vote party allowances cannot flow, directly or indirectly, into municipal election campaigns.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require municipal campaigns to disclose any provincial or federal party staff, data or resources they use.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require any municipal campaign that raises more than $100,000 to file and publish its contributor disclosure before voting day.
City Council direct the City Clerk to continue to publish, keep updated and make prominent, before voting day, the list of registered third-party advertisers.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require registered third-party advertisers to disclose their contributors before voting day.
City Council forward this motion to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and all Members of Provincial Parliament representing Toronto ridings.

Notes before tabling

The City Clerk and the City Solicitor should confirm the final wording, the right committee, and the timing before this motion is tabled.
City Council cannot itself regulate provincial or federal political parties. That is why this motion uses requests to the Province.
The City Clerk should confirm how Recommendations 3, 4 and 5 would work with the City’s Electronic Financial Filing System, third-party advertiser registration, and the existing post-election filing deadline.

Sources

Motion 3: A Fair Field: Debates, Media and Polling

Summary

This motion asks for debates, coverage and polls that include every certified candidate, with clear and public criteria.

Whereas

WHEREAS voters can only make a full choice when they can hear from every certified candidate on equal terms.

WHEREAS municipal elections in Ontario are governed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, which only the Province can amend.

WHEREAS the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission requires broadcasters to treat candidates equitably during a municipal election period, but equitable does not mean equal, and debate programs do not have to include every candidate (CRTC election guidelines).

WHEREAS public opinion polls that test only some candidates can shape media coverage and voter choices before voters have heard from every certified candidate.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council adopt the following recommendations.

Recommendations

City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require organizers of mayoral debates, including media outlets, broadcasters and other organizations, to invite all certified candidates for that office, or to publish transparent and objective inclusion criteria in advance.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require any corporation or pollster, public or private, that conducts or publishes a municipal election poll to include all certified candidates for that office, and to disclose how its sample was selected and on what basis, the sample size, the polling method, the field dates, any weighting, and who sponsored or paid for the poll.
City Council urge pollsters and media outlets covering Toronto elections to test all certified candidates, or to clearly disclose which candidates were left out and why.
City Council request CBC/Radio-Canada and all broadcasters licensed by the CRTC that cover Toronto elections to give equitable treatment to all certified candidates in their news coverage, public affairs programming and debates, and to publish the criteria they use to decide who is invited or covered.
City Council forward this motion to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and all Members of Provincial Parliament representing Toronto ridings, CBC/Radio-Canada and the CRTC.

Notes before tabling

The City Clerk and the City Solicitor should confirm the final wording, the right committee, and the timing before this motion is tabled.
City Council cannot itself regulate media outlets, debate organizers or private pollsters. Recommendations 3 and 4 are requests only, and Recommendations 1 and 2 ask the Province to legislate.
Broadcasting is regulated federally by the CRTC under the Broadcasting Act, and City Council has no power over broadcasters or CBC/Radio-Canada.
The City Solicitor should review all four recommendations under section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (freedom of expression and freedom of the press), since they touch the editorial choices of media, debate organizers and pollsters.

Sources

Motion 4: Electoral Reform

Summary

This motion asks the Province to restore ranked ballots and to require incumbents seeking re-election to step aside during the campaign.

Whereas

WHEREAS municipal elections in Ontario are governed by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, which only the Province can amend.

WHEREAS the Municipal Elections Modernization Act, 2016 gave Ontario municipalities the option to elect council members by ranked ballot, and the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020 removed that option.

WHEREAS an incumbent seeking re-election keeps the salary, staff, title and public platform of office for the whole campaign, while challengers do not (Step Aside to Run Again).

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT City Council adopt the following recommendations.

Recommendations

City Council request the Province of Ontario to restore the option for municipalities to use ranked ballots in municipal elections.
City Council direct the City Clerk to report to the Executive Committee on how ranked ballots could be put in place for the next Toronto municipal election, if the Province restores the option.
City Council request the Province of Ontario to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 to require any sitting mayor or councillor seeking re-election to take a mandatory unpaid leave of absence from nomination day to voting day, with the deputy mayor acting as head of council during any mayoral leave, strong mayor powers not used during the leave, ward offices staying open to serve residents without communications from the councillor, and an exception for a declared emergency.
City Council forward this motion to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and all Members of Provincial Parliament representing Toronto ridings.

Notes before tabling

The City Clerk and the City Solicitor should confirm the final wording, the right committee, and the timing before this motion is tabled.
The City Clerk and the City Solicitor should confirm the wording of Recommendations 1, 2 and 3, including how a leave of absence would work with the City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the rules for the deputy mayor and strong mayor powers.

Sources

Read the Full Statement

Keep Party Machines Out of City Hall

TORONTO, October 29, 2026: Toronto does not elect its mayor by party. There are no party names on our municipal ballot, and that is by design: City Hall is meant to answer to the people of Toronto, not to provincial or federal party organizations.

This is not speculation. In the final days of this campaign, the incumbent’s co-chair, a senior Liberal strategist who co-directed the Prime Minister’s federal campaign, publicly urged fellow Liberals to help elect her (National Newswatch; Toronto Star). A municipal ballot without party labels does not mean a race without party machines.

Our money, their machines

What I am calling for

A clean-campaign pledge. Every candidate for mayor and council should commit not to use the staff, data, volunteer lists or resources of a provincial or federal party.
Full disclosure. The province should amend the Municipal Elections Act so campaigns must report any party staff, data or resources they use.
No public subsidy in municipal races. Party money that comes from taxpayers should never flow, directly or indirectly, into a race for City Hall.
A fair field. Debates and coverage should be open to independent candidates on equal terms, so voters can hear every choice before deciding.

This work continues

My campaign did not end on October 26. Toronto deserves a mayor who answers to its residents alone, not to a party machine. People lead the government. Government serves the people.

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Independent candidate for Mayor of Toronto, 2026
Be The Change. Transform The City.
www.bahira.ca

Sources & Official Documents

Featured image: Toronto City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square. Photo by Bernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (public domain).

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng.
Founder, Be The Change Movement
bahira.ca

Volunteer with us → | (647) 785-3729 | bethechangeno1@gmail.com

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