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Families & Community

Invest in Students

Students

Invest in students

Students are the future of this city, and right now Toronto is making it too hard for them to stay. This fall, Queen’s Park cut OSAP grants, so students are graduating with more debt than ever. The city can’t set tuition, but it can open doors.

Free training for the jobs Toronto needs

The city will pay tuition for residents who train as transit operators, early childhood educators, paramedics, skilled tradespeople and city engineers, in exchange for working for the city.

A Toronto promise bursary

Support for students from low-income neighbourhoods, and for those OSAP shuts out entirely, like undocumented students and refugee claimants, with colleges, universities and business partners matching the city’s share.

Free learning in every library

Courses, tutoring, language classes and certification prep at Toronto Public Library, open to everyone, whatever their status. Plus late-night study space.

Housing they can afford

Student housing on public land near campuses, and a crackdown on landlords who rent unsafe, overcrowded rooms to students afraid to complain.

Getting around for free

Free transit means students spend money on food and books, not fares.

A first job in Toronto

Paid placements, co-ops and apprenticeships with the city, so graduates build their careers here.

Support when it’s hard

More mental health support, in partnership with campuses and community organizations.

The right to speak

Students have the right to speak, organize and protest peacefully in public spaces, whatever cause they stand for.

And I’ll lead cities, students and colleges in pressing Queen’s Park to restore the grants it cut.

I taught in Ontario’s colleges. I know what students give this city. Toronto will invest in them.

Toronto’s Youth Are Not a Pilot Project Oct 12, 2026
Bahira Abdulsalam, Mayoral Candidate, City of Toronto 2026: You Did Everything Right Oct 12, 2026

More on this topic: Families & Community. All issues: A Plan for Toronto.

? Guide

Welcome to bahira.ca

Toronto needs an engineer.
Here’s the whole plan.

Meet Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, PhD, P.Eng., independent candidate for Mayor of Toronto. Read what she will do, how every promise is paid for, and how you can be part of it.

See the promises Volunteer Commit to vote

Why this website exists

Too often, voters are handed slogans and asked to trust that the details will work out later. This campaign does the opposite. Everything is here, in the open: what I will deliver, what a mayor actually controls, what I will fight Queen’s Park and Ottawa for, and how each commitment is paid for, phase by phase.

I am a structural engineer. Engineers don’t promise a bridge without showing the drawings and the budget. I am holding my own campaign to that same standard, and I am asking you to hold City Hall to it too.

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam

Your guide to this website

New here? Follow these steps, in order or in any order you like.

Start with the promises. Tap Promises in the top menu to see the seven commitments at a glance. Each card has a Read the plan link to the details.
Read the plan by topic. Tap The plan in the menu. There is one page per topic: housing, transit, money, safety, jobs, families, environment and reconciliation. Start with whatever matters most to you.
Check how it is paid for. Tap How we pay, then See the budget. Every commitment is phased, and each phase starts only when its money is in place.
Switch to your language. On the home page, find Read this site in your language and tap your language. The page reloads translated. (Translations are automatic, so a few phrases may read imperfectly.)
Hear it in her own words. Scroll to Bahira in the media on the home page for interviews, and tap News in the menu for the latest statements and op-eds.
Search for anything. Use Search in the top menu to find a topic, such as “child care,” “TTC” or “tenants.”
Get involved. Use the buttons at the top of every page: Volunteer to join the team, Commit to vote to make your pledge, Donate to contribute, and Downloads for flyers you can print and share.
Ask a question. Email bethechangeno1@gmail.com or call (647) 785-3729. A real person will answer.

Seven promises for Toronto

Fix what we have. Repair the infrastructure we already own, first.
Homes you can afford. Keep public land public and build homes you can own on it.
Transit that shows up. A free TTC, phased in and funded at every step.
No more blank cheques. Open books, independent audits and a live projects dashboard.
Build local opportunity first. Local businesses, local hiring and neighbourhood incubators.
A city that educates, includes and grows. Libraries, affordable child care and accessibility.
Community safety. Prevention, violence interruption and accountable policing.

Explore the plan

HousingPublic land, Housing First, fair renting. Transit & StreetsFree TTC, phased in, and streets that move. Money & TaxesThe budget table and how we pay for it. Community SafetyGuns, trafficking and harm prevention. Opportunity & JobsLocal business and fair contracts. Families & CommunityChild care, libraries and community centres. Environment & WaterFix the pipes, green city buildings. ReconciliationLand, water and Treaty as a moral floor. About BahiraEngineer, educator, independent candidate.

Read it in your language

Toronto speaks many languages, and so does this website. Use the language links on the home page to read the plan in Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, Punjabi, Urdu, Tagalog, Spanish, Portuguese, Somali, French and more than a dozen others.

Be part of it

This is a people-powered campaign. Here is how you can help:

VolunteerCanvassing, phones, flyers and events. ContributeEvery contribution helps us reach more neighbours. ShareDownload flyers and pass them on.

Election day

Monday, October 26, 2026

Find Bahira Abdulsalam at #2 on the ballot for Mayor.

Commit to vote

Toronto will no longer throw its people away. It will be the place that takes care of its people.