Money & Taxes

Forensic Budget Review

Fiscal accountability

Forensic Budget Review

If elected Mayor, I will order a forensic-style review of Toronto’s $18.9 billion operating budget and $63.1 billion 10-year capital plan, so residents can see where money actually goes.

What the review will do

map the largest operating and capital expenditures
flag major increases since 2023
separate one-time spikes from structural growth
show what is tax-supported vs rate-supported
publish a plain-language public report with findings and recommended next steps

What a mayor can deliver

Deliver: Commission and publish the review in the first year. Open the data so Torontonians can follow the money.

What I’ll fight for

Advocate: Queen’s Park and Ottawa where provincial or federal rules lock in waste or block savings.

Questions? Email bethechangeno1@gmail.com, call (647) 785-3729

More on this topic: Money & Taxes. 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.