Why We Must Stop Bradford This October

With Toronto’s next municipal election nine months away, we need to take a serious look at what’s at stake. There are many people dunking on current Mayor Olivia Chow whether it’s for record breaking property tax hikes – 9.5% in 2024 – or not being bold enough on things such as housing and countering Doug Ford’s attacks on bike lanes. For the record, I wished she could have been more supportive on open streets. While there is a need to hold Mayor Chow and the rest of city council accountable, we also need to be careful to not put in someone who could be even worse.

Case in point is Brad Bradford.

At this time, Bradford is the only declared candidate for Mayor after two terms as City Councillor for Ward 19 Beaches-East York. During his first term from 2018 to 2022, he gave the impression that he was a reliable ally for the cycling community; being a road cyclist himself and his wife – Kathryn Randle – served on Cycle Toronto’s board with me. He had particularly championed the Danforth bike lanes in his ward per this Spacing column from June 2020.

A group ride Bradford took part in July 2022 before his anti-bike shift happened

Unfortunately, he had pulled a 180 during his second term. Even though he still supported most of Cycle Toronto’s Safe and Active Streets for All campaign pledges during the 2023 mayoral by-election, his anti-bike shift was first evident when he voted to remove the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke in June 2024 while on a bike! Shortly after that, he put forward (and then withdrew) a member motion requesting data collection for the Avenue Road complete street; then recently installed in response to Ali Sezgin Armagan’s death on that street earlier this year. This was followed by his criticizing the $150 million cost of the West Toronto Railpath extension and refusal to stand up to Doug Ford’s Bill 212. For his latest folly, he spread lies on his Instagram post last week claiming bike lanes were being plowed ahead of sidewalks and streets which Jun’s recent blog post on Bloor bike lane clearing proved false. Ben Spurr recently put up a report in the Toronto Star which also did a good job in rebutting Bradford’s claims.

It's not just on cycling where Bradford is offside. Last year, he opposed a motion to install RapidTO bus priority lanes on Bloor and Bathurst; instead claiming they should only be temporary during the FIFA World Cup. He has also been hostile towards homeless encampments by calling those near schools, daycares, and playground to be evicted within 48 hours and even voted for Councillor Stephen Holyday’s motion to stop giving bottled water to the homeless. Seriously, what the fuck? If all of that doesn’t tell you who he is, he spoke at a launch event for ABC Toronto – the right-wing counter to Progress Toronto – in January 2025 and was expected to speak at a so-called “Toronto Concerned Citizens Coalition” press conference last July but didn’t show up.

Aside from Bradford, former Mayor John Tory is considering a comeback for 2026 claiming there is unfinished business; something which Progress Toronto promptly called him out on. While Tory did support the Bloor bike lane pilot in 2016 along with the unprecedented bike lane installations in 2020, he cannot be deemed a fully reliable ally on this front.

Shortly after taking office in 2015, he opposed city staff recommendations to tear down the Gardiner Expressway east of Jarvis Street; instead favouring a costlier so-called “hybrid option”. He also supported scrapping ActiveTO major road closures on Lake Shore West in June 2022 while accusing ActiveTO supporters of intolerance. Given a letter ghost written for the Toronto Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro – which is owned by Rogers – an investigation was launched since Tory had a conflict of interest on matters regarding Rogers though he was ultimately cleared. In one of his last acts before resigning over an affair with a staffer, Mayor John Tory opposed staff recommendations to make the Midtown Yonge Complete Street Pilot permanent; instead supporting Councillor Jon Burnside’s motion to extend the pilot. He continued to voice his displeasure over the Midtown Yonge bikeway on Newstalk 1010 in November 2024, along with the Bloor bike lanes in Etobicoke.

In the event Mayor Olivia Chow formally announces her bid to seek re-election, it’s very unlikely we will see another high-profile progressive enter the race. Unlike during the 2023 mayor by-election, Councillor Josh Matlow would need to give up his current seat in Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s to run, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes another shot at some point in the future. We may not find Mayor Chow to be perfect, but there are several good things she accomplished including the following:

• Froze (and capped) TTC fares
• Opened all libraries seven days a week
• Expanded school nutrition programs across the city
• Allowed sixplexes and neighbourhood retail in the eight downtown wards (though work still remains to expand this citywide)
• Secured new funding deals with provincial and federal governments to address significant budget shortfalls (including uploading the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway)

In conclusion, it’s critical that Toronto’s cycling community organize to stop Brad Bradford this fall, as well as remember that John Tory’s record on cycling and road safety leaves much to be desired.