Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford were on the campaign trail Thursday, both making platform promises related to public safety. At a news conference in Scarborough, Chow unveiled a four-year, $28-million investment to fund youth safety programs that she says will make communities safer. “One shooting, one death is too many. That means another mom grieving, another community impacted,” Chow said, flanked by mothers who lost their children to gun violence. Chow said her administration has invested in addressing youth violence in Toronto each year she’s been mayor through year-round initiatives and the Summer Safety Plan. The latter offers programming and services focused on prevention, intervention, response, and community well-being and leadership. As a result, in 2025, she said that youth violence was down 40 per cent. “The lower the number, the better. And I understand the sense of insecurity and fear, absolutely. But if we could reach out to young people earlier, faster, better… then we can dramatically reduce gun violence,” she said. Meanwhile, Bradford pitched installing platform edge doors on the TTC, a type of safety barrier installed along the edge of a subway platform which opens at the same time as the subway train doors. Bradford didn’t say how he plans to pay for the proposal, which a 2025 study by the TTC said would cost roughly $44 to $55 million at each station. “We are going to release our platform, the financial particulars, how we’re going to pay for the commitments,” Bradford said when asked about the price tag of the pitch. Bradford made the pledge as he criticized Chow’s response to a question raised at a mayoral debate Monday, in which candidates were asked if Toronto was living up to its full potential. She answered in the affirmative. “Mayor Chow tells us that Toronto’s already living up to its full potential. You see the disconnect there, right? I disagree with the mayor. Look, Toronto’s not broken, but it is stuck, and stuck is a choice. And change is a choice at the ballot box too.” Mayoral candidate Chris Alexander did not have any public campaign announcement Thursday. The Toronto municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26.
