Toronto mayoral candidates make final push ahead of election day

CBC English
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Oct 24, 2026
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedAs the Toronto mayoral election nears its conclusion, leading candidates Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford are leveraging their personal histories to energize their bases. While Chow focuses on renters and social services, Bradford targets homeowners and seniors. The race remains tight as both campaigns shift their focus toward voter mobilization.
With the finish line in sight,
Toronto's leading candidates went back to where it started for them,
reflecting on their humble beginnings,
both paying respect to their mothers.
Olivia Chow stood in front of the apartment building
her family moved into when they first immigrated to Canada.
When my mother worked as a hotel maid cleaning rooms, she earned enough
to pay the rent, put food on the table, and gave us a home.
Our city has changed a lot, but in all the important ways, I have not.
I'm still the kid from St. Jamestown.
Hamilton native Brad Bradford brought his mother to an event
in Etobicoke focused on how his plan helps seniors.
My mom raised three kids on her own under the age of six.
Okay, we didn't have a lot of time, we didn't have a lot of money.
Everything that I've learned about putting in the work
and keeping my promises and showing up, I learned from my mom.
Chow pitched her 10-ride weekly TTC fare cap
and school lunch program to the nearly half of Torontonians who rent.
I will always stand up for renters
because that's how I grew up, renting.
According to the 2021 census,
there's nearly half a million seniors in Toronto.
Bradford says his plan to freeze property taxes, lower water bills
and scrap the municipal land transfer tax will help the elderly.
You've got a fixed income, but the expenses
and the bills that City Hall is thrusting upon you keep going up
and up and up under this administration.
Political strategists say the campaign stops
are about energizing their respective bases.
Those are two really different demographics.
People who rent versus people who own.
People who are struggling to put food in their kids' lunches versus
people who are thinking about, you know, maybe upgrading their house.
The real push in the final period is to figure out how do you mobilize
your volunteers, your team to get people to that ballot box,
because that is really all that matters.
With only three days to go,
this race is neck and neck and you might be cramming over the weekend.
But don't worry, our CBC Toronto has you covered.
Let's bring in Mercedes Gaston Bidet, tell them how to vote.
Your voting place is based on the ward you live
in and will be on your voter information card.
But you don't absolutely need it to vote.
You can also register on election day at your voting place.
Just bring ID showing your name and qualifying address.
The most important thing to do before voting is get informed.
Let's stop you there, Mercedes.
For that, let's bring in Olivia Piercy.
If you haven't been paying attention to Toronto's mayoral election,
polls show they're the two leading candidates.
Here's what they're promising to do if elected.
I can't play the whole thing, but if you head to our website
and read our platform tracker, it's a quick and easy way
to get up to speed before election day on Monday.
Dale Minuck, CBC News, Toronto.
