November 25, 2025
The Empire Club of Canada Presents
Getting the Basics Right: A Conversation with Brad Bradford, City Councillor for Beaches–East York
Chairman: Saurabh Popat, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Moderator
John Moore, Host, Moore in the Morning
Distinguished Guest Speaker
Brad Bradford, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 19, Beaches—East York
Head Table Guests
Atrisha Lewis, Founder, Lewis Litigation
Welcome Address by Saurabh Popat, President, Board of Directors, Empire Club of Canada
Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Saurabh Popat, Chair of the Board of the Empire Club of Canada, and your host for today’s event.
To formally begin, I want to acknowledge that we are gathering on the Traditional and Treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the homelands of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples. I encourage you all to learn more about the Traditional Territory on which you work and live.
Now, today’s event would not be possible without the generous support of our incredible sponsors. The Empire Club is a non-profit organization, and our sponsors generously support the club, and make these events possible and complimentary for our online viewers to attend. So, please join me in thanking our VIP Reception Sponsors, the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and Oyster Strategy Group. And thanks to our Supporting Sponsors, Airbnb, Creative Currency, McCain, and StackAdapt. And we are also deeply appreciative of the ongoing support of our Lead Season Sponsors, Bruce Power, Hydro One, and National Bank Financial Markets, and our VIP Reception Season Sponsors, Ellis Don, McKinsey & Company, the Ontario Road Builders Association, and Waste Connections of Canada. Thank you. And finally, thank you to our Media Sponsor, the Toronto Star, and our AV Partner, Bespoke Audiovisual. Thank you.
If you have questions for our speakers, please scan the QR code found on your program, or through the Q&A function, if you’re online. And for those of you online, if you require technical assistance, please use the chat feature.
Now, today’s conversation is an incredibly important one for Canada, and it starts right here, in this great city of ours, and on this stage. In fact, we’re going to dig into the questions that many cities across our country are wrestling with, but we’re going to use Toronto’s experience as the lens. Because Toronto’s experience is a quintessentially Canadian experience. Like all Canadian cities, Toronto draws people from all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of us arrive each year, looking for an opportunity, a community, and a chance to build a great life. Many people in this room share that experience, as do I—actually, I came here from the distant land, or the province of New Brunswick, where McCain is from. But at the same time, many long-time residents of Toronto are choosing to leave the city, because they can’t find the affordability, or the sense of security they need to stay.
Again, this is not just a Toronto problem, it’s a Vancouver problem, it’s a Montreal problem. But for today, it is the Toronto lens, which we will use. We are going to ask some important questions like, if we don’t act, what kind of city will we become? And what kind of city do we want instead to be? We heard another angle on this topic in the Toronto Star/Ipsos survey, first shared here at the Empire Club a few weeks ago, where 6 in 10 Torontonians said they think that the city’s best days are behind it. That finding struck a chord, because it reflects something that people are feeling in their daily lives. Whether they’re dealing with housing costs, food insecurity, long commutes, safety concerns, city services stretched thin, or a growing sense of cynicism about whether the government can get the basics right. Yet those same people love this city. We love this city. We believe in its potential, and we want a path forward that feels practical, hopeful, and grounded in what Torontonians are actually experiencing.
The Empire Club exists to host conversations like this. Conversations that take us beyond headlines, and talk honestly about where we are, what’s getting in the way, and what’s possible when leadership shows up with clarity and purpose. This is an important one, folks, and I’m glad you’re all here today to share in this discussion.
Today’s keynote speaker spends a lot of time listening to Torontonians, and he brings that feedback straight into the work he does at City Hall. To introduce today’s speaker, we are fortunate to have Atrisha Lewis, founder of Lewis Litigation. Atrisha Lewis is the founder of Lewis Litigation, and she’s a trial and appellate litigator with a practice focused on commercial disputes, professional liability, class actions, and administrative law disputes. She has won trials by jury and by judge alone. Atrisha has consistently demonstrated her commitment to the legal profession. In 2019, Atrisha was elected as a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario. She is currently the chair of the Professional Development and Competence Committee, and the Ontario Representative to the Federation of Canadian Law Societies. In 2021, Atrisha was recognized with the Globe & Mail’s Changemakers Award, and appeared on the cover of the Globe & Mail Report on Business. In 2022, she was awarded the Women in Law Leadership’s Stronger Together Award, as well as the University of Toronto’s Wilson Pritchard Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession. Please help me in welcoming Atrisha to the stage.
Opening Remarks by Atrisha Lewis, Founder, Lewis Litigation
Brad Bradford is the City Councillor for Ward 19, Beaches—East York, and the first declared candidate for the 2026 mayoral election. I met Brad before he was a councillor, while we both did a city building fellowship called Civic Action Diversity Fellowship. I got to know Brad then, eager, hardworking, committed to making our city better. He was like that before he got elected, and I know his commitment remains today. I also know Brad in a second capacity, and that is as a loving dad. We have kids around the same ages. And through this, I know a lot of his love, passion, and perspective, which comes from raising a young family in the city. We spent hours talking about some of the challenges parents of young children face in the city. Brad is someone who I know has the vision and the determination to fight for Toronto, and I’m looking forward to hearing more today about where he wants to steer our city.
Since first being elected in 2018, Brad has worked hard to both represent his constituents, and to fight for practical solutions. He has delivered results on fighting gridlock by leading the charge for the 24/7 construction on the Gardiner Expressway, and hiring a congestion czar to reduce overlapping construction projects. Brad has also worked to make our streets and neighbourhoods safer by championing bubble zones around places of worship, and adding traffic calming measures to local streets. With experience as an urban planner in both the public and private sector, Brad has been the driving force behind important housing initiatives like accelerating and streamlining the approvals process, reducing the cost of development, and legalizing more types of housing in Toronto. Brad, his wife, Catherine, their daughters, Briar and Bronwyn, are proud to call Beaches East York home, and I am honoured to call him a friend. Thank you.
Brad Bradford, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 19, Beaches—East York
Oh my goodness. Wow. What a room. This place is packed. I love it. It’s, I was chatting with some folks on the way in, and it’s honestly so humbling and such an honour to have so many fantastic people in the room today, so many city builders, so many people who are passionate about Toronto, what it is, and what it could be. And hearing that introduction from Atrisha, you know, I got a little bit emotional there, because it really grounds us on what it’s all about, why all of us in our different capacities, in the different spaces that we work in, why we show up, and what we do. We do it for our families, we do it for our friends and our neighbours, we do it for each other.
So, I’m here today to talk to you about how we make this city safe, how we make it affordable, and how we make it easier to get around. But first, I wanted to share a little story about my first memory of Toronto. I grew up in a little town down in the QEW called Hamilton. Any friends from Hamilton here? I see one of them. And you know what? My mom, she worked a couple jobs. We bought our shoes at Biway. We had a lot of Kraft Dinner. Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, but we had each other. And like lots of parents, my mom did absolutely everything she could to provide for us. And so, for my 13th birthday, my mom wanted to do something extra special. So, she saved up some money, and bought us two tickets to the Jays, way up in the 500 section. I was so excited. And when the big day finally arrived, we took the GO Train into Toronto. We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory on the Esplanade. I still remember that feeling of awe that washed over me, as I marvelled at this big, beautiful place called Toronto. Standing in the grandeur of Union Station, the magic of golden hour, seeing the sunset glitter on the towers, as we marched west towards the Dome. For 13-year-old me, Toronto truly was that shining city on the hill. And I remember thinking at the time, man, it would be so cool to live here someday. So, when I reflect back on that now, that was really the starting point for everything that’s followed. It was the reason I chased the dream of building a life right here. But more than that, it was the spark that propelled me to become an urban planner, and to obsess over what it takes to build truly great cities.
And so, as I stand here before you now, in this big room with all these people, to share my ideas of the future of Toronto, all because of that moment that was made possible by my mom, Valerie, who I’m excited to say is here with us today. Mom, can you give us a wave? Thank you. We’ve been through a lot together, thank you. I’m also lucky to be joined here by a number of other special people, including my sister Allie, who’s right up front here, and some colleagues from city council. We have Councillor Jon Burnside. Got some Burnside fans. We have Councillor Vince Crisanti, Etobicoke North’s very own. Got our friend in Scarborough Southwest, Councillor Kandavel’s here. We got the same haircut. And of course, former Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong is also joining us, which is just fabulous. But in particular, I want to acknowledge my wife, Catherine, who more than anyone, day in and day out, is my rock. She’s my confidant. Catherine, I am so grateful to you for the time and effort you put in to your job, to your career, to our family. We’re able to do the things that we do because of the extraordinary effort that you make, and I am so lucky to have you as a partner in all of this, and so grateful for your support. Thank you so much.
Now, we’re all here today because we love Toronto. We love Toronto! At its core, this is an amazing city, with all of the ingredients to be exceptional. We have one of the best hospitals in the world in UHN. We are the centre of education with the best schools. We have great sports teams. We’ve got the Jays, we’ve got the Raptors, we’ve got the Sceptres, even the Leafs, all fabulous. We have an incredible vibrant arts and culture sector. Founders come here to Toronto to build their startups. This city is the cradle of AI, not just in the country, but the entire world. We attract the capital and the talent that drives Canada’s economy.
But when you look around, we can all feel it. The gift of Toronto is being squandered. The ability of Toronto to help its citizens live their best lives is being undermined. Study after study is saying the same thing. Toronto is slipping. And we don’t need studies to tell that. We already know. Now, I’m a proud Torontonian, so let me just put the rankings to the side for a minute, and say this. Toronto needs to get back to winning. We need to win again, so that we can be the best city in the world to raise a family, to build a business, and to unlock our potential. That, my friends, should be our goal.
I have a million reasons why I wanna help with that mission. But it starts with the fact that Catherine and I are raising our two daughters here. Briar and Bronwyn are my reasons for getting up every morning—sometimes, it’s pretty early, but that’s the reason. So, when I say to you, I want our city to win again, what I’m really saying is this. I want Toronto to be a city that works again. Because world-class cities get the basics right every single time. Safe streets for everyone. Transit that’s fast, comfortable, and reliable. Snow that’s cleared and removed in the wintertime. Parks that are safe, clean, and accessible for our families. If we could get the basics right, we could start building this city up to its full potential. We can restore the trust and the confidence that people ought to have in our city. And as mayor of Toronto, I will ensure that City Hall is laser-focused on three key things. Making this city safe for everyone, making this city more affordable, and making this city easier to get around.
Let’s start with the most basic expectation of any government. It’s to keep our residents safe. But with protests taking over our streets, a rise in indiscriminate violence, and encampments that have proliferated across our parks, City Hall is dropping the ball. Mothers with strollers avoid the TTC because of open-air drug dealing, or the fear of being assaulted. Anti-Semitism has been tolerated, emboldened, and spread in Toronto in a way we haven’t seen since the Second World War. And a small boy, JahVai Roy, murdered in his sleep, laying next to his mother, is a heartbreaking reminder of every parent’s worst nightmare. I will turn this around. We need to be a city that respects and supports the police full stop. That will require additional resources in our neighbourhoods, on the TTC, and working with other agencies. It means getting back to basics, like connecting the homeless in our parks with housing and shelter, and removing encampments within 48 hours. It means making sure that our streets are clean again, free from the graffiti and litter emblematic of a city in decline. It means no longer tolerating hate of any form against anybody on our streets. But it will require strong and decisive leadership. And that’s why I am committed to serving on the police board as mayor, because safety is job number one.
I’ll tell you this. I will not be afraid to do the difficult things, to build a city of the future where we can describe Toronto as a clean, safe, and tolerant city once again. I would suggest to you that we’re not winning on these scores today, but I’m confident that a return to basics will help us get there. If we can do that, if people know that Toronto is a safe city, it will re-emerge as a destination for young people looking to build their lives here. But it also needs to be a city that they can afford to call home. The cost of living in Toronto has skyrocketed over the past decade. Torontonians are feeling squeezed by record-breaking tax increases, 25% over the past three years, and they feel let down by status quo policies, and a bureaucracy that has grown, while frontline services have suffered. You are literally paying more and you’re getting less. That’s not acceptable, and unsurprisingly, it means that we’re losing people. Last year, Toronto lost nearly 70,000 people to other parts of Ontario. It’s not the mayor’s friends who are leaving, or the friends of the former mayor either. Establishment interests in this town are doing just fine. But it’s my friends, it’s your colleagues, it’s your neighbours’ adult children and their grandkids. You know, when a guy from my softball team tells us that they’re having a baby, we congratulate him. This is a big moment, everybody’s very excited. But then we prepare to lose him for the next season, because more often than not, their growing family is gonna end up driving them to leave the city. That’s not just a market problem, that’s a policy failure.
So, let me be clear to you right now. Nobody makes more money on housing than the government. Nearly a third of the cost of a home in Toronto is taxes, fees, and red tape. Development charges increased by 1200% over the past 15 years. This is a problem that started under the old administration, and is being made worse by Mayor Chow and her commitment to a bureaucratic public builder approach. I don’t have to tell you folks, but anybody with an ounce of common sense knows that the government doesn’t typically deliver things faster, or for less money, and that includes housing. So, I’m gonna change our approach. I’m gonna do something that works. I’ll take the $471 million that the federal government has provided through the Housing Accelerator Fund, and I’m gonna use it to cut development charges by 25%. Then I’m gonna push the province and Ottawa to match that reduction, so that we can make it faster, simpler, and cheaper to build the homes that people actually need.
We don’t have any time to waste, because as bad as it is right now, it could get even worse if we don’t change course. Housing starts have cratered in recent years, and by 2027 or 2028, we’ll be facing a serious crunch because governments have been too tired and too timid to act. By reducing the cost of building housing, we can make housing more affordable. And I promise you, it’s not actually that complicated, but we spent too much time focusing on campaign slogans like public builder, and not enough time focusing on doing things that actually work. So, if we want to be a great city, if we want to win again, we cannot accept a city that pushes families, and small business, and workers outside its borders. We need them to be here, and to do that, we need to get the basics right.
Now, this one’s a pain point. I want to talk to you about getting from home to work and back again. There are few frustrations I hear about more than the impact of congestion on people’s day-to-day quality of life. Whether you are taking transit, walking, biking, or driving, it’s harder than ever to get anywhere. I always say to folks, it feels like you’re an hour away from Toronto whenever you’re in Toronto. The traffic is so bad. You know, maybe today you were riding Line One, and you had to add an extra 30-minute buffer to account for whatever type of delay you were going to experience. If you’re one of the individuals who drove in today, I bet it took a lot longer than a few years ago, because you had to zigzag to get around all the construction projects that cut off your three best routes to get here. Gridlock isn’t just inconvenient. It’s time lost with your family. It’s hours stolen from our economic productivity every single day. So, I want to be clear about something. We have to make Toronto work for drivers, too, not just cyclists and transit riders. For those of you who know me, you know I ride a bike—in fact, I got a bunch of friends in the room today that ride bikes, as well. But I ride a bike because it’s often faster than driving, and safer and more reliable than our transit.
But I got to level with you. Mornings for families are chaotic. Catherine and I are scrambling to pack the lunches, juggling daycare drop-off for our youngest, and the morning school bell for our eldest, all while trying to make it to a job site or a meeting. You know, like many parents, we make it work, but the city sure doesn’t make it easy. People will always be driving in Toronto, and that’s just a product of our geography. We’re 630 square kilometers. It’s a big place. We should be trying to make it easier for them, not harder. So, I’m gonna fix that. My back-to-basics transportation plan is going to be practical, and it’s gonna be fair. I’m gonna keep the key arteries flowing. I’m gonna focus on building the transit that’s already been promised. And I will ensure that City Hall stops obstructing, removing, and reducing more lanes of traffic. Don’t get me wrong, bike infrastructure is important, but it should make sense, not headlines.
We’re gonna fix the potholes faster, too. We’re gonna coordinate our construction, so that the same stretch of road isn’t torn up twice a year. We’re gonna invest in innovative Canadian technologies to better synchronize our traffic lights, and leverage AI to deploy traffic mitigating measures, so you can actually move through the downtown. And you know what? You should be able to depend on the transit that we have. That’s why as mayor, I will implement a transit service guarantee for our customers. If your trip is delayed by 15 minutes, you get your money back. People back there like that one. Okay. GO Transit does it. Cities like London, Washington, D.C., Singapore, they do it. I think our TTC customers deserve the same level of respect, and it’s time Toronto does it too. I’m gonna deliver that. With a healthy dose of common sense and a commitment to making life a little bit easier for our residents, I’m gonna do what’s needed to get Toronto moving.
Now, I’m gonna wrap it up here. A few weeks ago, the Blue Jays were two ways out from winning the World Series. It was truly heartbreaking. I was gutted, and I think there’s probably many of us in this room that haven’t gotten over that yet. But on the positive, wasn’t it incredible seeing the city and the country rally around this team? The streets were buzzing. Every bar on Danforth was packed. It felt electric. We were a city that was beaming with pride again. We were proud of Toronto. We were bullish on this city. And it took me back to that same feeling I had when I was a boy, sitting up in the 500’s with my mom. It felt hopeful. For a few short weeks, it reminded us about our collective potential. What we could be if we cast our gaze towards the future, instead of looking over our shoulders at the past. I believe that Toronto can and will win. But it’s not with the same failed formulas that got us into this mess. We need to focus on the fundamentals. We need to get back to basics. Decline is a choice. It’s enabled by a lack of focus on the most important things. Drift is a choice. It’s enabled by a desire to be all things to all people, wading into other governments’ jurisdictions, and letting our own responsibilities slip. Let me tell you this. I’m done with the decline. I’m done with the drift. I am here to deliver.
My friends, change is coming. It is time for a new era of leadership in this city. Just like you, I have made a big bet on Toronto. I am all in on this city. And that is the same ethos for the three million people fighting every day to call Toronto home. And I think it’s time that City Hall worked as hard for them as they do for each other. The future of Toronto is where the best ideas start and grow. The future of Toronto is a city where people don’t just come to visit, but choose to stay and build a great life here. And that is why I want the honour of serving as your next mayor, to make this city clean and safe, a city you can afford, and a city you can get around. My commitment to all of you, and all of Toronto, is that I will deliver on the basics for my family, for your family, for everyone. Now, the rest of the story is up to you. But I know one thing for sure. I would never bet against Torontonians, and the potential of our people. So, let’s go forward, let’s write a new chapter, and let’s unlock that potential together. Let’s go, thanks very much.
Saurabh Popat
That was just electric. Thank you, Councillor Bradford. We’re now about to shift into our fireside chat. We have exactly the right person to guide this conversation in this great city of ours. John Moore is the host of NewsTalk 1010’s “Moore in the Morning,” a show many of us rely on to make sense of the day before we’ve had our first coffee, or if we’re struck in gridlock at the same time. John’s career spans print, radio, television, and he is the first one to admit, a surprising number of truly terrible movies balanced out by at least one Oscar-nominated film. He also brings sharp commentary to CBC and Radio Canada, and a well-earned reputation for thoughtful, fair-minded interviews. We’re delighted to have you here, John. Please welcome John to the stage.
John Moore, Host, Moore in the Morning
Thank you very much, and it’s wonderful to be here today. Also, I should, you know, for sake of disclosure, Brad and I play golf together, but somebody also texted me before this encounter and said, you know, are you gonna grill him or what? And I said, I’m not gonna go all Frost/Nixon on you, but I do have a certain reputation. I made the chief of police cry. And much to my embarrassment a couple of months ago, I told the mayor to shush. But let’s talk.
Brad Bradford
I’ll try and keep it short and tight, so you don’t have to shush me.
John Moore
Okay, in movie-making, when you’re trying to sell a movie, you can make a long presentation—and you’ve told us a great deal about what your vision of Toronto is, but I wanna hear in one sentence what your vision for Toronto, and what your vision for a Brad Bradford mayoralty is. One sentence.
Brad Bradford
I want Toronto to be the best city in the world to raise a family, build a business, and unlock our collective potential.
John Moore
There’s a bit of jeopardy to this particular race for you, because in the last cycle, it was a by-election. So, you could hold onto your council seat, and run for mayor. You can’t do that. So, you’re ready for that level of gamble?
Brad Bradford
It’s not about me. It’s not about my position. It’s about the city. And you know, the stakes are so high right now, and that’s why I think it’s important to have this conversation over the next 330-some-odd days, because it’s about the future of Toronto. And again, I always go back to my two girls, my family, and the stories I hear from other people who are trying to raise a family, or build a business in this city, and all the challenges that they come up against. I want Toronto to be a city where you can raise a family, you know, where you don’t have to move to Hamilton, where you don’t have to move to Alberta. I want this to be a city where you can bring your time, and your talent, and your treasure, and build a business, contribute to our economy, create new jobs. And when I look around at where we’ve been over the past decade, and in particular, you know, the past two-and-a-half years with Mayor Chow at the helm of the administration, I just feel like we’re not focused on the priorities that would deliver that. So, I’m all in. You know, last time it was with the house money. This time, the chips are in the centre of the table, and I feel good about the direction we’re going.
John Moore
Okay. You mentioned Olivia Chow, so that dovetails or finesses into my next line of questioning, which is, necessarily, if you’re gonna take on an incumbent, you don’t believe they are worthy of their job. So, I’m not asking you to go all badass on the incumbent mayor, but why should she be let go?
Brad Bradford
Well, look, I, you know, there’s no doubt that Mayor Chow cares a lot about the city. She loves Toronto. So do I. I think everybody that runs for office, my council colleagues included, they do it because they wanna make things better. They wanna serve their community, they wanna serve the city. And Mayor Chow certainly wants to help Torontonians. I understand and appreciate that. I’ve just had two-and-a-half years where I’ve looked at the direction, I’ve looked at some of the choices that this administration has made, and I feel like they’re not in alignment with the priorities of everyday Torontonians that I’m hearing from. And the story about the stroller on the TTC, like, I didn’t make that up. That’s a story from countless moms who tell me that if you actually take a stroller down to Line Two platform, something bad happens, you’re not very mobile, you can’t really move. And there’s nobody down there to help, because we don’t have the police that we need on the TTC system in the stations to keep people safe. So, you know, it’s a reflection of the things I’m hearing over and over again. And while Mayor Chow does sometimes acknowledge the problems, I think the solutions and the order of magnitude in which she brings them forward are far pale in comparison to the size of the problem.
John Moore
I wanna talk about taxes. And I always thought it was a bit of a caprice, and I’ve said as much to him. John Tory saying that each year he raised taxes only by the rate of inflation. And then for one year we had runaway inflation, so that was somewhat helpful. But the city was still starved. So, Olivia Chow arrives on the scene, brings about a tax increase that everyone grieves. But at the same time, the city needed that money. So, what is your vision of taxation and fees? Because let’s face it, that’s the way to hide taxation in any administration. What is your vision of what’s going to be necessary?
Brad Bradford
Affordability is the issue I hear about every single day. People who are trying to make rent, rent prices that are going through the roof, people that are trying to make a mortgage payment as interest rates have gone up, childcare fees have gone up, food has gone up, it costs more to put a liter of gas in the tank. It’s an affordability crisis. And Toronto has the unenviable statistic of being one of the most expensive cities on the continent. That’s not a good thing. And so, you know, while we don’t control the price of groceries, we do control the biggest bill that most people are getting every year, and that’s their tax bill. And I’m sorry to say this, but a 25% tax increase over the past three years is not sustainable, it’s not acceptable. And when people don’t see value for money, when they see waste, it’s very frustrating. Because there’s not a lot of waste in our household budget. And you know, like, people are paying 5,000 bucks for a mortgage, they’re paying 3,000 bucks in childcare. That’s all after tax dollars, it’s before they….
John Moore
Okay. So, let’s get specific though. Where do you see the waste…
Brad Bradford
There’s a lot. Well….
John Moore
…i the civic administration.
Brad Bradford
I think when we talk about Torontonians’ priorities, the spending doesn’t line up with that. I would suggest to you that spending millions of dollars to rename Yonge and Dundas Square, that wasn’t a priority for the majority of Torontonians. I would suggest to you that when Mayor Chow went out and hired 200 information agents—those are the folks at the TTC in the red smocks, that stand outside of the station, and tell you the station’s over there—I would say that didn’t do anything for service reliability, I would say that didn’t do anything for service safety. And you know, I think that those decisions have been the wrong ones in terms of our ability to address the challenges that people are talking to me about. So, you know, City Hall hasn’t done a core services review since Rob Ford was mayor.
John Moore
Right.
Brad Bradford
City Hall doesn’t do or make any attempt at zero-based budgeting. And while we have many different divisions, I think it’s a little unwieldy to try and do that every single year. But on a rolling basis, we should be pulling in big divisions, and taking a look at those budgets, and challenging every assumption that’s there. And you make the case to justify it. And I think that’s where you need to start. Because your budgeting process shouldn’t just be take whatever you had last year and then add three-to-five percent this year. That’s not how I do my household budget. I would like to do that, but we don’t do it that way.
John Moore
I blow it all on Chardonnay.
Brad Bradford
Yeah. So, there’s a lot of things that we could do. And when I’m mayor, I will be going in there, and we will be doing a core services review. And we will be, you know, standing up sort of budget process where you’re starting at a zero, and…
John Moore
Right.
Brad Bradford
…putting in the things that you need. And that’s how I drive value for money. And that’s how I make sure that the first, second, and last response to every problem isn’t more taxes, more fees, more staff.
John Moore
However, with the last core services review, what happened was we identified a whole bunch of things, some of which were unique to old cities pre-amalgamation.
Brad Bradford
Yep.
John Moore
And then one by one, the counselors who enjoyed those particular services said, “No, we can’t do this.” And I don’t know what we cut. I think we were left with all these specialized services. So, I mean, how serious can you be about a core services review that genuinely will be enacted?
Brad Bradford
I think we have to try. And I think we have to, I think we owe that to taxpayers. I think we owe that to Torontonians. And let’s remember, the last time that that was done, it was 2012, maybe, 2011, 2012. It was a long time ago. Think about how much the world has changed in the convening decade, plus another half decade. It’s significant. So, you can’t tell me that you know, we’ve been on this trajectory, gone through several different administrations, a global pandemic, and here we are today in 2025. And that city government hasn’t necessarily picked up the tab on some things that are not within our core mandate. I would suggest to you that we have. And I want to actually take the time to do the work, so that I have concrete answers on that, and we can budget accordingly.
John Moore
I want to pick a bit of a fight with you, but you and I have had this on the radio, as well. I simply, you spoke about trying to configure the downtown so it’s good for cyclists, pedestrians, transit, and cars.
Brad Bradford
M’hm (affirmative).
John Moore
I don’t want to be anti-car. But I just…
Brad Bradford
Don’t do that.
John Moore
…I think we’ve shot past the point where cars are gonna work in the city core. I don’t know about you, but I would never drive a car by day into the downtown of Toronto.
Brad Bradford
Yeah. Because you come in at three in the morning.
John Moore
Yeah. Exactly.
Brad Bradford
Okay. That’s nice for you.
John Moore
And get speeding tickets, as some people know. But anyway.
Brad Bradford
No, look, I would say that there’s, traffic is always gonna be a challenge in a city like Toronto. And as I said, it’s a product of our geography. It’s a very big city. It’s a product of the fact that successive administrations don’t build the transit that we should have done decades ago. And now we’re in a hole that is very difficult to get out of. But as much as, you know, people on social media or Twitter shout at me about it, like, I can’t ride the transit that doesn’t exist. And if transit doesn’t feel safe, people aren’t gonna take the stuff that is available today. And that’s why ridership continues to decline. So, what I would say to you is we have to stop doing things that make it actively worse. We have to stop doing things that make it actively more difficult. And I have proposed a number of solutions, like a Congestion Relief Commissioner for one, that are an attempt to rein in the lack of coordination across all the different divisions and agencies and utilities that are doing work in our right of way. Obviously, the mayor has more recently decided that that might be something she wants to explore, but we’ve been waiting eight months for her to make the hire on the position. So, again, like when I tell you something that’s a priority, I’m gonna go and deliver. You can expect action from me on the priorities that I’m talking to you about, because you’re telling me that that’s a priority.
Look, there are other cities that have figured it out. There are other cities that have used a configuration of one-way streets in the downtown core. There are other cities that don’t have parking on main arteries during rush hour. There’s a lot of things that we could do to make it less bad. But look at the example of Richmond and Adelaide. Everyone familiar with those streets? Yeah, those were the only east-west pipelines that actually worked in the city of Toronto in the downtown core. What did city council do? Put in a bike lane. And I would say actually that bike lane works okay. But then we put in streetcar tracks, which is effectively a rolling stop sign. Sorry, that is like how it functions. And then we put up jersey barriers, those are the concrete barriers, to restrict left-hand turn lanes for 400 meters before the intersection. So, you took four lanes on a one-way street in the downtown core and you took it down to one. You can’t tell me that there’s nothing that we can do to improve that situation. I would say that successive decision after decision that is made without considering the impacts of the former, that has now reduced our lane capacity by 75% on the only roads that actually worked. So, I’m gonna not do that anymore.
John Moore
Okay. You’re generally recognized as—and in some ways you’ve kind of positioned yourself as the Leader of the Opposition at City Hall. But there’s no caucus, obviously, because there’s no parties. But I wonder, a mayor has to be able to wrangle votes. Do you anticipate, if you become mayor, and ability to persuade other councillors to see it your way? Because at the moment, and I don’t expect it’s gonna be very different, they’re not gonna be politically lined up with you by number.
Brad Bradford
You know, it’s interesting. The previous mayor governed with the same sort of majority that the current mayor does. You know, you have colleagues that were part of, you know, Mayor Ford’s administration, Mayor Tory’s administration, Mayor Chow’s administration, same individuals. And I think what’s nice about city hall is we’re all there to serve our constituents. We’re all there to work together. We’re all there to get things done. I know that traffic and congestion is a concern in Councillor Kandavel’s ward. I know that safety, and home invasions, and B&Es are a concern in Councillor Burnside’s ward. I know that job creation and employment is a concern in Councillor Crisanti’s part of town.
So, it’s all about focusing on the things where we can create impact, staying in our lane as local government, and focusing on the things that we can do to work together to make lives better for all Torontonians, for the residents of the individual wards, but for the city as a whole. And I think there’s a lot of common ground to be struck there and relationships to be forged and good work to get done for the people of the city.
John Moore
I wanna ask you—and maybe we could do this as a rapid fire, because some people see this as softball questions, but you’ve got to, you know, be warm and cuddly, as well. You’re…
Brad Bradford
This is my problem all the time. You’re like, oh, you’re too hard, you gotta be softer.
John Moore
…you’re an urban designer.
Brad Bradford
Yeah.
John Moore
What in urban design in Toronto works, and what in urban design in your view does not work?
Brad Bradford
At the risk of putting off some of my planning colleagues. Well, first of all, I’d say I’m a planner versus urban designer. Second of all, I’d say urban design as a unit creates a lot of challenge to the ability to deliver the housing that we so desperately need. I think that you can create high quality public realm with use of materials, with the demarcation of space, with thinking practically about how people are gonna use the space. You know, the amount of millions of dollars on any particular project that is spent creating different piazzas, or plaza spaces, or parkettes that sit empty most of the time, or actually end up being a really hostile environment and not very comfortable, is shocking. And that is money that is spent that ultimately makes projects more expensive.
We’ve developed this sort of Toronto vernacular architectural style here in this city that is defined by the wedding cake. The best example of that is Eglinton. You know, you go up and after three floors, every building has this really aggressive partition to protect from shadows and sunlight, and all of these things. But there’s a cost to that. There’s a literal cost. It is the most expensive floor plate, which is the sort of slab, to build. It is the most expensive floor plate to engineer. It yields fewer units of housing that we desperately need, and doesn’t create a more livable product for people.
So, from an urban design perspective, I think Toronto is in transition. I think there’s a lot of things that we can do. But at the end of the day, we need to focus on a planning regime that is tighter and faster. We need to make sure that projects are financially viable, so that we can get shovels in the ground. Because that’s the biggest risk right now is, as I was saying, like, there are almost no projects starting in this city. And the risk right now is, while there’s a surplus supply available in the market, and those are gonna be absorbed over the next 18 to 24 months, we are never gonna catch up on the three years that we’ve taken off from building housing. We’re never gonna close a gap of three years where no projects started. And so, we have to focus on doing things that improve project viability. That’s part of the taxes, the charges, the fees, the red tape, and the process. But it’s also making sure that we have a building envelope that is constructible, achievable, and creates a great place for people to live.
John Moore
What would be a favorite thing of yours in Toronto, and preferably something that may not be a secret necessarily, but is not well known? I asked this question of another would-be mayor years ago, and they said it was Paddle the Don, which I hadn’t heard of. Which is, you get into a canoe or a kayak, and you paddle down the Don River one day a year. Which is how I ended up flipping a canoe on the Don River, ultimately. But now I’ve given you plenty of time to think of something. What is something about the city of Toronto?
Brad Bradford
You know what, I love our libraries. I love our libraries, and I’ll tell you why. My mom used to take me to the library in Hamilton when I was a kid, and there were sort of play structures there, and that smell of the books when you open them and they’re wrapped in the cellophane. Does everyone remember that? Sort of like glue or something. But I liked that. It was very nostalgic. And now that I have a two and a four-year-old, and on the weekends, they’re with us, because they’re not in daycare, we spend a lot of time in the library. And that’s nice. So, for like 30 years, I didn’t really go to the library anymore. But now, I’m in that band of I’m going to the library most weekends with my daughters, and seeing that world of discovery, seeing the play structures that, you know, the Toronto libraries have that are in place. Everyone is different, everyone’s unique, all the different books, reading the books to them. Those are like, you know, the hour-and-a-half that I get on an afternoon on the weekend that I really cherish, and it’s so special to me. It’s time with my wife, it’s time with my kids, and it’s in the libraries here at the City of Toronto.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
John Moore
I’m taking questions from the audience now that have been submitted electronically.
Brad Bradford
Oof.
John Moore
One of them says, “Since your last mayoral campaign, what perspective shifts have you had that you feel position you as a future leader?” So, effectively, that’s an age-old question of candidates, which is, have you ever changed your mind about anything?
Brad Bradford
Well, I think that’s actually an accusation of me a lot is I changed my mind too much.
John Moore
Yes. We didn’t get into that, but….
Brad Bradford
But look, I would say like a lot of professions, when you’re presented with new information, perspectives, and views, we all need to have an ability to evolve, a perspective. And I think leadership is about having the humility to acknowledge when you got it wrong, and the courage to correct it and fix it. And that’s, those are words I try and live by. You know, my perspective from the ‘23 campaign to where we are today, you learn a lot when you lose, there was lots of learning. But it’s also changed because I’m now the father of two young kids. And for those of you out there that say like, in for a penny, in for a pound, going from one to two, no big deal, like, I don’t believe you. You really spun me a bill of false goods there. But it’s like, how much city services matter.
And we have great frontline service workers. The guys at 416 are fabulous. They do a lot of hard work. But when the snow’s not cleared in the wintertime, I feel like I’m trying to summit a mountain, getting over the snowbanks with my two year old. And we’ve left the car in the middle of the street with the four ways on, because we have 15 minutes to get in there before we’re rushing over to school with our eldest to get her in the door. Like, it has an impact. And this summer, when I wanted to take Briar up to Stan Wadlow and go for a swim at East York, because it was hot out, only to get there to find out that the city closed the pools because there was a heatwave. It’s just like—and the kids are not happy about that. They’re hyped up to go swimming, right? They’re like, yeah, let’s go swimming. They’re like, oh, sorry, pool’s closed. What do you mean? Look at it. It looks amazing.
So, I think as a parent, you experience the city very differently. It’s the same thing when Catherine and I talk about going across the city, and we’re looking at the transit. We’re thinking about it. Do we wanna risk it? Do we wanna take the girls on the subway right now? What are we gonna see? What are we gonna smell? How are we gonna explain it? It’s just your whole world changes as a parent of young kids. And the way the city is either a welcoming place, like libraries, or a hostile and difficult place, it really gives insight to me on the things that matter most, the things that require more attention, the things that are slipping, and the ways that I’m gonna fix them.
John Moore
Necessarily—because I assume she’s running, although she refuses to confirm it to me—you have to take on Olivia Chow. What about the prospect of a John Tory candidacy?
Brad Bradford
What about it? Look, I think this next election is about the future of the city. It’s about the future of the city. And the feedback I’m getting from residents across Toronto is that they want change. Because certainly, you know, the Mayor Chow administration, I would say has exacerbated a lot of the existing problems, but those problems didn’t start overnight. And we have to be honest about that. And so, I think it is time for a new generation, a new era of leadership, and somebody that understands and can respond to the challenge of the day-to-day folks here in the city that are struggling and fighting to build a life here in Toronto. And you know, it’s an important conversation for us to have. What is the future of the city going to look like? But I don’t think it’s about looking over our shoulder at the past. I think it’s about looking forward. And I think, if you want change, you need to vote for change. If you want things to be different, you need to vote for someone who is gonna do it differently. And if you want status quo, I’m sure there’s status quo options. But if you want Toronto to be better, my name will be on the ballot for you.
John Moore
Let’s take one last question from the audience. “What is the best idea you’ve ever had in your life, minus marrying your wife?” Which I assume was submitted by your wife. But….
Brad Bradford
Actually, I would bet dollars to donuts that probably wasn’t submitted by my wife, but I’m so happy she said yes. You know what? I’m a policy guy at heart. My background’s urban planning. There’s so many different things that we’ve been working on with great city builders that, many of whom are in the audience today. And I take my insights from people who have experience in the field. Whether it’s our new transit service guarantee, looking at other cities that have been able to do that, whether that is dealing with floor plate sizes, and setbacks on our towers here in Toronto. I don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room, John. I just have to be the person who’s willing to listen, and to stand up and lead. And so, I take counsel from a lot of people, and then I’m there to make the decision. I’m not afraid to make one. And I do it with the best interests of this entire city, top of mind.
John Moore
Thank you.
Brad Bradford
Okay. Thanks, John.
Note of Appreciation and Concluding Remarks by Saurabh Popat
Thank you both, John and Councillor Bradford, for your very thoughtful remarks, and sharing the conversations that you’ve been having with residents across this great city. You gave us a clear sense of the challenges people feel every day, and the opportunities ahead if we get the basics right. And thank you, John, for guiding the fireside chat in the way only you can, with clarity, curiosity, and humor. Look forward to your show tomorrow morning.
Before we close, thank you once again to our panellists, sponsors, and of course, to all of you for joining us here today. I’d also like to take a moment to recognize the students and the young leaders joining us here. Their presence is made possible through the charitable arm of the Empire Club Foundation, and the generosity of our donors. This support enables us to invite future leaders to take part in today’s dialogue, and to empower them to turn knowledge into leadership that shines in communities, boardrooms, and national conversations shaping Canada’s future, including building a better city.
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As always, and as a club of record, all Empire Club events are available to watch and listen to on our website, and the recording of today’s event will be available shortly. Thank you all for being a part of this important conversation. We look forward to seeing you at future events. This meeting is now adjourned.
