Brad Bradford's Instagram record positions housing as his signature issue, framed as a supply-and-affordability crisis requiring faster construction, less red tape, and lower government-imposed costs. Bradford supports expanded "missing middle" housing, sixplexes, mid-rise on Avenues, laneway and garden suites, modular and rapid-build construction, office-to-residential conversion, and purpose-built rental. He opposes exclusionary zoning, the angular plane rule, high development charges (citing 1200% growth since 2010), the Vacant Home Tax's reverse-onus design, and Mayor Chow's luxury home tax and public builder approach as insufficient. Bradford has moved motions to cut development charges 25%, streamline modular approvals, expand major-street unit caps to 60, and double the first-time homebuyer rebate. He also champions supportive housing with wraparound services, citing three shelter/supportive housing sites delivered in his ward.
Bradford's transit positions span TTC reliability and safety, transit expansion (especially in Scarborough), congestion and gridlock, active transportation, and ride-share. Bradford supports a 15-minute TTC money-back guarantee, platform edge doors, uniformed police at every subway station, and station cleanliness/lighting standards. Bradford backs the Eglinton East and Scarborough LRTs, opposes what he calls Scarborough being left behind on funding, and supports building rapid transit separated from traffic. On gridlock, Bradford has called for a Congestion Relief Commissioner, opposed the RapidTO permanent reconfiguration, opposed Bloor West bike lanes while supporting Danforth bike lanes built with consultation, and proposed temporarily reopening King Street to vehicles. Bradford opposes the rideshare cap, supports Bike Share expansion, electric buses, fare freezes, and the Fair Pass program. Bradford has consistently framed transit and traffic as core city responsibilities requiring accountability.
“States King Street is a transit priority corridor in name only while streetcars are not running due to construction.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
“States downtown Toronto traffic is gridlocked due to lack of planning and coordination on Richmond, Adelaide, and King.”
Done · council votes
VOTED NO Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
“Supports the Mayor's motion to modify loading zones on Adelaide.”
Done · council votes
VOTED NO Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
Bradford's Instagram record on safety and crime is extensive and centers on a recurring theme that Toronto "feels less safe." Bradford ties this to specific files: TTC safety (motion to place officers in all subway stations, improve lighting/cleanliness, build platform edge doors), encampments near schools/daycares/playgrounds (a 200m/48-hour clearance proposal), bubble zones around places of worship, schools, and daycares (advocacy from 2024 through passage in May 2025), gun violence ("no bail, go to jail"), and youth violence prevention via community partnerships. Bradford also pushed motorized watercraft restrictions at Woodbine Beach, jet ski licensing, road safety/Vision Zero measures, school safety zones, automated speed enforcement, and Bail Compliance Units inside Toronto Police. Bradford repeatedly opposes Mayor Chow's encampment protocol and police budget cuts, and supports fully funding the police.
Bradford's Instagram content on taxes and fiscal policy centers on opposition to property tax increases under Mayor Chow, characterized as cumulatively 25% over three years (7% in 2023, 9.5% in 2024, 6.9% in 2025) without commensurate service improvements. Bradford opposes drawing $512M from reserve funds, characterizing it as unsustainable and likely to force a roughly 10.5% tax increase the following year. Bradford supports property tax cuts for industrial properties and small businesses (proposing a 25% cut funded by the tax stabilization reserve during trade-war conditions), opposes the Vacant Home Tax, the luxury home land transfer tax, and additional housing-related taxes. Bradford also supports open tendering to save an estimated $200M annually, a live music venue tax subclass, and pursuing a new fiscal deal with senior governments. The recurring frame is "paying more, getting less" and demand for value-for-money.
Bradford's parks and environment record spans neighbourhood recreation, waterfront and beach management, urban forestry, ravine protection, climate action, and EV infrastructure. Bradford opposes closing recreation facilities such as Weston Arena and rinks, and advocates expanding capacity through new pickleball courts, cricket pitches, splash pads, and disc golf. Bradford presses the City on service delivery basics: open pools during heat waves, functioning washrooms, clean parks, and garbage collection. Bradford supports EV charging expansion, district energy, TransformTO net zero goals, ravine restoration (Small's Creek, Taylor Creek), tree planting, and a single-use plastics ban. Bradford opposes encampments in parks and playgrounds. Bradford opposed the toboggan ban and moved to reverse it. Bradford has criticized the current mayor's Parks budget increase and tree equity policy, arguing accountability should precede added hiring.
“States the City has a culture of defaulting to 'no' on community proposals.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Securing a Dedicated School Location to Support Toronto's Film Industry - by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin, seconded by Councillor Paula Fletcher
VOTED NO Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
“States playing pickleball on hockey rinks is a band-aid solution and dedicated facilities are needed.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Securing a Dedicated School Location to Support Toronto's Film Industry - by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin, seconded by Councillor Paula Fletcher
VOTED NO Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
Bradford's infrastructure positions center on reducing congestion, accelerating construction, and reliably delivering core services like snow clearing, road repair, and pothole filling. Bradford has repeatedly called for 24/7 construction (notably on the Gardiner Expressway), off-site/modular fabrication, a Congestion Relief Commissioner ("Traffic Czar"), and tighter coordination of road and transit closures. Bradford opposes tearing down the Gardiner and supports the provincial upload of the Gardiner and DVP. On winter operations, Bradford frames snow removal as a non-optional core service, criticizes timing/scheduling failures, and supports prioritizing main roads, sidewalks, and transit access. Bradford supports complete streets, maintained protected bike lanes on Richmond/Adelaide, road-safety design, EV charging, community facilities (libraries, arenas, pools, community centres), and flood-protection infrastructure. Bradford opposes a $150M Railpath extension and a Foxbar Road median, framing them as poor prioritization.
“States poorly planned construction harms neighbourhoods, businesses, parents, employers, and commuters.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
“Supports reopening King Street to all vehicles in segments where no streetcars are currently running.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
“States Torontonians are frustrated with downtown congestion and want the city and mayor to act.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
Bradford's civic engagement positions emphasize community consultation, door-knocking, and direct constituent dialogue as core to municipal work. Bradford repeatedly states that resident feedback and "local experts" should shape policy from planning through implementation (CeMsGKcLX69 misattribution aside, see CdOorJ6uYiV, Cf9TcTSrfK-, CCl4ptXhZxc, CUvS2zjrRq1). Bradford has hosted budget consultations, telephone town halls with 2,000+ participants, virtual community meetings, and a podcast (CKzBAABh2tl, DUdUQSkkQHd, DOo9KhZABUD). Bradford supports flag-raisings, laneway renamings, and recognition events for Toronto's diverse communities (Jewish, Tamil, Armenian, Ukrainian, Bangladeshi, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+) (DSWHgnWDKpn, DJy5tn5tigh, CrbQibiAuzm, ChpvK4srpj5, CWySJSmLlR8). Bradford opposes processes seen as limiting deputation or muzzling discussion (DMK2uOQgteh, DMh0vq3Ah6o) and criticized charging admission to the FIFA Fan Festival as inaccessible (DXNNYyaDSsq). Bradford frames good governance as listening, building trust, and connecting broad agendas to daily concerns (DMK2uOQgteh, DQM_ctjgnod).
“States more than 80 deputants were selectively silenced by the committee chair.”
Done · council votes
VOTED ABSENT(INTEREST DECLARED) 2674-2704 Yonge Street and 19 Alexandra Boulevard - Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment - Decision Report - Approval
VOTED NO Advancing Six Sites for the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS) - City-Initiated Official Plan Amendment and Six Zoning By-law Amendments - Decision Report - Approval
Bradford's governance-ethics positions center on a "back to basics" frame: City Hall should focus on a small set of core services (safety, mobility, affordability, parks, snow clearing) rather than expanding scope (DP_5x5EEV9I, DC2JInwSBDO, DRholf-lx3s). Bradford repeatedly calls for accountability, transparency, and value for money, including livestreaming the Mayor's press conferences, strengthening the Auditor General, zero tolerance for employee fraud, and performance metrics in collective bargaining (DLA96NhSJlq, DUqlANUDKKH, DA4MS6ySTPg). Bradford criticizes Mayor Chow for deflecting blame on snow, pools, FIFA fees, the Gardiner, and bike lanes (DGjJrWmS8zt, DLS-CKDuvMY, DXfZVpDDbXy, C90bVJNSuKq). Bradford supports a "culture of yes," faster permits, ending delays/deferrals, evidence over ideology, and intergovernmental cooperation (DBbDa3eOlQ3, DXz7S9euglk, C3p_JTpA7p_). Bradford also supported ranked ballots and opposed using the notwithstanding clause for Toronto ward boundaries (CF2m1snh5pn, BnkTXWbhwwO).
“States Mayor Chow chose politics over practical solutions and misled the public about the effect of her amendment.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
Bradford's small business and economy positions consistently center on tax relief, red-tape reduction, and main-street vibrancy. Bradford backs property tax cuts for small businesses, championing a 25% reduction in the small business sub-tax class (DUIl3M_Dx5X, DF5xWk4SBYU, C3YP-ueAeW7) and earlier securing a 15% reduction (CWGjlUrAK0K, CVQPG8erZNo). Bradford pushes faster permit processing and patio reform, including a motion changing the patio objection threshold to 25% of notified neighbours (DMgZzjFSD9Y, DMPy-G5Aj9a). Bradford promoted CafeTO and Amplified Music on Patios as pandemic recovery tools (CWHEJK1LojO, CR7QDkgrYyk) and chaired the Toronto Music Advisory Committee on a citywide Music Strategy (CcEF3Ozu5M3). On tariffs, Bradford urges using city reserves and tax cuts to protect manufacturing jobs (DF7o2skxQ5R, DGyGAp0yfRv) and supports innovation, tech investment, and global competitiveness (DKrn4XDTdU, DOy1A8lgDpo).
“States Toronto's downtown powers $120B in GDP and that poor planning should not be allowed to grind the core of the economy to a halt.”
Done · council votes
VOTED YES Speeding Up Streetcars: Traffic Amendments on Adelaide Street, King Street and York Street - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik
VOTED YES Re-Opening King Street for Business: Keeping Toronto's Downtown Core and Canada's Financial District Moving - by Councillor Brad Bradford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Holyday
VOTED ABSENT Supporting Small Businesses: Calling on the Federal Government to Forgive a Portion of the Canada Emergency Business Account Loans - by Councillor Paula Fletcher, seconded by Councillor Alejandra Bravo
“States Toronto should approve small business permits faster and reduce red tape.”
Done · council votes
VOTED ABSENT(INTEREST DECLARED) 2674-2704 Yonge Street and 19 Alexandra Boulevard - Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment - Decision Report - Approval
VOTED ABSENT Supporting Small Businesses: Calling on the Federal Government to Forgive a Portion of the Canada Emergency Business Account Loans - by Councillor Paula Fletcher, seconded by Councillor Alejandra Bravo
Bradford's Instagram record on social services spans homelessness, mental health, public health, recreation, seniors, community/diversity, and reconciliation. Bradford supports encampment clearance paired with offering shelter and treatment, and states the province should fund addiction and mental health as health care issues (DTu89cQjtBR, DRCZSYbjSpb, DSZ7R5JgJZS). Bradford supports expanded mental health outreach, shelters, supportive housing, and youth programs (DMK2uOQgteh, Cs6kSzKgQxQ, DaL1nWGKEEM). During COVID-19, Bradford promoted vaccination access in hot-spot neighbourhoods and City employee vaccine requirements (CNctisNh0X6, CSwreCcrT6v). Bradford supports arts funding, food security programs, refugee welcoming with federal funding, seniors' Meals on Wheels and community paramedicine, and Indigenous reconciliation (DCX1fRQNc0a, CtW8t0Pp_Ix, CVd490bgrii, CcBq_fmLPzw). Bradford opposes the current 7am recreation registration system and pledges a lottery-based replacement (DZIQEviO7nH). Bradford consistently expresses solidarity with 2SLGBTQ+, Jewish, Muslim, Tamil, Black, and trans communities.