iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

7. THE VAULT: Bradford knocks the mayor for drawing big on reserves to keep property tax increases low this year, but only a fraction of the $1.7 billion reserve draw went toward balancing the budget. A big chunk was a preplanned draw to pay for FIFA costs.

THE VAULT: Bradford suggests some of the New Deal funds
may have been put into a reserve fund, then pulled in 2026 to "buy an election-year tax increase of just 2.2 per cent." He cites a $1.7 billion reserve draw in the 2026 budget. But only $323 million of that figure went toward temporary bridging strategies to balance the operating budget. Much of the remaining reserve draw, according to City CFO Stephen Conforti, was pre-planned
use of funds to cover things like the World Cup hosting expenses. Also, assume this one was true, and that Chow had used New Deal money to deliver a low property tax increase — isn't that
exactly what the Bradford campaign is advocating for?

2275

6. THE CORNER OFFICE: This 800% increase in the TCHC CEO’s office expenses is derived by comparing full-year 2025 expenses with partial-year expenses for 2024, the CEO’s first year on the job.

THE CORNER OFFICE: Bradford suggests some of the New Deal money might have gone to funding a more than 800% increase in expenses claimed by TCHC CEO Sean Baird. And indeed, a report to the TCH's Audit Committee showed Baird's expenses related to Conferences & Training rising from $777 in 2024 to $7,237 in 2025, but at least some of the increase can be
explained by the fact that Baird didn't start the gig until April 2024. 2025 was his first full year at the helm. You can argue the expenses are too high for the CEO of a public housing agency, but that $7,237 figure would need to be many times higher for it
to be material to the scale of the City Budget and the New Deal.

3265

5. THE RECYCLING BIN: The City didn’t spend $5 million to put the silly stickers on blue bins, as Bradford says. The private company now responsible for collection did.

1286

4. THE IT DEPARTMENT: Bradford points to an Auditor General investigation that found millions in unused software licenses. True, but the AG investigation mostly covered a period before Chow took office. The City has since accepted the AG’s recommendations and saved millions.

THE IT DEPARTMENT: Bradford says the City spent $11 million on "software licenses for people who no longer work there." An Auditor General investigation did uncover about $11 million in costs related to unused software licenses, but the investigation period covered 2020 to 2024. The New Deal was announced in the fall of 2023 and took effect in 2024. The City accepted the findings of the auditor's investigation and has since taken steps to track software licenses more closely. A follow-up
report suggests these moves have saved millions of dollars.

1306

3. THE BILLBOARD: Bradford cites money Chow spent to promote the 2026 budget. A clean hit, but the amount is a small increase relative to past years, and Bradford spent a chunk of cash hosting a town hall to share his views on the budget, too.

THE BILLBOARD: Bradford cites $142,000 in money Chow
spent to promote the 2026 budget. Bradford is right that Chow's 2026 PR push was a bit bigger than past years. Still, the number amounts to 0.0007% of the budget itself. You can criticize Chow for this, but it had no material impact on the City's financial situation. Bradford, for his part, also spent big on budget
consultation: his office expensed $13,842 in costs related to a "Ward 19 Town Hall Virtual Meeting" on February 5, 2026. The
event was advertised as Bradford's 2026 Budget Telephone Town
Hall."

1286

2. THE DOCK: Bradford suggests the New Deal cash went to pay for expensive electric ferries, but the RFP for the new boats predates Chow’s time in office. The New Deal didn’t change this ferry tale.

THE DOCK: The Bradford campaign suggests maybe the money from the New Deal went to purchasing two island ferries, which are set to cost $92 million. But the RFP process for these boats was kicked off in July 2023. That's not only before Chow signed
the New Deal, but it's also the same month Chow took office. This ferry tale predates the mayor. (Also: Bradford voted for the
boats.)

2306

1. THE SQUARE: Bradford says New Deal money may have gone to renaming Sankofa Square, but the City Manager says cash from development fees covered all costs. You can think the renaming is silly, but there’s no apparent New Deal money here.

THE SQUARE: Bradford suggests the City spent up to $800,000 renaming Yonge-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square. Setting aside the fact that Bradford voted for the renaming, a May 2024 letter from City Manager Paul Johnson tells us all budgeted costs - totalling $335,000 - related to the rebranding are being funded
by Section 37 funds from development projects in the area. Additional costs for rebranding work by the Sankofa Square Board were to be funded by advertising revenue and other corporate partnerships. You can think the renaming was silly, but
there's no apparent New Deal money here.

2367

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 16/09/2026

Over the weekend, the Bradford campaign challenged the media to do this "scavenger hunt" to uncover supposed places where Olivia Chow frittered away the provincial New Deal money. Challenge accepted. From my newsletter this week, here’s what I found.

An infographic for a City Hall scavenger hunt titled 'Where did the Money Go?' showing eight locations throughout Toronto where city budget expenditures are hidden, with clues and dollar amounts for each stop, ending at the Mayor's Office, and promoting Brad Bradford's mayoral campaign.

29247

The Bradford camp is now out with a release criticizing Chow for not fighting Ford enough. The world’s gone topsy turvy.

TORONTO, ON | This morning, Premier Doug Ford endorsed Olivia Chow for re-election, praising a relationship and telling Toronto voters to "read between the lines."

Of course the Premier endorsed Olivia Chow. She is the easiest negotiation he has ever had. Everything she told Torontonians she would fight and oppose, she handed over on a silver platter.

Nobody should blame the Premier. He negotiated hard for Ontario and won every single round. The question is for the person on Toronto’s side of the table. Everything Olivia Chow pretends to oppose, every red line she has had, she has rolled out the red carpet for.

Olivia Chow campaigned against the Ontario Place redevelopment, then signed away the city’s opposition before her first Christmas in office as part of the November 2023 New Deal.

The Science Centre her supporters rallied to save is now a construction site at Ontario Place. She signed the deal that ended that fight before it started.

She spent her career campaigning against the Gardiner Expressway, then handed it to the province.

She told Torontonians she opposed jets at the Island Airport and claimed the province’s plan shocked her. Her office had been lobbied for months, and her own appointee to the Port Authority backed the expansion at a public meeting.

She promised to defend the city’s bike lanes. The moment Queen’s Park pushed, she went looking for middle ground.

When the Premier cut city council nearly in half, her movement called it an attack on local democracy. 3 years as mayor, and she has never once even thought to bring those councillors back.

She called strong mayor powers undemocratic, then kept every single one of them.

She committed City Hall to Queen’s Park’s housing targets and called it collaboration.

5363

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 16/09/2026

Chow has a release touting quasi-endorsement from Doug Ford, who said this morning that he and the mayor have a “phenomenal relationship.” No doubt she’s been good at extracting cash from Ford, but I’d bet a lot of Toronto voters would prefer to hear less about friendship and more about fighting.

TORONTO - Today while announcing a $925 million investment in Toronto, Premier Doug Ford spoke about his productive working relationship with the Olivia Chow and signalled that only Chow can secure a renewal of their New Deal:

The Olivia Chow Campaign issued the following statement in response:

“Toronto needs a pragmatic mayor with experience landing deals and working with other levels of government to deliver for Torontonians. Just five months after her election, in November 2023, Olivia Chow delivered a historic New Deal for Toronto, uploading the Gardiner and DVP to secure $9 billion for the City’s Operating Budget.

She has continued to work with all parties to make life affordable for Torontonians, including a historic $2.7 billion housing deal with Prime Minister Mark Carney, $2 billion for a new LRT and $1.2 billion to fund new subway cars for Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, and federal funding to support her universal school food program.

Only Olivia Chow can land a second New Deal with the province that can fund our City and make life more affordable for all Torontonians. We need to keep moving forward.”

11739

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 15/09/2026

Audience doesn't love the signs displayed for the "Do you support new data centres in Toronto?" question. Bradford and Alexander raise their "Yes" signs high. Chow hesitates, then says the city is studying the issue.

271

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 15/09/2026

Rapid-fire time, with candidates holding up "Yes" and "No" signs to answer. A lot of agreement, with notable disagreements on whether they support and will use strong mayor powers. Chow says no, Bradford and Alexander say yes.

141

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 10/09/2026

After more than 1,000 runs, Councillor Alejandra Bravo tops the SimCouncillor leaderboard for the councillor with the views quiz-takers align with, though Josh Matlow is a close second. (Last place, for now: Vince Crisanti). Try it out if you haven’t yet: www.councilscorecard.ca/quiz

Three mobile phone screenshots of the SimCouncillor app showing a Toronto city council voting quiz interface, including ward selection, a cycling policy question, and personalized results comparing user votes to Mayor Olivia Chow and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.

3267

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 08/09/2026

Paying real local artists to do these milestone covers is low-key one of my favourite things about this gig. Here’s the full set: #100: @blamb.bsky.social #200: @jaketobin.bsky.social #300: @eggygo.bsky.social #400: @joysan.bsky.social

Comic book cover for City Hall Watcher's 100th milestone issue, featuring a bearded man making a peace sign with crowds and city buildings in the background, published November 20th for $5.

1215

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 08/09/2026

This issue also includes some nifty cover art from @joysan.bsky.social. It's absurd and surreal in the best possible way.

1181

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 02/09/2026

Toronto is putting on a “Kids Vote Weekend” in October, where kids will go to polling locations and vote for one of five candidates running to be Tree of the Year. I will be cancelling all my coverage of the mayoral race and focusing exclusively on this contest. www.toronto.ca/city-governm...

A kids voting ballot for the 2027 Tree of the Year competition, featuring five tree candidates (Basswood, Paper Birch, Red Oak, Sugar Maple, and White Pine) with empty ovals for marking votes.

69521

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 01/09/2026

If drivers want to credibly blame anything for traffic, they could blame an increase in the number of traffic signals. But hard to reverse this trend — the city is growing, mostly via high-rise dev, and people want safe places to cross near their homes. toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/dont-blame...

A map of Toronto showing traffic light installations color-coded by decade from the 1900s through 2020s, with purple dots concentrated in central areas and earlier installations shown in warmer colors spreading outward.

76411

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 01/09/2026

Also interested to know which companies will wind up bidding for this contract. Business is business, I suppose.

“We’re not wasting any time. We’re moving fast, starting this week to hire contractors so we can begin removing and reconfiguring on several of Toronto’s busiest streets,” Ford said.

The RFP will include the removal of bike lanes and the restoration of a lane of traffic on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, University Avenue, Queen’s Park Crescent and Avenue Road, the government said.

2150

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 26/08/2026

Fun new addition to City Hall Watcher’s Election Projection: a visual of likely winning margins and how they compare to past mayoral election results. projection.cityhallwatcher.com

A horizontal bar chart showing the margin between the top two candidates in Toronto mayoral elections, categorized into four outcomes: Close, Clear Win, Comfortable, and Landslide, with historical election results plotted along the x-axis representing vote share percentage.

0151

Following confirmation that Chris Alexander is staying in the mayoral race and will be on the ballot this fall, the Brad Bradford campaign remains quite mad, sending out a long list of quotes from various people questioning the wisdom of Alexander’s candidacy.

A Bradford campaign press release from August 21, 2026, titled 'Toronto's Reaction to Chris Alexander's Candidacy Continues' featuring quotes from political figures and commentators criticizing Alexander's mayoral campaign and its potential to split the vote.

8251

Fletcher’s withdrawal really shook things up. Toronto-Danforth was looking like a sleepy race. Now it has more candidates (18!) running than any other ward. Reinforce your doors, Tor-Dan residents. They’re going to get knocked a lot.

A line chart showing cumulative registered candidates in Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) for the councillor race from May 2026 to August 2026, with a notable surge to 18 candidates following Fletcher's withdrawal on August 19, 2026.

7537

Saxe’s site says she's “Rooted in University-Rosedale.” "University–Rosedale isn't just where I serve – it's where I'm from. Three generations of my family were born right here in our ward … This community shaped who I am, and my love for our neighbourhoods drives everything I do at City Hall.”

2303

Last-minute election switcheraoo is official: Councillor Dianne Saxe has withdrawn from the race in University-Rosedale, where she currently serves, and is now running for the vacant seat in Toronto-Danforth.

Election update notification showing 4 new voter registrations and 1 withdrawal for Toronto municipal election as of August 21, 2026, including candidates registering for Mayor and Ward 14 positions.

4293

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 20/08/2026

As was foretold, former councillor Mary Fragedakis has indeed registered to run for council in Toronto-Danforth. Trying for the comeback.

Screenshot of an election update notification showing 3 new candidate registrations and 1 withdrawal for Toronto municipal election as of August 21, 2026.

170

This release from the Bradford campaign suggests Chris Alexander probably isn’t dropping out of the mayoral race before tomorrow’s nomination deadline, and also that Bradford is pretty mad about that.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 20, 2026

CHRIS ALEXANDER IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR. NOBODY, INCLUDING HIM, SEEMS TO KNOW WHY

A candidate with no municipal experience, no record in this city's government, and a campaign that can't seem to find Toronto on a map

TORONTO, ON | The mayoral candidacy of Chris Alexander is, if nothing else, a riddle. Mr. Alexander arrives at City Hall's doorstep having never served a day in municipal government. Not as a councillor, not on a school board, not on a committee of adjustment. He has never balanced a city budget, never sat through a transit planning meeting, never answered to a ward full of residents about potholes, park permits or property taxes. The job he's applying for is the hardest in Canadian municipal politics, and his resume for it is a blank page.

What isn't blank is the campaign's record of stumbles. As Robyn Urback observed in The Globe and Mail: "[a]t the time of writing, the 'Contact' and 'Media' pages on his website are broken. He lists zero endorsements (his Harper-era cabinet-mate Lisa Raitt has endorsed Brad Bradford, who is the main challenger to incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow). He has promoted few appearances at public events, cultural festivals or community meet-and-greets, with the exception of one strange video on his Instagram that shows him taking a selfie with two men in Ghostbusters costumes at the Taste of the Danforth festival."

8534

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 20/08/2026

The other shoe drops in Toronto-Danforth: TDSB Trustee Sara Ehrhardt has registered for the seat vacated by Paula Fletcher. Ehrhardt has already been endorsed by NDP MPP Peter Tabuns.

Election update notification showing 2 new candidate registrations for Toronto-Danforth and TDSB ward positions as of August 20, 2026.

291

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 19/08/2026

It’s official: after an intense two-day campaign, Paula Fletcher has withdrawn from the race in Toronto-Danforth. I suspect we’ll now see some notable entries into the race before the deadline on Friday. The clock, it ticks.

Election update notification showing Paula Fletcher's withdrawal from Ward 14 (Toronto-Danforth) Councillor race, dated August 19, 2026.

2211

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 19/08/2026

I’m going to get to make so many Nintendo jokes.

Screenshot of notification using Nate Erksine-Smith has registered to run in Beaches-East York.

3301

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 17/08/2026

Paula Fletcher has finally filed to run for re-election. That makes it official: every incumbent councillor is seeking to return to their office, except Councillor Gord Perks (retiring) and Councillor Brad Bradford (trying to become mayor). Full tracker: toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/2026-candi...

A choropleth map of Toronto showing the 2026 Council candidate distribution by ward, with colors ranging from light yellow (2 candidates) to dark blue (11 candidates), and stars indicating incumbent re-election registrations.

5294

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 14/08/2026

Statement from Bradford camp tries to thread the needle: bike lanes should be removed, but it should be the city that does it. Calls on Chow to accept the decision and stop fighting.

STATEMENT FROM BRAD BRADFORD ON THE DECISION FROM THE COURT OF APPEAL FOR ONTARIO REGARDING BIKE LANE REMOVALS:

The following statement is to be attributed to Brad Bradford, Candidate for Mayor of Toronto:

Today the Court of Appeal confirmed what I said on Bloor Street W., in Etobicoke on Tuesday: where bike lanes go is a decision for elected governments, not for courtrooms.

For almost two years, the future of Toronto's streets sat in legal limbo. Drivers sat in gridlock. Businesses on Bloor West watched their sales fall. The Mayor spent those two years cheering on a courtroom fight instead of fixing the street. That's two years this city doesn't get back.

Here's what today's decision doesn't change: the best people to decide what happens on Toronto's streets are still Torontonians. My message to Queen's Park is simple. You've made your point. Now let the city do this job, with the communities who live on these streets, and work with Toronto's next mayor instead of around him.

My commitment from Tuesday stands, and today removed the last excuse for delay. As Mayor, I'll take the bike lanes on Bloor Street West, from South Kingsway to Resurrection Road, out in my first year and restore the vehicle lanes. And I'll build cyclists something better than a painted line on an arterial road: a real network of trails in our ravines and hydro corridors, plowed in winter, and routes on quieter streets. That promise doesn't depend on any courtroom, and it never did.

Mayor Chow should accept today's decision, end the legal chapter for good, and sit down with the province on an orderly plan. If she won't, voters can choose a mayor in October who will.

1180

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 12/08/2026

As an apology for the egg puns, here are some charts from some of the intersections I mentioned in the column. Big pedestrian numbers in recent counts. Smaller car numbers.

Bar chart showing traffic counts for cars and pedestrians at the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East/West and Yonge Street from 1984 to 2026, displaying a significant increase in pedestrian traffic in recent years.

A horizontal bar chart showing traffic counts at Bay Street and Bloor Street West from 1984 to 2025, displaying vehicles (cars, trucks, buses), pedestrians, and bikes across 27 different count dates.

Bar chart showing traffic counts for cars, trucks, buses, pedestrians, and bikes on Simcoe Street in Toronto from 2002 to 2026, with eight counts displayed across nearly 25 years showing increases in pedestrian traffic over time.

Bar chart showing traffic counts at Bay Street and Wellington Street West in Toronto from 1984 to 2025, displaying cars, trucks, buses, pedestrians, and bikes across multiple decades.

061

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 11/08/2026

Bradford also does the bike-lanes-belong-on-side-streets thing. Would be great if proponents of this kind of thinking could show us a map. Which streets? How do they lead to a cycling network that’s actually useful? Aren’t a lot of the places that cyclists want to get to on main streets?

“I'm a city planner and a cyclist. I want more people on bikes in this city, not fewer. I also want less congestion, and for everyone to make it home safely and on time,” said Bradford. “Toronto is sitting on the largest ravine system in the world and hydro corridors that run for kilometres in every direction. And our residential neighbourhoods have quiet, welcoming streets. Build the network there, keep it plowed in the winter, and everybody gets what they actually want. Cyclists ride without fighting trucks for space, drivers get their lanes back, and businesses get their customers back.”

1918322

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 11/08/2026

Mayoral candidate Brad Bradford makes it official: he’d remove the Bloor West bike lanes if he wins in October.

TORONTO, ON | As part of his plan to alleviate congestion in Toronto, Brad Bradford committed that as Mayor he will remove the bike lanes on Bloor Street West from South Kingsway west to Resurrection Road, restore the traffic lanes, and direct city staff to begin the work in his first year. The removal is paired with a plan to redirect the city's cycling investment into a network of residential streets and multi-use trails in parks, hydro corridors and ravines.

“People here in Etobicoke told City Hall exactly what these lanes would do to their main street, and City Hall didn't listen,” said Bradford. “Commuters in Etobicoke have seen with their own eyes, every day for two years, the congestion and chaos that they have created. Within my first year in office as your Mayor, these lanes are coming out, the traffic lanes are going back in, and that is my commitment. Not another review.”

The lanes were installed in 2023 and 2024 against overwhelming objections from local residents and businesses. In February 2025, more than 40 local businesses filed a $10 million lawsuit against the City of Toronto over the lanes and the consultation process that produced them.

“City Hall needs to have the humility to acknowledge when something isn’t working, and to go back and fix it. These bike lanes in Etobicoke aren’t working,” said Bradford.

236912

Perks takes a seat at the Clerk's desk for the final vote of the term, to confirm various bills and bylaws. He announces the result: "The vote carries, 22 in favour and none opposed," he says. Hey he's pretty good at this.

1110

The mayor also has another gift: some scotch for retiring councillor Gord Perks. He gets another standing ovation too.

1131

Holy hell, it's over. Council completes the FINAL agenda of the 2022-2026 term at about 9:47 p.m. Mayor Olivia Chow rises to present some flowers to Nunziata. The speaker gets a standing ovation. "452 items!" notes Chow.

1161

The Malik/Chow motion to offer free kids & senior fares on the Toronto Island ferry for the month of August, in celebration of the island airport win, is APPROVED 15-5.

160

On that victorious note, Council votes 24-0 to APPROVE Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to work with Jays Care on potentially establishing a Jays Care Academy in the city. secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

140

All the data centre motions, requesting all kinds of information about data centres, CARRY via show of hands. Item as amended CARRIES 25-0. Consider this just a preview of a much larger debate about data centres coming to this council chamber in 2027. There's no escape.

1112