Toronto has set an advance-voting record: 222,550 eligible voters cast ballots over six days of advance polls, the city confirmed Tuesday — well past the previous marks set in 2014 and in the 2023 mayoral by-election. The surge comes as the mayoral race tightens. The latest Nanos poll for CP24 and CTV News Toronto puts Mayor Olivia Chow at 51 per cent among decided voters to Brad Bradford's 47 — a lead that stood at nearly 10 points a week earlier, before Chris Alexander dropped out of the race. A Liaison Strategies survey released Tuesday shows a similar split, 51 to 46.
Chow says she has stabilized city finances through a major funding deal with Ontario and Ottawa, frozen TTC fares for three years while improving service, opened all 100 library branches seven days a week, sped up 911 response times, and launched a Community Crisis Service. She counts roughly 15,000 to 16,000 rental homes now under construction and an early opening for the Scarborough Busway, and she is promising another 10,000 rentals starting next year and universal school lunches by 2030 if she is re-elected.
Bradford says the record does not match the rhetoric. He argues Chow has not delivered on her 65,000-home target — only about 1,500 completed so far — raised property taxes sharply after promising modest increases, and left transit ridership well below pre-pandemic levels despite higher spending. He also notes that she declined a seat on the police board, and argues the city is spending more without clearer results on housing, safety, and basic services — while her campaign mainly warns voters about his plans.
"Chow still leads, but Bradford has cut her cushion to 3.5 points among decided voters. With 17 per cent undecided, Toronto's race remains an open contest." — Nik Nanos, Nanos Research
The race divides sharply by who you are and where you live. Liaison found Chow leading among renters 57 to 40, while Bradford leads among homeowners 50 to 45; Nanos shows Chow stronger with women and voters under 55, and Bradford ahead in North York and among voters 55 and older. Roughly 16 to 17 per cent of voters are still undecided. Election day is Monday, October 26, with polls open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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