Written by Braeden Chow in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.
Braeden Chow is a Toronto nonprofit founder, musician and community organizer running for Mayor to bring urgency, accountability and imagination back to City Hall. He believes Toronto should be safer, more affordable and more ambitious about its future.
Our questionnaire
Braeden Chow’s own answers to the questions we put to every candidate, published as given — including, where they wrote one, their reasoning in their own words.
support building substantially more housing across Toronto, but I wouldn’t say every ward needs the exact same level or type of development. Housing policy should reflect local infrastructure, transit, neighbourhood context and actual capacity. We need more homes, but we also need smart planning.
Yes. If the City has offered a genuinely available indoor space that meets the person’s accessibility, safety and household needs, I believe they should be required to leave the encampment. Parks are public spaces and need to remain safe and accessible for everyone.
I don’t support charging residents for congestion when so much of it is caused by construction, lane closures, poor coordination and inadequate infrastructure. The City should fix the congestion problems within its control before making drivers pay for them.
I don’t think the first answer should be raising more revenue. Toronto already collects a significant amount of money, and before asking residents to pay more, the City should prove it is spending what it has efficiently, prioritizing essential repairs properly, and reducing waste.
I support accountability, but not publishing endless reports that most people will never use. Major overruns and failures should be disclosed clearly, but City Hall should focus on delivering projects, not creating more bureaucracy around them.
I’d choose public-space management, but safety can’t be reduced to visibility alone. Police also need the resources, staffing and tools to actually prevent and respond to crime. The goal should be safer residents and officers, not simply more uniforms on the street.
increase above inflation, but not simply to hire more officers. I want a stronger, better-trained, better-equipped force with serious mental-health, recovery and family support off duty. Police deal with extraordinary situations; we should invest in keeping them capable and healthy.
I’d permit broad use under existing privacy law. If technology can help police find stolen vehicles, identify serious offenders and solve crimes faster, we should use it. For law-abiding residents, effective public-safety tools should make the city safer, not harder to live in.
I’d prioritize service. Riders need more frequent, reliable and safer transit they can actually count on every day. Maintenance matters, but the greatest share should go toward improving the day-to-day experience for people using the system.
I’d prioritize goods and essential access. Deliveries, trades, emergency services and accessibility are foundational to how the city functions. When space is limited, the people and services that keep Toronto operating should come first.
We need more affordable and supportive housing, but I don’t support simply opening the door for anyone to build anything anywhere.
Toronto should take more responsibility itself: build, acquire, and own more affordable/supportive housing, rather than mainly relying on private developers or outside partners to solve the problem.
I’d concentrate the greatest density increases downtown and in existing growth centres. Toronto is large enough that every neighbourhood doesn’t need the same built form.
weakening the standards that determine who can build, where they can build, and whether the project is actually appropriate. Faster shouldn’t mean automatic approval for anyone with a proposal.
The right team with strong project management, procurement and contracting should be able to deliver ambitious projects without constantly shrinking the pipeline. Councillors also shouldn’t be casually changing scope midstream, but execution is the bigger issue.
I’d use competitive outside providers where they can deliver better value, but only with strict performance standards and real accountability. If a contractor is doing a bad job, the City should be able to replace them quickly rather than being stuck with poor service.
I’d lean grow more slowly than inflation. Property taxes shouldn’t automatically rise just because costs do. The City should first find efficiencies and spend better. If a genuine need remains, increases around inflation can be justified.
A balanced mix makes more sense, while also growing non-tax revenue through events, tourism, sponsorships, venue use and other economic activity so the City isn’t constantly reaching deeper into residents’ pockets.
Before raising another levy or selling off public assets, the City should make sure it can properly maintain what it already owns. New projects are great, but not if existing roads, facilities and infrastructure are falling apart because money is spread too thin.
Partnership. Toronto should work constructively with whatever provincial government is elected when doing so gets the city funding, approvals or better outcomes. I’m not interested in fighting Queen’s Park for the sake of it, but I also wouldn’t accept a bad deal just to say we cooperated.
Budget. If voters elect a mayor with a clear mandate, that mayor should be able to set spending and tax priorities and be held accountable for the results. Administrative powers should be used carefully, not as a tool for constantly reshuffling City staff.
Keeping Ward 9 safe is the priority. It is already a strong community, and I want to protect that while making our parks, streets and public spaces substantially better. That also means investing in innovative local infrastructure and making the ward a model for the rest of Toronto.
Public realm. Safer, cleaner, better-maintained streets and public spaces depend on strong services and responsible finances. If the City is managed properly, residents should see and feel the results in their everyday lives.
Toronto should finish what it has already approved, assess how those projects actually perform, and avoid constantly reallocating more road space until we know the existing network is working well for cyclists, drivers, businesses and local communities.
Maintaining access. Peaceful protest should be protected, but it should not prevent people from reaching hospitals, using transit, getting to work or accessing essential services. Public expression matters, but so does keeping the city functioning safely.
Toronto should use technology to make City Hall faster, smarter and more efficient behind the scenes. Better procurement, staffing and financial systems can improve services without weakening standards or accountability.
Reduce or redesign lower-priority services first. A structural deficit usually signals a management problem. Essential services should be protected, contracts should deliver strong value, and residents shouldn’t be asked to pay more before the City fixes its own spending.
Lower costs. Strong fundamentals matter, but businesses also need room to operate. Toronto should reduce unnecessary taxes, fees and licensing costs while maintaining the infrastructure, safety and services that make the city competitive.
Strong citywide fundamentals matter, but when you’re competing for a major employer, investment or event, Toronto should be willing to put together a tailored package and actively win the opportunity instead of assuming it will come here on its own.
If Toronto doesn’t have enough skilled people to actually do the work, everything else slows down. Expanding apprenticeships, training and recognition of international credentials increases the number of qualified workers without lowering standards.
Programming and activity. I want major events and cultural programming concentrated where they make sense, generating revenue and supporting local business, while still letting residential neighbourhoods stay calm, clean and enjoyable to live in.
Protection from displacement. Toronto doesn’t need more venues for the sake of having more venues. It should focus on preserving established cultural spaces that already contribute to their communities and the city’s identity.
Toronto should explore operating or owning its own autonomous taxi service, so the City can control pricing, accessibility, coverage, safety standards and potentially keep the revenue public.
Each card is one question, with Braeden Chow filed under the answer they gave and their own words underneath it. The other options offered are not shown, nor how the rest of the field answered.
How the whole city answeredRegistered candidates from the City Clerk’s official list, refreshed daily. Campaign sites are linked as published by the candidate; a link is not an endorsement.