Toronto 2026/Mayor/Joshua Thompson
JT

Joshua Thompson

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Running for
Mayor
City-wide
Every ward votes
Days until polls open
29

About Joshua

Written by Joshua Thompson in answer to our questionnaire, and published as given. Not our description of them.

Josh Thompson is a candidate for Mayor of Toronto in the October 26, 2026 municipal election, running on building housing, public safety, and cutting waste at City Hall. Campaign website: https://joshthompsonformayor.ca

Our questionnaire

Where Joshua Thompson stands

Joshua Thompson’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.

Five decisions facing the next council

Should Toronto permit substantially more housing as-of-right in every ward, including areas currently dominated by detached and semi-detached homes?

  • Joshua Thompson    Yes

    Build the houses — actual units, not ten-year slogans.

When a person living in a park has been offered an available indoor space that meets their accessibility, safety and household needs, should the city require them to leave the encampment?

  • Joshua Thompson    Yes

    Safety is the first job of a city, and parks are not housing.

Should Toronto introduce road-pricing measures, such as congestion charges or tolls, if the revenue is dedicated to transportation improvements?

  • Joshua Thompson    No

    No congestion tolls — axe the tax, do not add a new one.

Should Toronto raise additional local revenue to address its infrastructure repair backlog rather than defer maintenance while seeking funding from other governments?

  • Joshua Thompson    No

    Do not raise new local revenue first — cut waste at the TTC, the boards, and council, then fix what we already own.

Should Toronto publish project-level budgets, schedules and performance updates for all major capital projects?

  • Joshua Thompson    Yes

    Put the books in public. You cannot cut waste you hide.

Public safety and public space

Which approach should receive the greatest additional investment to improve public safety?

  • Joshua Thompson    Police, bylaw enforcement and a more visible official presence

    Violent crime first — more presence on the street, not another prevention slideshow.

Over the next council term, the Toronto Police Service budget should:

  • Joshua Thompson    Increase above inflation to expand police staffing or services

    Crime is the first job, and you do not cut the people who do it.

How should Toronto govern automated licence-plate readers and similar surveillance technology used on public streets?

  • Joshua Thompson    Establish citywide limits on access, retention, auditing and data sharing

Transit and transportation

What should receive the greatest share of the next available transit funding?

  • Joshua Thompson    Vehicles, stations, signals and other state-of-good-repair work

    Fix the TTC we already have before buying another ribbon-cutting.

When there is not enough street space for every use, which should generally receive priority?

  • Joshua Thompson    Deliveries, trades, emergency vehicles and accessibility

Housing and growth

If Toronto could make one major housing intervention this term, which should receive the greatest emphasis?

  • Joshua Thompson    Reduce approval times, development charges and other city-imposed costs

    Axe the charges that kill supply, then the units get built.

What should be Toronto's primary role in delivering affordable and supportive housing?

  • Joshua Thompson    Focus primarily on permitting enough housing and reducing barriers to construction

    City Hall's job is get out of the way and let units go up — not become the landlord of Toronto.

Where should Toronto permit the greatest increase in housing density?

  • Joshua Thompson    Permit more apartments and multiplexes in nearly every neighbourhood

    Every ward gets actual units, not a downtown-only brochure.

City government and service delivery

Which change would you implement to reduce the cost of building housing in Toronto?

  • Joshua Thompson    Reduce development charges, parkland payments and related levies

    Axe the tax and the city-imposed costs that make a unit too expensive to start.

What is the most important change Toronto should make to reduce capital-project delays and cost overruns?

  • Joshua Thompson    Strengthen professional project management, procurement and contracting

    Fiscal discipline — stop bleeding money on projects City Hall cannot run.

Which service-delivery model should Toronto use more often?

  • Joshua Thompson    Use competitive contracts and outside providers where they can deliver better value

    If an outside shop can do it cheaper and better, stop padding the internal payroll.

Taxes, spending and fiscal sustainability

Over the next council term, residential property-tax revenues should generally:

  • Joshua Thompson    Grow more slowly than inflation, requiring service restraint or alternative revenues

    Axe the tax. Hold the line on the residential bill and cut waste to match.

Which type of additional revenue should Toronto rely on most heavily?

  • Joshua Thompson    Land-transfer taxes, development charges and taxes on real-estate activity

    Least-bad forced choice — not a new municipal income tax, and not more congestion tolls; the real answer is still cut waste and build.

What should Toronto do first to address its infrastructure repair backlog?

  • Joshua Thompson    Redirect money from new facilities and projects toward existing assets

    Maintain what we own before another expansion press conference.

Governance and representation

What should be Toronto's primary approach to the provincial government?

  • Joshua Thompson    Plan budgets and services on the assumption that substantial new provincial support will not arrive

    Run the city's books like the cavalry is not coming. Cut waste here.

Your ward and your record

Which objective should receive the greatest attention in your ward during the next council term?

  • Joshua Thompson    Enforcement, public-space management and responses to disorder

    Safety first.

Which single result should voters use to assess your performance at the end of the term?

  • Joshua Thompson    More homes approved, under construction or completed

    Judge me on units built — actual homes, not slogans.

Priorities and trade-offs

Over the next council term, Toronto should:

  • Joshua Thompson    Finish approved projects but undertake few additional road reallocations

When demonstrations substantially block transportation or access to essential institutions, the city should prioritize:

  • Joshua Thompson    Keep major roads, transit, hospitals and essential facilities operating

    Safety first — hospitals and main roads stay open.

Where should Toronto direct its next major technology investment?

  • Joshua Thompson    Procurement, finance, staffing and administrative efficiency

    Put the money into the books and the waste, not another resident-app launch.

When Toronto faces a structural operating-budget gap, what should it do first?

  • Joshua Thompson    Reduce internal administration, staffing or contract costs

    Cut waste first; do not raise taxes to paper over City Hall's overhead.

What is the most important municipal intervention for improving Toronto's business climate?

  • Joshua Thompson    Expand housing, transportation, public safety and infrastructure

    Crime, houses, and the books are the business climate.

How should Toronto attract major employers, investment and events?

  • Joshua Thompson    Housing affordability, transportation, safety and quality of life

    Same city jobs — safety, units, and costs, not a bidding war.

What should Toronto prioritize to increase construction capacity?

  • Joshua Thompson    Encourage modular construction, prefabrication and more efficient building methods

    Build faster — actual units, not a longer public-project waitlist.

What should receive the greatest priority in Toronto's public-realm budget?

  • Joshua Thompson    Cleanliness, roads, sidewalks, snow clearing, washrooms and routine park care

What should be Toronto's primary tool for supporting arts, culture and nightlife?

  • Joshua Thompson    Simpler permits, flexible operating rules and later hours

If autonomous taxi services operate in Toronto, which condition should the city prioritize?

  • Joshua Thompson    Mandatory reporting on trips, collisions, congestion and curb use

Each card is one question, with Joshua Thompson 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 answered

Registered 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.

Everyone running for mayorWhere the whole field stands