TORONTO, September 30, 2026 – Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford says he would cut water bills by 25 per cent if elected mayor, arguing that the City should change the way it finances long-term water infrastructure.
Under the proposal, the reduction would apply automatically to the first $1,500 of each Toronto water bill. Bradford’s campaign says the measure would save the average household about $300 a year, with no application or income test required.
Bradford said the plan is based on changing how Toronto Water funds infrastructure projects such as pipes, treatment plants and other long-lived assets. His campaign argues that Toronto currently collects too much from present-day ratepayers for infrastructure that will be used over many decades.
The campaign says Toronto Water has about $2 billion in reserves and that a large share of water bill revenue is directed toward capital reserve contributions rather than the immediate cost of delivering water and wastewater services.
Bradford said he would modernize Toronto Water into a publicly owned utility, similar in structure to Toronto Hydro. Under his proposal, the utility would remain fully owned by Toronto taxpayers, private investment would be barred by bylaw, and rates would be set by an independent board rather than directly by politicians.
His campaign says the model would allow major infrastructure costs to be spread over the useful life of the assets, rather than being paid largely upfront through current water rates. Bradford compared the approach to a mortgage, saying residents should not be required to pay immediately for infrastructure that will serve the city for generations.
The campaign pointed to other Canadian municipalities, including Edmonton, Windsor and Kingston, as examples of cities that use utility-style models for water services. It also said provincial legislation already allows municipalities to move in this direction, and noted that Peel Region is currently setting up a similar model.
Bradford also linked the water bill proposal to a broader plan to change how Toronto funds infrastructure. His campaign said the City should pay for more major capital projects over the useful life of the asset, while keeping debt interest costs under a set fiscal limit.
The campaign said this approach could help accelerate infrastructure repairs and new investments without new taxes or service cuts. Examples listed by the campaign include state-of-good-repair work, platform edge doors and community centres.
For renters, Bradford said he has asked the province to extend existing rent-reduction mechanisms to permanent municipal water rate reductions, so tenants could also benefit if building-level water costs are reduced.
Toronto’s municipal election will be held on October 26.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
