TORONTO, October 6, 2026 – As Toronto’s mayoral election enters its final stage, mayoral candidate Brad Bradford announced a new group of political endorsements on October 6. Toronto school trustee Weidong Pei publicly endorsed Bradford in a video, while Councillor James Pasternak also joined his list of supporters. At the same time, three more federal Liberal Members of Parliament announced their support for Bradford, bringing the number of Liberal MPs who have recently endorsed him to seven.
Pei recently announced his support for Bradford’s mayoral campaign through a campaign video. James Pasternak, councillor for York Centre, also publicly expressed his support, further expanding Bradford’s endorsements across education, municipal, provincial and federal politics.
The three newly added Liberal MPs are Vince Gasparro of Eglinton—Lawrence, Leslie Church of Toronto—St. Paul’s, and Ali Ehsassi of Willowdale.
Gasparro said he has known Bradford since 2018, when he served as chief of staff to then-Toronto mayor John Tory, and has followed Bradford’s work on economic development, public safety and affordability.
Church spoke from the perspective of a parent, pointing to issues such as housing, public transit and child care. She said these factors directly affect the cost of living and raising children in Toronto.
Ehsassi said he believes Bradford has the municipal experience and ability to move policy into action.
Liberal MPs who had previously endorsed Bradford include former Toronto deputy mayor and current Ajax MP Jennifer McKelvie, as well as Judy Sgro, James Maloney and Yvan Baker.
Other political figures who have publicly supported Bradford include federal Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, Ontario Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth and Councillor James Pasternak, showing that his campaign has drawn support from people across different political parties.
Beyond political endorsements, Bradford’s recent proposal to reform Toronto’s water financing model has also drawn cross-party discussion.
Former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Brad Duguid and former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak recently co-authored an article supporting further study of converting Toronto Water into a public utility that would remain fully owned by the City of Toronto but operate with a degree of independence.
They argued that water infrastructure lasting several decades does not necessarily need to be funded largely upfront by current residents and new homebuyers. If a public water utility uses long-term financing and recovers costs gradually over the useful life of the infrastructure, both current and future users could share the cost of those investments.
However, their article mainly supports the direction of reform and does not mean that the specific amount residents might save has already been confirmed. Actual cost changes would still depend on the financing model, water rate structure and final implementation plan.
As Toronto’s October 26 municipal election approaches, candidates are seeking voter support through policy announcements, public events and political endorsements. Whether the latest cross-party endorsements will further influence voter decisions remains to be seen.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
