TORONTO, October 16, 2026 – Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford’s campaign issued a statement on October 15 questioning incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow’s newly announced youth employment plan, focusing in particular on funding for the Eglinton East LRT and how the proposed 15,000 youth job opportunities would be counted.
Chow announced that day that she wants to increase employment opportunities for local youth through major infrastructure projects such as the Eglinton East LRT and include those positions as part of a broader youth employment plan.
Bradford’s campaign said the Eglinton East LRT remains in the planning stage, with full construction funding from the provincial and federal governments still not secured. The project is currently at about 10 per cent design.
The campaign therefore questioned when the proposed youth jobs connected to the project could actually become available if construction funding and a start date have not yet been confirmed.
The Eglinton East LRT is planned to extend from Kennedy Station through eastern Scarborough toward Malvern and has long been part of Scarborough transit planning. Bradford has also previously said he supports building the line and has pledged to seek provincial and federal funding if elected.
Another point of dispute is the proposed 15,000 youth employment opportunities.
Bradford’s campaign said Chow’s plan is connected to youth employment initiatives supported by the City of Toronto and United Way, but noted that existing programs can include summer jobs, part-time positions and work-experience opportunities. The campaign called for more detail on how many of the 15,000 positions would fall into each category and how long the jobs would last.
Bradford has also previously proposed creating 15,000 youth jobs. His campaign plan emphasizes working with private-sector employers to create long-term, full-time employment opportunities for young people.
Bradford’s campaign said a youth employment plan should explain not only the number of jobs being proposed, but also where funding would come from, which employers would participate and how long the positions would last.
With less than two weeks remaining before Toronto’s October 26 municipal election, youth employment and Scarborough transit construction have become part of the recent policy debate between the two mayoral candidates.
（LJI by Yuanyuan）
