Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford promised to freeze property taxes for his first year if elected mayor during the first candidates’ debate as incumbent Olivia Chow said she has spent her first years as mayor cleaning up a budget mess left by the previous city council. The debate, hosted by the Toronto Board of Trade, features the top three candidates: Chow, Bradford and Chris Alexander. It is being streamed live on CityNews 24/7. During the first segment of the debate on affordability, Bradford said he would freeze property taxes after being asked about how he would pay for his campaign promises to add 1,000 more police officers and add platform edge doors to the TTC. “Families need relief. They can’t afford more of Olivia Chow’s tax increases,” said Bradford. He added during that first year, he would do a line-by-line review of the City of Toronto’s budget. In response, Chow called on Bradford’s position as the vice-chair of the Budget Committee prior to her becoming mayor. “You left us with a close to $2 billion in our budget so we can’t run away from your record.” Chow has previously said she plans to keep property taxes “at or around” the rate of inflation each year if she’s reelected in next month’s municipal election. Since taking over Toronto’s mayor’s chair, Chow has twice implemented significant property tax hikes including a record 9.5 per cent increase in 2024. The property tax increase for 2026 was 2.2 per cent. Meanwhile, Alexander took aim at Bradford saying, “I don’t think someone who answers your question about how to pay for his expensive promises with another tax cut is going to be the guy that actually will put will put business into focus on it,” when responding to a question about how each of the candidates will bring investment to the city.Transit and congestionWhen it came to how they will alleviate congestion and bring transit numbers up, Chow said she would implement more signal priorities for the TTC and better coordination of road closures. She then brought up her proposal to capping fares at 10 rides a week.Chow also promised to add more traffic agents that help alleviate gridlock.Alexander disagreed, saying that the regressive fare structure will add to the TTC’s $390 million budget shortfall. “We will never get people to come back if the service is impaired … if we are not putting revenue in it,” said Alexander.Meanwhile, Bradford said he would never do major road closure when major events are going on. He added he would pursue 24/7 construction, and invest in technology that can synchronize lights and improve efficiency in intersection clearing.In terms of the TTC, Bradford focused on riders being concerned about safety and reliability. “No one’s saying they’re not taking transit because it costs $3.30. They’re saying they aren’t taken transit because they can’t rely on it, because it’s not safe.”How and when to voteVoters will be receiving their voting cards in their mailbox in the coming days. Early voting for the Toronto municipal election takes place Tuesday Oct. 6 to Sunday Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polls on election day, Oct. 26, are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.Chow’s lead shrinks in latest pollIn the latest poll by Liaison Strategies, Chow has a seven-point lead over Bradford among decided and leaning voters but the cushion between her and Bradford has become smaller.