What to know
- Brad Bradford released a campaign video after the deadly Salsa on St. Clair shooting, calling for stronger public safety measures, gun enforcement and bail reform.
- The video divided viewers online, with some praising Bradford for addressing crime while others accused him of fearmongering and promoting policies beyond municipal authority.
- Political scientist Dr. Nelson Wiseman says Bradford’s message is designed to appeal to voters’ emotions but argues his proposals are not practical municipal solutions.
- Bradford’s team says public safety would be his top priority as mayor, pledging stronger support for police, enhanced security at major events and continued pressure on Ottawa for bail reform.
A political scientist says that a new campaign video from Toronto mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford is tapping into voters’ fears about violent crime in the city, but argues the policies he’s promoting wouldn’t address the issues behind recent shootings.
Following Saturday’s deadly shooting during Salsa on St. Clair, Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford created and posted a campaign video responding to the event. In the two-and-a-half-minute video posted to social media, Bradford says Toronto has been gripped by gun violence following three deadly shooting incidents over three consecutive days. Recounting his own visit to Salsa on St. Clair hours before the shooting, he compared the festival’s family-friendly atmosphere with the chaos that unfolded later that evening, arguing residents shouldn’t have to question whether attending community events is safe.
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Bradford also criticizes what he describes as City Hall’s reliance on crime statistics, saying “people don’t experience life in a spreadsheet” and that public safety should be the mayor’s top priority. He calls for additional resources, stronger gun enforcement and bail reform to keep repeat violent offenders off the streets, promising that if elected mayor, he would make community safety his primary focus.
Online, some people feel like the video misses the mark.
“It says a lot that your reaction to what happened this weekend is to film a campaign video and try to turn this into a personal benefit for yourself,” one person said.
“Half the things you mentioned are provincial responsibility. You should know this!” another person said.
“Dude the fear mongering isn’t helpful and it’s exactly that, fear mongering. Nothing you’re saying here is within your power to change. So you’re just talking shit at this point and fanning the flame.”
While others feel that Bradford made valid points.
“He made a video to highlight the issues that need to be talked about and not downplayed,” one X user commented. “He’s [doing] what our mayor should be doing.”
“This is what we need brad, voting for you solely based on this video,” another shared.
Political scientist says Bradford’s proposals are not solutions
In an interview with Now Toronto, University of Toronto professor emeritus Dr. Nelson Wiseman said that Bradford’s calls for additional resources and bail reform are politically understandable but don’t offer practical municipal solutions.
“Running on fear of crime is a standard Conservative tactic,” Wiseman said. “I’m not attacking it… but I’m a rationalist, and he’s appealing to emotions, and emotions do sway people.”
Bradford’s video, posted after the fatal shooting that left one person dead and several others injured, criticized the city’s response to violent crime and called for tougher action, including bail reform.
“He called for more resources, but I didn’t hear him say he wanted more police or that he was prepared to pay for them,” Wiseman said, adding that it’s unrealistic to expect police to be everywhere at once.
Wiseman questioned whether increasing police resources would significantly reduce gun violence. He also argued Bradford appeared to suggest the suspects may have been out on bail without evidence to support that claim. Toronto police have not shared any suspect details with the public.
While Wiseman said discussions around bail reform are legitimate, he noted that criminal law falls primarily under federal jurisdiction, meaning Toronto’s municipal government has little direct authority over the issue.
“Bail is nothing that the city government can do anything about,” he said, noting Parliament is already considering legislation related to tightening Canada’s bail system, while provinces also have responsibilities through the administration of justice.
Instead, Wiseman said the rise in gun violence is likely tied to the increasing number of illegal firearms entering Canada, an issue that extends far beyond municipal politics.
“There’s just a lot more guns circulating,” he said. “The problem is they’re being brought up illegally from the United States.”
Despite disagreeing with Bradford’s proposed solutions, Wiseman stressed he has no issue with the councillor publicly discussing crime.
“I don’t have any problem with him running the video and communicating that message,” he said. “I’m just saying that the things he’s proposing are not solutions.”
Asked what better alternatives exist, Wiseman acknowledged there are no easy answers to reducing violent crime.
“If there was a better solution, we would have gone on to it,” he said, pointing to the United States as an example that harsher punishments, such as increased jail time or even capital punishment, alone do not necessarily deter violence.
Wiseman also questioned how much influence politicians’ social media videos ultimately have, arguing that traditional news coverage still plays a major role in shaping public awareness despite an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
“What counts is simply that his name gets into more mainstream media,” he said.
Bradford responds
In a statement to Now Toronto, a spokesperson for Bradford says that their team’s thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by last weekend’s shooting.
“We can’t accept a Toronto where residents live in fear. That’s why we’re speaking up for the many people expressing their concerns about safety in this city,” the statement reads, adding that they are meeting with residents at a community town hall.
“Three separate shootings in three days is unacceptable. And since that time, there have been multiple other shooting events in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday, sending people to the hospital.”
The spokesperson explained that if elected mayor, Bradford will “put public safety first.”
“We will stand firmly behind our police officers and first responders who run toward gunshots to protect our communities, they deserve our unwavering support and resources,” the statement reads.
“We’ll strengthen security at major public events, and press Ottawa for meaningful bail reform to keep violent repeat offenders off our streets,” the statement continues. “Toronto’s first responders deserve a mayor who has their back.”
