What to know
- Brad Bradford is proposing to restructure Toronto Water into a publicly owned utility modelled after Toronto Hydro and cut water bills by 25 per cent.
- Olivia Chow has criticized the plan, warning it could open the door to privatization.
- Environmental activist David Suzuki joined Chow in speaking out against the proposal, arguing that profit-driven approaches could undermine public services.
- Bradford’s campaign says the city would remain the utility’s sole shareholder and that a municipal bylaw would prohibit private investment.
Mayoral candidate Brad Bradford is pushing back against concerns that his plan to restructure Toronto Water could lead to privatization, as environmental activist David Suzuki joins incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow in criticizing the proposal.
Bradford has previously pledged to cut water bills by 25 per cent if elected mayor, saying the plan would save the average household about $300 a year.
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As part of the proposal, Bradford wants to restructure Toronto Water into a publicly owned utility modelled after Toronto Hydro.
The plan has drawn criticism from Chow, Bradford’s main challenger, who has warned that the proposed restructuring could open the door to privatization.
During a campaign stop Wednesday, Chow reiterated those concerns and criticized Bradford’s proposal.
“This is the water our children drink … the water we depend on every single day, and it belongs to the people of Toronto,” Chow told reporters. “Which is why I will never give our water away.”
Chow said the proposal raises broader questions about trust.
“What else will they hand away? How does any of that help a family make it to the end of the month?” she said.
Chow was joined at the campaign stop by Suzuki, who also spoke out against the plan.
“The idea of privatizing a public service like fresh clean water is really an avenue towards the failure of the service,” Suzuki said in a video shared by Chow’s campaign team.
Suzuki argued that when profit drives decisions about public services, service quality can become secondary and prices can rise.
“Water, like air and soil, is sacred, it’s the foundation of our existence, and it should not be a commodity that you buy and sell,” he said.
Bradford’s campaign pushes back
Bradford’s campaign is rejecting claims that the proposed restructuring would lead to privatization, maintaining that Toronto’s water system would remain publicly owned under the plan.
The campaign points to the provincial Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, arguing that the legislation prohibits private ownership of Toronto’s water system.
Under Bradford’s proposal, the city would remain the utility’s sole shareholder, while a municipal bylaw would prohibit private investment, according to the campaign.
“Under Brad’s plan, City Council appoints the board and the City holds every share, the same structure Toronto already uses for Toronto Hydro,” said campaign spokesperson Laryssa Waler.
“The people who operate and maintain our water system do excellent work, and they’ll keep doing the same jobs under the same collective agreements, which carry over under the provincial framework.”
Bradford’s campaign also reiterated his pledge to cut water bills by 25 per cent, saying the proposed changes could save the average household about $300 annually.
Toronto voters will head to the polls on Oct. 26.
