With just over two months until Toronto’s municipal election, former federal cabinet minister Chris Alexander has officially entered the race for mayor, promising a more ambitious vision for Canada’s largest city.
Alexander, who served as immigration minister under former prime minister Stephen Harper, officially registered his candidacy last week. He becomes the third high-profile candidate to enter the race, joining incumbent Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Brad Bradford.
While Alexander has yet to unveil a detailed campaign platform, he has outlined five key priorities on his campaign website: restarting Toronto’s economic engine, improving transit, making housing more accessible, strengthening neighbourhoods and making the city more ambitious.
A focus on economic growth
Alexander says Toronto has the talent, workforce and financial strength to drive economic growth across the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Ontario and Canada. He argues the city should encourage new investment, help businesses expand and foster entrepreneurship.
“We need to implement the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s priorities for budgeting, congestion and zoning and make Toronto the anchor partner for provincial and federal governments in pursuing national strategies,” Alexander wrote on his website.
Transit, cycling and congestion
Transit is another major focus of Alexander’s campaign.
He says improving safety across Toronto’s transit system is essential to encouraging ridership, while also calling for a more connected transportation network that includes protected cycling infrastructure.
Alexander says the city should build a network of bike lanes that are physically separated from both vehicle traffic and pedestrians.
“We should build a broad-based consensus about the long-term future of Billy Bishop Airport, make bolder moves to end traffic jams in peak periods and ensure buses, streetcars and LRTs move faster,” he wrote.
Housing affordability
Alexander has also made housing affordability a central part of his early campaign, arguing that homeownership should remain attainable for younger Torontonians.
He says the city should work with other levels of government and the private sector to increase the supply of both rental and ownership housing.
“We should leverage all available federal, provincial and private-sector resources to make rental housing more accessible,” he wrote.
Early polling
Although Alexander has only recently entered the race, an early Forum Research poll suggests his candidacy could reshape the contest.
According to the survey, Chow leads with 47 per cent support, followed by Bradford at 32 per cent. Alexander receives 11 per cent support, while another 11 per cent of respondents said they would support another candidate.
When Alexander is removed from the ballot, Chow’s support increases slightly to 48 per cent, while Bradford rises to 36 per cent. Seventeen per cent of respondents said they would support another candidate.
The Forum Research poll surveyed 1,011 randomly selected Toronto residents aged 18 and older using interactive voice response telephone interviews.
The survey was conducted on July 29, 2026, and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
