Brad Bradford

Brad Bradford is a Canadian urban planner and politician. He was elected to the Toronto City Council following the 2018 Toronto municipal election, and represents Ward 19 Beaches—East York.

Brad Bradford
Bradford in 2018
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 19 Beaches—East York
Assumed office
December 1, 2018
Preceded byWard created
Personal details
Born (1986-08-01) August 1, 1986
Ancaster, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Spouse(s)Kathryn Randle
RelationsValerie Bradford (mother)
Children1
Residence(s)East York, Toronto
EducationYork University (BES, 2009)
University of Waterloo (MA, 2012)
Occupation
Websitewww.bradbradford.ca

Bradford was appointed a commissioner of the Toronto Transit Commission Board by city council on December 13, 2018.[1] He also sits on several council committees, including the Budget Committee, and the Planning and Housing Committee, and the Toronto Parking Authority Board.[2]

Background

Prior to his election, Bradford worked as an urban planner for the City of Toronto.[3] He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES), in urban and regional environments from York University, and a Master of Arts (MA) in urban planning from the University of Waterloo.[2][4]

Family

Bradford's mother, Valerie Bradford,[5] was elected as the member of Parliament (MP) for Kitchener South—Hespeler in the 2021 federal election.[6] He has one daughter, Briar, with his wife Kathryn.[7][8]

Political career

During the 2018 municipal election campaign, Bradford received endorsements from Mayor John Tory, Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, former Liberal member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Arthur Potts, Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon (the previous incumbent of ward 32, which made up a part of the current ward boundaries),[9] and former Toronto chief planner and mayoral candidate Jennifer Keesmaat.[10]

Bradford defeated candidate Matthew Kellway, who represented Beaches—East York federally from 2011 to 2015 as the New Democratic MP.[11]

2019 budget

Bradford's first budget was contentious as councillors Shelley Carroll and Mike Layton presented last minute motions intended to gather information beyond the budget process. He voted against all of these motions which distressed concerned parties.[12]

Term limits

Bradford brought a motion to the city council to explore implementing term limits, which was seconded by Ana Bailão and referred to the Special Committee on Governance.[13] Bradford campaigned on supporting a two term limit during the 2018 election,[14] with his motion citing examples where term limits facilitated a more representative council makeup by eliminating incumbent advantage.[15] He was opposed by Councillor Gord Perks, who commented that the "last thing a government should do is tell people who they are allowed to vote for" and Councillor Jim Karygiannis, who believes if "constituents don’t want us they can kick us out".[16]

The motion was deferred indefinitely, but if successful it would have required a City of Toronto Act amendment, which must be passed by the provincial government.[17]

Hansard transcripts

Bradford also introduced a motion at council to explore the use of Hansard (transcripts of meetings) to increase transparency and engagement at City Hall.[18]

Election results
2018 Toronto municipal election, Ward 19 Beaches—East York
Candidate Votes Vote share
Brad Bradford 14,286 38.56%
Matthew Kellway 13,998 37.78%
Joshua Makuch 2,315 6.25%
Diane Dyson 1,612 4.35%
Veronica Stephen 1,257 3.39%
Valérie Maltais 929 2.51%
Adam Smith 708 1.91%
Brenda MacDonald 601 1.62%
Paul Bura 288 0.78%
David Del Grande 283 0.76%
Morley Rosenberg 248 0.67%
Frank Marra 142 0.38%
Donald Lamoreux 141 0.38%
Norval Bryant 89 0.24%
Dragan Cimesa 77 0.21%
Paul Murton 74 0.20%
Total
37,048
100%
Source: City of Toronto[19][20]

References
  1. "Agenda Item History".
  2. "Councillor Brad Bradford". City of Toronto. 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  3. "Brad Bradford wins Ward 19, Beaches—East York, in close race". Toronto Star, October 22, 2018.
  4. "Brad Bradford". LinkedIn.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. Kopun, Francine (2018-11-30). "Brad Bradford heads to Toronto city council seeking 'a better way to do it'". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  6. "New role as MP a 'dream' for Kitchener South-Hespeler's Valerie Bradford". therecord.com. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  7. Raza, Ali (2021-02-01). "Beaches-East York Councillor Bradford and wife Kathryn welcome baby Briar". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  8. Brad Bradford [@BradMBradford] (January 30, 2021). "On a cold January night, we brought a little warmth into the world. Our family becomes three as we welcome our beautiful daughter, Briar. Very grateful to the incredible team at @MGHToronto, and for all of the love and support from family and friends. Feeling blessed" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. "Bio".
  10. "Campaign Updates". Brad Bradford. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  11. "Toronto election 2018: Meet your new city councillors - Toronto | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  12. Pagliaro, Jennifer (2019-02-20). "Budget committee rejects councillors' attempt to scrap TTC fare increase and improve library hours". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  13. Rider, David (21 February 2019). "Proposal for Toronto council term limits punted | The Star". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  14. "Term Limits". Brad Bradford. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018.
  15. "Term Limits Special Committee on Governance Presentation" (PDF).
  16. DeClerq, Katherine (2019-01-25). "Rookie councillor to put forth a motion on term limits at next city council meeting". CTV Toronto. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  17. Pelley, Lauren (January 31, 2019). "Rookie councillor brings back term limits debate, calls it opportunity to bring 'fresh faces'". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01.
  18. "Hansard Motion".
  19. "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Clerk's Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  20. "2018 Municipal Election (25 Wards)". Archived from the original on 2018-10-23. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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