Where candidates stand

Where candidates stand on seniors.

Toronto votes for mayor on October 26. Here is what the leading candidates have put on the public record for older adults, side by side, with every source linked, and how Ontario’s party leaders in office measure up.

See the Toronto race How we choose what to show

CASL doesn’t rate or rank candidates, and doesn’t endorse or oppose any candidate or party.

Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square, with the Toronto sign and the fountain — Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ, cropped, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In short

What politicians in Toronto and Ontario have put on the public record for older adults, in five areas: health and care; money; housing and staying at home; getting around and safety; and community and caregivers, with a link to the source for every line.

Toronto’s race for mayor (election day October 26): what Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow have said and promised for older adults, side by side. Candidates are not rated.

Ontario’s party leaders, who hold office and are not running in an election now, get the CASL Seniors Score, 0 to 5 castles for how specific their public record is for older adults. As of October 11, 2026, Doug Ford scores 4.5, Mike Schreiner scores 2 and Marit Stiles scores 1.5. The Ontario Liberal Party is not scored yet: it announces its new leader on November 21, 2026. We will score the new leader’s commitments for older adults.

CASL doesn’t rate or rank candidates, and doesn’t endorse or oppose any candidate or party. Last reviewed October 11, 2026.

CASL doesn’t rate or rank candidates, and doesn’t endorse or oppose any candidate or party. For candidates in an election we show only what is on the public record, side by side, with the source for every line, so you can read it and decide for yourself. CASL takes no money, ads or favours from any candidate or party.

Election day is Monday, October 26, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Toronto: the race for mayor

More than 50 people are running for mayor. Here is what the candidates leading the polls and taking part in the main debates have put on the public record for older adults, side by side, in alphabetical order. CASL doesn’t rate, rank, endorse or oppose candidates. Any candidate can send us public commitments to add, by the same rules.

Chris Alexander ended his campaign on October 6 and did not endorse another candidate. His name stays on the ballot because the deadline to withdraw had passed. Source: CP24: Chris Alexander drops out of race to become Toronto’s next mayor, October 6, 2026

Photo: Mykola Swarnyk, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Running for mayor of Toronto. City councillor for Ward 19, Beaches-East York, since 2018.

Brad Bradford

Has spoken about older adults and safety, traffic and costs, and promises to expand the City’s air conditioner help for low income seniors.

Health and care
We found nothing aimed at older adults on health or care.
Money
Said In a CARP interview in July, cost was one of the three priorities he set out for seniors; CARP’s summary says many older adults live on fixed incomes while property taxes, rents and care costs rise. He promises to freeze property taxes for one year “for every home and every business”. Sources: CARP: Mayoral Race Toronto, Biggest City and Most Seniors (interview), July 8, 2026; CP24: Bradford promises tax freeze as Chow defends inflation based increases, September 23, 2026
Housing and staying at home
Promise Promises to expand the City’s Air Conditioner Benefit for low income seniors and people with medical need, and to publish every year how many applied, were approved and got a unit. His campaign says his land transfer tax plan would let a senior who no longer needs the family home downsize in Toronto without the tax; the plan is for every homeowner who sells and buys again in the city. Sources: Brad Bradford campaign: plan for renters, October 5, 2026; Brad Bradford campaign: land transfer tax plan, September 29, 2026
Getting around and safety
Said CARP’s summary of his priorities for seniors ties public safety to independence, since people who feel unsafe stay home, and says traffic falls hard on family caregivers, home care workers, Wheel-Trans and people going to medical appointments. Source: CARP: Mayoral Race Toronto, Biggest City and Most Seniors (interview), July 8, 2026
Community and caregivers
We found nothing aimed at older adults on loneliness, seniors’ programs or help for family caregivers, beyond what he said about traffic and caregivers above.

Photo: Frank Sun, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mayor of Toronto since 2023, running for re-election.

Olivia Chow

Her campaign has a plan for seniors that it says would reach 28,000 people, with help at home, mobile dental and primary care, and community connectors where many older people live.

Health and care
Promise Promises to expand mobile dental and primary care clinics to help 8,000 seniors stay healthy near home: a fourth mobile dental clinic serving about 3,200 people a year and two more primary care vans expected to reach about 4,800 seniors a year. Sources: Olivia Chow campaign: “Olivia Chow will create a more senior-friendly city”, September 29, 2026; NOW Toronto: Chow and Bradford unveil new campaign promises, September 29, 2026
Money
Record Her campaign says she expanded the City’s property tax deferral and cancellation programs, raising the income limit each year, and will keep doing so. Source: Olivia Chow campaign: “Olivia Chow will create a more senior-friendly city”, September 29, 2026
Housing and staying at home
Promise A $5.61 million plan her campaign says would reach 28,000 seniors, including access to the City’s free homemaking services (cleaning, laundry, meal preparation) for 5,000 seniors. Her campaign also says she created and expanded the City’s free air conditioner program. Sources: Olivia Chow campaign: “Olivia Chow will create a more senior-friendly city”, September 29, 2026; NOW Toronto: Chow and Bradford unveil new campaign promises, September 29, 2026
Getting around and safety
We found nothing aimed at older adults on transit, Wheel-Trans, safety or scams. She promises to make TTC rides free after 10 trips a week, for every rider. Source: Olivia Chow campaign: TTC rides free after 10 trips a week, read October 11, 2026
Community and caregivers
Promise Would partner with University Health Network to hire Community Connectors who set up recreation and social activities where many older people live (naturally occurring retirement communities), reaching 15,000 seniors in 100 of them. NOW Toronto reported 50 Community Connectors. Her campaign says she also invested in free library programs for seniors. Sources: Olivia Chow campaign: “Olivia Chow will create a more senior-friendly city”, September 29, 2026; NOW Toronto: Chow and Bradford unveil new campaign promises, September 29, 2026

Voting in Toronto on October 26

Voting places are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you can’t go inside, you can ask for your ballot to be brought to you outside the voting place.
Voter Assist Terminals let people with disabilities vote on their own. Every voting place has a braille guide and ballot overlays, and you can bring a friend or support person.
Can’t get there at all? Name someone you trust to vote for you as a proxy. The City Clerk must certify the form by 4:30 p.m. on October 26.
Voting by mail: completed packages must reach Toronto Elections by noon on October 14.
Not on the voters’ list? You can add yourself when you vote, with ID showing your name and Toronto address. Photo ID isn’t needed.

Questions: call 311 or email AccessibleElections@toronto.ca. Every city and town in Ontario votes the same day; your own city’s website lists its voting places and accessible options.

Source: City of Toronto: Fact sheet, 2026 Toronto municipal election, September 22, 2026

The leaders of the parties with seats in the Legislature. No provincial election is under way.

Ontario: the party leaders at Queen’s Park

These leaders hold office and are not running in an election now, so they get the CASL Seniors Score, by the rules below. A government’s record counts as well as its promises, so the Premier is scored on what his government has funded. The other parties are scored on their latest platform, from the February 2025 election, and anything they have published since.

The Ontario Legislative Building at Queen’s Park in Toronto, at dusk — Photo: Spudgun67, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, cropped, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Premier of Ontario since 2018. Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Doug Ford

4.5 / 5

His government can point to funded programs for older adults, with numbers, in most areas. Reporting in March 2026 said Ontario is unlikely to reach its 2028 long-term care bed goal.

Health and care
Record The 2026 Ontario budget adds $1.1 billion over three years for home care, and in October 2026 the province added nearly $13 million for dementia care in long-term care homes. The goal is 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds by 2028; the budget says that as of February 2026, 61 projects with 4,054 new and 4,297 upgraded beds were finished and 103 more, with 10,337 new beds, were under construction or approved. In March, reporters wrote the goal was unlikely to be met; the finance minister said the province will keep trying. Sources: Ontario Budget 2026, chapter 1, section B, March 26, 2026; Ontario Newsroom: Ontario Expanding Access to Dementia Care in Long-Term Care Homes, October 8, 2026; CP24 (The Canadian Press): Ontario to boost home care funding, may miss long-term care bed goal, March 26, 2026
Money
Record The Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit pays people 70 and older with low to moderate incomes 25% of eligible medical expenses, up to $1,500 a year, even if they owe no tax. Source: Ontario: Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit, read October 9, 2026
Housing and staying at home
Record The province’s Home and Vehicle Modification Program helps more than 2,000 people a year, including seniors, make their homes safer and more accessible, with grants of up to $15,000. It isn’t only for older adults, so it counts as 1. Source: Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility: published plan 2025 to 2026, December 12, 2025
Getting around and safety
Record Enhanced funding of almost $1.0 million over three years, from 2023-24, for the Seniors Safety Line, the province’s helpline for older adults facing abuse. Source: Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility: published plan 2025 to 2026, December 12, 2025
Community and caregivers
Record $22.8 million in 2026 for more than 400 Seniors Active Living Centre programs, and Seniors Community Grants of $1,000 to $25,000 for local projects for people 55 and older (325 projects in 2026-27). Sources: Ontario Newsroom: Ontario Investing Over $22 Million to Help Seniors Stay Active and Healthy, May 29, 2026; Ontario: Seniors Community Grant Program, September 1, 2026

Photo: Angus Chan, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Leader of the Green Party of Ontario. MPP for Guelph.

Mike Schreiner

2 / 5

The Green Party’s 2025 platform promised 48,000 non-profit long-term care spaces by 2029, and help with seniors’ housing and caregiving without numbers.

Health and care
Promise The 2025 platform promised to build 48,000 non-profit long-term care spaces by 2029, and at least one nurse practitioner for every 120 long-term care residents. Source: Federal Retirees: Ontario’s political parties, what’s on the table (quoting the Green Party’s 2025 platform), February 19, 2025
Money
We found no commitment on money aimed at older adults.
Housing and staying at home
Promise Promised thousands of supportive housing units for seniors, by adding health and social supports to existing non-profit seniors’ buildings, and help for naturally occurring retirement communities through an Age-Friendly Communities grant program. No set number. Source: Federal Retirees: Ontario’s political parties, what’s on the table (quoting the Green Party’s 2025 platform), February 19, 2025
Getting around and safety
We found no commitment on getting around or safety aimed at older adults.
Community and caregivers
Promise Promised more support for people who care for loved ones who are ill or elderly, without an amount. Source: Federal Retirees: Ontario’s political parties, what’s on the table (quoting the Green Party’s 2025 platform), February 19, 2025

Photo: OntarioNDP, cropped, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Leader of the Ontario NDP and of the Official Opposition. MPP for Davenport.

Marit Stiles

1.5 / 5

The NDP’s 2025 platform promised changes to home and long-term care, a Seniors Home Safety Grant and a monthly Caregiver Benefit, without numbers.

Health and care
Promise The 2025 platform promised to stop the privatization of home care and long-term care, pay home care workers the same as hospital workers, and reverse Bill 7, which it says lets hospitals discharge patients into long-term care homes without their consent. No numbers for older adults. Source: Ontario NDP 2025 platform: On Your Side, February 2025
Money
We found no commitment on money aimed at older adults. The platform’s monthly grocery rebate is for everyone. Source: Ontario NDP 2025 platform: On Your Side, February 2025
Housing and staying at home
Promise Promised to make it easier for seniors to age at home safely, with reliable access to home care and a Seniors Home Safety Grant to help with renovations. No amount. Source: Ontario NDP 2025 platform: On Your Side, February 2025
Getting around and safety
We found no commitment on getting around or safety aimed at older adults. The promise to restore 50% provincial funding for municipal transit and paratransit is for everyone. Source: Ontario NDP 2025 platform: On Your Side, February 2025
Community and caregivers
Promise Promised a monthly Caregiver Benefit for people caring for loved ones at home, without an amount. In May 2025 an NDP member’s motion called for a direct monthly payment to unpaid caregivers; the party’s announcement gave no amount. Sources: Ontario NDP 2025 platform: On Your Side, February 2025; Ontario NDP: proposal to establish an Ontario Caregiver Support Benefit, May 28, 2025

Interim leader John Fraser, since January 2026.

Ontario Liberal Party

Not scored yet

The party announces its new leader on November 21, 2026. We will score the new leader’s commitments for older adults.

Sources: CTV News: Ontario Liberal caucus names John Fraser as pick for interim leader, January 19, 2026; CP24 (The Canadian Press): Ontario Liberal leadership debate, August 10, 2026

Who is responsible for seniors in government

At Queen’s Park, the ministers whose work touches older adults most: Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility; Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care; and Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. In Ottawa: Stephanie McLean, Secretary of State (Seniors).

Sources: Ontario Newsroom: changes to cabinet, September 10, 2026; Government of Canada: Secretary of State McLean marks National Seniors Day, October 1, 2026

How we choose what to show

The same rules for everyone: only public, dated sources, each one linked, in five areas that matter to older adults. Candidates in an election are shown, never rated.

Five areas

Health and care: home care, long-term care, doctors, dentists, drug costs and dementia care.
Money: income, pensions, taxes, fees and fares aimed at older adults.
Housing and staying at home: homes for older adults, help at home, repairs and changes that let people stay in their homes.
Getting around and safety: transit, Wheel-Trans, accessible streets, crime, scams and elder abuse.
Community and caregivers: loneliness, seniors’ centres and programs, and support for family caregivers.

Each line is labelled

Record is something already done or funded. Promise is a commitment for the future. Said is a statement about older adults’ needs, in the person’s own words or a published account of them.

The CASL Seniors Score, for party leaders in office

Ontario’s party leaders, who are not running in an election now, get a score from 0 to 5 castles for how specific their public record is for older adults. It measures one thing: how specific the record is, not whether a plan is good or enough. Each area gets up to 2 points:

2 points. A commitment or record aimed at older adults with a number in it: a dollar amount, a number of people or places, or a date.
1 point. Has spoken publicly about older adults’ needs in this area, or promised help without a number.
0 points. Nothing on the public record for older adults in this area that we could find.

The rules

Candidates in an election are never scored. Their record for older adults is shown side by side, found and cited by the same rules, with no score or ranking.
Only public, dated sources count, and every one is linked: the person’s own campaign or party website, their government’s official pages, and news reports of what they said or did.
A policy for everyone, like a tax freeze for every home or lower fares for every rider, counts only where the person has tied it to older adults, and never for more than 1 point.
Services used mainly by older adults, like home care and long-term care, count in Health and care.
People in government can point to a record as well as promises, so a government’s funded programs count. Challengers can match them with specific commitments.
A party’s latest platform counts until it publishes a new one.
Five areas, up to 2 points each: 10 points make 5 castles. A person with points in fewer than two areas is shown as “Not enough on record yet”, not as a zero.
The same rules apply to everyone, and everyone is listed in alphabetical order.

What this page doesn’t tell you

Whether a plan is a good idea, whether it is enough, or how well a program is working. For that, read the sources linked on each card, the news, and what the candidates say in their debates.

Corrections and changes

We review everything here each week. If something is wrong or out of date, email info@thecasl.ca with a link to the public record. Every change is dated and listed on the person’s own page.

Questions to ask a candidate at your door

One for each area. Whatever the answer, ask the follow up that matters most: how much, for how many people, and by when?

Health and careWhat will you do so older people can get care at home, and see a doctor or a dentist close to home?
MoneyWhat will you do about costs for people on fixed incomes, like property taxes, fees and fares?
Housing and staying at homeHow will you help people stay in their own homes as they age, or find a home that suits them?
Getting around and safetyWhat will you do about Wheel-Trans, accessible sidewalks and transit, and scams aimed at older people?
Community and caregiversWhat will you do about loneliness, seniors’ programs and support for family caregivers?

For candidates and campaigns

Any candidate can be shown. Publish your commitments for older adults, on your website, in a statement or in the news, and send us the link. We review new commitments every week and add them by the same rules as everyone else.

Candidates are never rated. CASL never asks for money, ads or endorsements, and nothing on this page depends on anything done for CASL.

For journalists

Free to quote and share, with credit to CASL, the Chamber for the Advancement of Senior Living. Every line links to its public source, and all of it is in one data file. CASL doesn’t rate or endorse candidates.

Questions: info@thecasl.ca.

Questions

Does CASL rate or endorse candidates?

No. CASL doesn’t rate or rank candidates, doesn’t endorse or oppose any candidate or party, and takes no money, ads or favours from any. For candidates in an election we show what each has put on the public record for older adults, side by side, with every source linked, so you can judge for yourself.

What is the CASL Seniors Score?

A measure, from 0 to 5 castles, of how specific a party leader’s public record is for older adults, in five areas: health and care, money, housing and staying at home, getting around and safety, and community and caregivers. It is only for people in office who are not running in an election now: today, Ontario’s party leaders. It is made by CASL, the Chamber for the Advancement of Senior Living.

What does “Not enough on record yet” mean?

That we found something for older adults in fewer than two of the five areas. It isn’t a zero: there just isn’t enough on the public record yet. A party with no permanent leader is shown as “Not scored yet”.

How can a candidate add to what is shown?

By publishing commitments for older adults and sending us the link. We add what is public by the same rules as everyone else. Candidates are never rated.

How do I vote in Toronto if getting to a voting place is hard?

Ask for your ballot to be brought to you outside the voting place, use a Voter Assist Terminal, or name a proxy to vote for you (the City Clerk must certify the form by 4:30 p.m. on October 26). Mail-in packages must reach Toronto Elections by noon on October 14. Call 311 or email AccessibleElections@toronto.ca for help.

Who is Ontario’s Minister for Seniors?

Raymond Cho is Ontario’s Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. Natalia Kusendova-Bashta is Minister of Long-Term Care, and Sylvia Jones is Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. In Ottawa, Stephanie McLean is Secretary of State (Seniors).

How often is this page updated?

Every week. The date each card was last reviewed is on it, and every change is listed on the person’s own page.