Mayoral rivals clashed Friday over who could take credit for protecting tenants at one of Toronto’s most notorious apartment buildings, with Olivia Chow asserting that a crackdown on the property’s landlord was the result of her decisions as mayor, and Brad Bradford accusing her of misrepresenting her record.
uncertain
Bradford → clash → record
At a press conference outside the apartment building at 500 Dawes Road on Friday, Chow, who is seeking a second term in the Oct. 26 vote, announced that if re-elected she would set up a new task force to lead “aggressive, proactive enforcement” of negligent property owners.
asserted
she → seek → owners
The team would consist of bylaw enforcement officers and lawyers, and be given “a clear mandate to pursue the worst buildings and landlords” her campaign said in a press release.
asserted
campaign → consist → release
The initiative would cost just over $2 million a year and be funded by fines against property owners and the RentSafeTO program.
asserted
initiative → cost → owners
The building at 500 Dawes Road has become infamous for its poor conditions, with tenants complaining of cockroach and bedbug infestations, mould, broken down elevators, leaking ceilings and other issues that have gone unaddressed.
asserted
that → become → infestations
It’s also become a political football ahead of the fall election.
asserted
It → become → election
The tower near Victoria Park Avenue and St. Clair Avenue East is in Bradford’s Beaches — East York ward, and Chow and her supporters have attempted to use problems there as evidence that the two-term councillor has been unresponsive to vulnerable constituents — an accusation he rejects.
asserted
he → attempt → constituents
On Friday, Chow said she was announcing her task force there because after a previous tour she told tenants she would take action.
asserted
she → say → action
“I promised … that their complaints would finally be heard and their landlord would face real consequences.
asserted
landlord → promise → consequences
And I kept that promise,” she said.
asserted
she → keep → promise
Chow noted that the city had taken the landlord to court over 500 Dawes Road and another building she owned, and she had been fined about $1 million and sentenced to 15 days in jail.
asserted
she → note → jail
“I will protect renters.
asserted
I → protect → renters
I won’t stop until every renter in this city has a safe, clean home,” the mayor said.
asserted
mayor → stop → home
Enforcement predates Chow’s action, Bradford claims
But in a statement, Bradford’s campaign said the penalties the Dawes landlord has faced stemmed from enforcement underway before the mayor introduced a council motion in March 2026 about cracking down on irresponsible property owners.
uncertain
mayor → predate → owners
A more than $1 million fine imposed earlier this year on the Dawes owner was related to inspections from 2025, according to the city.
uncertain
fine → impose → city
The jail sentence, which officials announced in May, was related to charges for fire code violations at the landlord’s property at nearby 608 Dawes, which were laid in January 2024.
uncertain
which → announce → January
Those penalties were the result of “staff and the courts doing their jobs” and should be commended, read the statement from Bradford’s campaign.
asserted
statement → do → campaign
His team pointed out that remedial action — when the city undertakes overdue repairs and bills the landlord for the work — had been conducted at 500 Dawes before Chow took office.
asserted
Chow → point → office
The city confirmed that it had done work at the property three times going back to 2015.
asserted
it → confirm → 2015
Bradford also accused Chow of failing to take action on Dawes until an election year.
asserted
Bradford → accuse → year
The mayor “should answer for why she only acted when it was politically convenient,” he said.
asserted
he → answer → ?
Mayor says she demanded action on landlord
Chow didn’t directly answer a question Friday about whether she was taking credit for policies that predated her.
asserted
that → say → her
But she said “the reason why (enforcement) at Dawes Road was successful” was because she brought together different city offices such as the legal division, fire department, public health, and building standards, and told them “I need action now.”
asserted
I → say → action
She said she initially deferred to the local councillor to take up tenants’ concerns, but after they invited her into the building last year she saw the “horrendous” living conditions and started focusing on the problem.
asserted
she → say → problem
Her March council motion, which Bradford supported, directed city staff to undertake new remedial repairs at 500 Dawes, create a database to track properties with multiple complaints and better co-ordinate enforcement of repeat offenders.
asserted
Bradford → support → offenders
A month later the city undertook $120,000 in repairs to the Dawes building.
asserted
city → undertake → building
Bradford rejects claims he didn’t help tenants
Dawes Road tenants who joined the mayor Friday accused Bradford of not working with them to improve their living conditions.
uncertain
who → reject → conditions
“We never saw him,” said Linda Hume, who has been at the building for 26 years.
asserted
who → see → years
Bradford’s spokesperson Mark Pelayo said in a statement he had met with residents and their advocates “repeatedly over the years and has consistently pushed the city to act on their behalf.”
asserted
he → say → behalf
That included encouraging staff to make remedial repairs, working to restore mail service when it was cut off, and asking the city to explore taking over the building, according to the campaign.
uncertain
it → include → campaign
The owner of the Dawes property, Carolyn Krebs, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
asserted
owner → respond → comment
The Aporia
