2026 Municipal Election Toolkit

PART 1: THE 2026 CONTEXT — WHAT VOTERS ARE DECIDING ON

The October 2026 municipal election takes place in a moment of documented, quantified system failure:

• 9,700 people sleep in Toronto's shelter system every night (TSSS 2024 Annual Report ✅ · source)
• Zero of the 20 new permanent shelters promised in 2023 are open (TSSS 2026 Budget ✅ · source) — Council adopted the plan 22-1 in November 2023 (Councillor Holyday the sole dissenter — see Part 4 for the full voting record) (corrected July 4, 2026 — this line previously said "unanimously," which contradicted this document's own Part 4 table)
• 84,973 Ontarians experienced homelessness in 2025 — up 49% since 2021 (AMO/HelpSeeker Jan 2026 ✅ · source)
• The City's own shelter sector consultation found only 6% say services have improved; 66% say worse (What We Heard, April 2025 ✅ · source)
• A federal funding cliff reduced Toronto's refugee shelter support from $261.87M (2024) to $97M (2026) — a $165M gap the system has not adjusted to (TSSS 2024 Annual Report ✅ · source; TSSS 2026 Budget ✅ · source)
• The provincial government has no homelessness strategy — five years after the Auditor General said it must have one (AG 2023 follow-up ✅)

The counter the Ford government will deploy — and how to answer it:

"Toronto's homeless count dropped 21% in 2025 — proof that the approach is working."

This is true and must be acknowledged directly (the City's own count: Street Needs Assessment). The answer is not to deny the number; it's to explain it: - The 21% Toronto drop is driven mainly by fewer refugee claimants arriving — a federal immigration shift, not provincial housing policy - The City's own outreach workers say part of the decrease reflects people becoming less visible, not housed — moving to ravines, stairwells, and transit - The shelter system remains at near-capacity, turning away dozens nightly - Province-wide homelessness rose 7.8% in the same period (AMO/HelpSeeker, Jan 2026 · source) - Fewer tents you can see is not the same as fewer people without homes

Candidates must answer this directly. "The number went down" cannot be the entire story when chronic homelessness was not resolved and the province-wide total rose.

Every Council candidate must answer for this. Here is how.

PART 2: THE CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Instructions: Send to every Council candidate in your ward. Set a 10-business-day deadline. Publish every response — including non-responses — publicly. The non-responses are as informative as the answers.

Opening paragraph for the letter: "Toronto spends $897.957M annually on its shelter system. A shelter bed costs $49,640 per person per year. Housing First costs $6,311. The City committed to 20 new permanent shelters in 2023; none are open. The City's own consultation found 66% of the sector believes services have gotten worse. We are asking every Council candidate to answer the following eleven questions on the record. Answers will be published in full."

QUESTION 1: Housing First as System Default

Predicate: The City's What We Heard consultation (April 2025) found the sector wants Housing First as the mandatory default approach. The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan — still not approved by Council — has been pushed to 2027.

"If elected, will you move a Council motion to formally adopt Housing First as the mandatory default approach for all TSSS-contracted shelter operators, with contract renewal tied to documented housing exit rates? Please answer yes, no, or with conditions."

QUESTION 2: HSCIS Speed

Predicate: City Council voted 22-1 for 20 new permanent shelters in November 2023 (Councillor Holyday the sole dissenter — EC7.7 record). As of June 2026, zero are open. The first opens in 2027. Eleven sites have been acquired but four have no confirmed public address.

"Will you commit to voting for every zoning approval, budget item, and community engagement process needed to open all confirmed HSCIS shelter sites by 2028 — and will you proactively support the identification and approval of the 9 remaining sites? Please describe any conditions."

QUESTION 3: COHB Advocacy

Predicate: The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit was suspended April–October 2024. Toronto's housing exits fell 26.7% — from 5,927 (2023) to 4,344 (2024) (source). The cost of that 7-month suspension: approximately 1,583 people who should have been housed, remaining in shelter at $136/night.

"Will you support a formal City Council motion demanding the Province of Ontario restore COHB to its 2023 level immediately and make it permanent? Will you write personally to your local MPP within 30 days of taking office?"

QUESTION 4: Outcome-Based Contracting

Predicate: The Toronto AG (2025) found $2.9M in unrecovered operator surpluses (audit). The City currently does not publicly report on housing exit rates by operator. Purchase of Service contracts are renewed without formal housing outcome requirements.

"Will you support a City motion requiring all shelter operators to sign outcome-based contracts with housing exit rate requirements as a condition of annual contract renewal, and public reporting of results by operator?"

QUESTION 5: OW and Income Advocacy

Predicate: Ontario Works pays tent dwellers approximately $343/month because the shelter allowance requires proof of paid rent. The maximum OW rate of $733/month has been frozen since 2018 — now representing about a quarter (26%, 2025, sourced) of full-time minimum-wage income, down from 70% in 1990 (OW rate: O. Reg. 134/98). (Corrected July 5, 2026 — retired the unhedged "~24%" internal calculation per MAIN_AUDIT_001.)

"Will you support a formal City Council resolution calling on the Province to: (a) raise OW to reflect actual Toronto housing costs; and (b) eliminate the shelter allowance deduction for people without fixed addresses?"

QUESTION 6: No Encampment Clearances Without Housing

Predicate: The Safer Municipalities Act (June 2025) permits fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to 6 months for living in a tent on public land (Bill 6 record). Suspected opioid overdose calls increased approximately 119% after supervised consumption site closures (CBC/ambulance data, March 2026 ✅ · source — corrected from an earlier 82% arithmetic error). The 2021 Toronto Ombudsman found the City "chose speed over people" in that year's encampment clearances (report).

"Will you commit to a formal policy of no encampment clearances without guaranteed, documented housing alternatives for each person affected — and will you oppose any use of Safer Municipalities Act enforcement without such alternatives in place?"

QUESTION 7: Bill 28 and Provincial Strategy

Predicate: The Homelessness Ends with Housing Act (Bill 28, November 2025) — which required a provincial 10-year strategy, Housing First, COHB expansion, and annual reporting — was voted down by the Ford government (Hansard). The Ontario AG has been calling for exactly such a strategy since 2021.

"Will you support a City Council motion formally demanding the Province of Ontario pass legislation equivalent to Bill 28 — a 10-year homelessness elimination strategy with targets, timelines, and annual public reporting — and will you lobby your local MPP directly to that effect?"

QUESTION 8: Operator Financial Accountability

Predicate: The Toronto AG found $2.9M in unrecovered surpluses across shelter operators. No operator-level housing exit data is publicly reported. The City's purchase-of-service system lacks transparent outcome metrics.

"Will you support a City motion directing TSSS to publicly report housing exit rates, per-bed costs, and CRA charity financial data for all major shelter operators annually, and to factor this data into contract renewal decisions?"

QUESTION 9: TAEH as System Backbone

Predicate: The Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness operates as an informal backbone organization for the homelessness sector but has no formal mandate from City Council. Houston's Coalition for the Homeless has a formal City designation and reporting relationship. TAEH has adopted Built for Zero Canada and committed to functional zero targets.

"Will you support a City Council resolution formally designating TAEH as the system backbone organization for homelessness services coordination, with a formal reporting relationship to Council and access to real-time TSSS data?"

QUESTION 10: Capital Budget Commitment for HSCIS

Predicate: $507.6M of the $674.5M HSCIS budget is in the approved Capital Plan (source). $166.9M remains dependent on federal commitment that has not been made (source). The federal government has not signed a full funding agreement.

"If the federal government does not commit to the remaining $166.9M HSCIS funding by December 2026, will you support the City Building Fund being used to fully fund all 20 sites — and will you vote to prioritize HSCIS over other capital spending if necessary?"

QUESTION 11: The True Cost of Homelessness Response, Beyond TSSS (Added July 2026)

Predicate: TSSS's $897.957M budget doesn't capture the full public cost. The TTC's own 2026 budget itemizes $26.2M for "safety, security and wellbeing" (source), Toronto Public Library now permanently funds a Social and Crisis Support Services program ($1.13M/year, 8,000+ people assisted — source), and Parks, Forestry and Recreation confirms $3.698M in encampment-specific spending (source) — none of it currently reported alongside TSSS's own figures.

"Will you direct the City Manager to produce an annual consolidated report combining TSSS's budget with TTC's and TPL's homelessness-specific spending, so Council and the public see the true total public cost — not just the TSSS figure?"

PART 3: HSCIS WARD MAP FOR VOTER ENGAGEMENT

The following wards have confirmed HSCIS shelter sites. Voters in these wards can ask their candidates specifically about local site support or opposition.

(Sources: PH23.3 (the correct council item; ⚠️ backgroundfile needs re-verification).pdf; TSSS 2026 Program Summary ✅) ⚠️ Verify current councillor names before publication — ward boundaries may shift

Questions for voters in HSCIS wards:

"A new [youth/women/seniors] shelter is planned for [address] in your ward — opening in [year]. Has your councillor publicly supported this site? Have they spoken at community consultations? Have they taken any action to delay, block, or reduce it?"

Questions for voters in non-HSCIS wards:

"Your ward has no confirmed HSCIS shelter site yet. The City needs 20 total; 11 have been acquired. What has your councillor done to support siting a shelter in or near your ward?"

PART 4: KEY COUNCIL VOTES TO TRACK

How to read the records: - EC7.7 + EC13.8 + PH23.3 all Yes: Pro-housing voting record (most of Council) - EC7.7 Yes, PH23.3 No on local site: Supports strategy in principle, blocked local delivery (Pasternak, Kandavel) - EC13.8 + PH23.3 No: Actively opposed people-first approach AND shelter delivery (Bradford, Holyday)

How to pull these: toronto.ca/council → search by item number → click "Decisions" → find recorded votes.

PART 5: DEPUTATION TEMPLATES

For use at City Council committee meetings. Keep under 5 minutes. Submit in writing before the meeting.

Short form (2 minutes): "My name is [X] and I live in Ward [Y]. The City's own consultation found 66% of shelter sector workers say services have gotten worse. Toronto spends $49,640 per person per year on shelter when Housing First costs $6,311. Zero of 20 promised new shelters are open. I am asking this Council to commit tonight to: [one specific ask — choose from the questionnaire above]."

Long form (5 minutes): Open with the 6%/66% numbers. Follow with the COHB story (1,583 people, ~$78M (upper bound) preventable cost). Name the specific ward-level gap (HSCIS site or lack thereof). Close with the specific ask and the City's own AG recommendation language.

PART 6: TIMELINE TO ELECTION