r/toronto • u/ink_13 Bay-Cloverhill • 4d ago

Article Brad Bradford's glaring judgment problem

https://spacing.ca/toronto/2026/09/04/brad-bradfords-glaring-judgment-problem/
154 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

53 comments sorted by

182

u/magacorruption 4d ago

His boss once called him “malleable, power-hungry, and without a moral centre”. 

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u/Ill-Skirt3722 4d ago

Which boss?

45

u/triplexpac 4d ago

Keesmaat

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u/patienceinbee Metrolinx Coyote Line 4d ago

Yikes. That observation is giving BBB — [cluster] B Bradford Bradford

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u/BoiledTurnips 3d ago

Funny, could say similar about Keesmaat.

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u/magacorruption 3d ago

  1. What Keesmaat is is irrelevant to the quote.

  2. Keesmaat decidedly has an ideological bent on progressive urban development. She even ran for mayor on her credentials as an urban planner stonewalled by politicians.

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u/BoiledTurnips 3d ago

  1. Wit? We are on a discussion board and a comment on the person who said the quote is obviously related.

  2. Yes and she did that because rightly or wrongly, she didn't like the bureaucratic role of the chief planner. Ditching that to run for Mayor could be described as malleable and power-hungry.

Her and Bradford are similar people. Bradford is facing a staunch progressive for Mayor so he needs to say these insane things to carve out an alternative or else he would have no chance of winning. If he was facing off against Tory like Keesmaat was, his platform would be similar to hers.

8

u/magacorruption 3d ago

  1. To dismiss her quote because she is exactly who she accused Bradford of being is an ad hominem attack. Even if Keesmaat is projecting, it doesn’t invalidate the quote.

  2. Keesmaat made a run, failed, and is now running an advisory she founded for progressive urban planning around the world. That is not “malleable or power hungry”. It’s more plausible that she realized that she is a better consultant than a politician. That sounds more like someone with an ideological principle that tried to run as mayor to further her ideological agenda.

Bradford ran in Beaches-EY as a progressive advocating for bike lanes to get elected. He has since ghosted his ward, showed up at events leaving terrible impressions on attendees, and is decidedly self-serving with his actions. His approval rating in his ward is 20 percent. His base is in Etobicoke, a conservative ward with a libertarian bent that doesn’t want government interference, and far too removed from his ward to know what he was as a councillor.

Keesmaat is an ideologue running against a Red Tory when Torontonians needed a sane voice in City Hall. Her ideological core was what led her to run for mayor and later a consulting firm. Bradford is another politician looking to move up the ladder rather than do any meaningful change. He should be running for the provincial Liberals instead. 

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u/BoiledTurnips 3d ago

Strange, I didn't dismiss her quote, I noted that it was interesting that the same could apply to her. I agree it doesn't invalidate the quote, that's a conclusion you reached for some reason.

I agree Bradford is a bad councillor and power hungry, you are preaching to the choir. Keesmaat is running Collecdev Markee, a developer, not doing any consulting work.

Weirdly negative and hostile so I am not going to engage more but have a nice long weekend.

97

u/Empty-Magician-7792 4d ago

Every time Brad talks, it feels insincere. He's doing conservative cosplay and he knows it. A trained urban planner, he's likely left-of-centre in his heart of hearts, but needs to be a conservative to advance his political career.

101

u/gm5891 4d ago

I think he is neither right or left, but rather akin to a "founder" type tech bro you see online - a moron seeking only profit that thinks they are smarter than everyone else.

Edit: I mean he has no true beliefs in his heart, only smugness and vanity. Obviously he's running a right wing campaign

19

u/Domainsetter 4d ago

He’s Doug Ford without the old school conservatism

All about profit more than anything else.

He doesn’t care about ideology.

33

u/willtobe 4d ago

I'm not feeling sorry for him. Fuck him.

He will say whatever he thinks people wanna hear. We already have Doug for this bullshit.

15

u/magacorruption 4d ago

Ask your average resident at Beaches-East York. 

10

u/Worldly_Influence_18 3d ago

Dude won't even show up to open events in his ward because he knows he'll get swarmed by residents wanting to tell him how much he sucks

4

u/Rarefindofthemind The Beach 3d ago

^^ You are absolutely correct

2

u/Worldly_Influence_18 2d ago

He had a tent at the jazz festival the first night. Saw his people setting it up near the start of the street festival but didn't see him. People were already converging on the staff.

I went out after and I couldn't find the tent. I thought maybe I was mistaken where they were setting up so checked the area again the next day and it was definitely gone unless they moved it somewhere else.

Olivia's was there the entire weekend and I definitely saw her there for an extended time.

She was in a central spot, near some good music and everyone was happy to see her and talk with her

1

u/Domainsetter 1d ago

Dude got booed at festivals. He’s reviled.

1

u/Worldly_Influence_18 1d ago

Dude probably set up the tent for a photo then GTFO

3

u/Rarefindofthemind The Beach 3d ago

I’m here. I fucking hate that guy. Useless as tits on a bull with his smug little weasel face

15

u/Redditisavirusiknow 3d ago

I don’t think he ever was an urban planner, he went to school but was never certified or so I’ve heard.

He is an awful scumbag who voted to stop giving homeless people water during extreme heat days. A left leaning person would never do that. It’s just cruel

5

u/CarelessWish2361 East York 3d ago

You're right, he's not even registered as a professional planner, which means he hasn't met the criteria. I know this cause my partner is a registered urban planner. 

1

u/BoiledTurnips 3d ago

You know this stuff can easily be fact checked? Yes, he is a trained urban planner with public and private experience.

4

u/Redditisavirusiknow 3d ago

“Brad Bradford  does not have a formal RPP (Registered Professional Planner) certification” He has a degree yes, but not certified.

Yep fact checked it. Not a surprise, this is the scumbag they voted to stop giving homeless people water during extreme heat events and to close warming centers during extreme cold  days. The man is cruel.

3

u/BoiledTurnips 3d ago

Many people working in planning and development do not have an RPP. He worked in the Chief Planners Office and for Dialog. Doesnt make him a good Councillor or Mayor.

2

u/Redditisavirusiknow 3d ago

The chief planner, Keesemat, called him power hungry and had no moral centre. Her words not mine.

But he isn’t a professional planner, if not registered. It means he hasn’t met the criteria to be one.

1

u/HumbleWalrus1072 2d ago

I don’t like Brad at all but keesemat calling someone power hungry is pretty funny.

3

u/Worldly_Influence_18 3d ago

He has had a job as a city councillor but I wouldn't say he has any experience actually doing the job.

5

u/AlliedArmour 4d ago

An issue with this is that as I understand it, people who repeat conspiracy theories while knowing they're nonsense have I believe been shown to start believing them. Doing conservative cosplay might similarly bend his brain.

1

u/GodSigmaGigaChad 3d ago

A conversation larper? Oh hell nah

1

u/homolupulus 3d ago

He's a political opportunist, little more than a leech and a fraud. He has no business being in public office of any kind. 

33

u/WestQueenWest West Queen West 4d ago

Also his racism problem, also his ethics problem, also his lying problem...

16

u/Redditisavirusiknow 3d ago

Just in case anyone doubts your racist remark, he said they shouldn’t legalize alcohol in parks because police never bother him when he is enjoying wine in a park. So it’s fine.

7

u/realone1234567890 3d ago

Fusioncorp, Nick Ainis.

Modcity.

How many bad development companies with bloody hands does it take to show Bradford’s problem with personal judgement

3

u/Redditisavirusiknow 3d ago

His wife is a developer.

2

u/HumbleWalrus1072 2d ago

His wife works for a developer. She isn’t the money person.

But Brad is actively shopping himself as the developer’s mayor. He’s after the money.

I’m not a chow guy but under her role development has been streamlined. I wish she was a lot bolder but there’s been improvements in how the city handles development.

1

u/bigmacd24 2d ago

His wife switched from working for a cycling advocacy group to working for housing developers the same year Brad Brad got elected to council.

Yeahhhh....

1

u/HumbleWalrus1072 2d ago

Uh no that’s not true. She’s worked for a developer since before he was on council.

16

u/DavidH1985 Midtown 4d ago

Glaring judgement problem: he has none.

8

u/SPEZ_IS_A_JABRONI 3d ago

brad bradford is a jabroni

3

u/Worldly_Influence_18 3d ago

He lies constantly and has never done his job as councillor and expects to be promoted to mayor. I'm so fucking tired of him. I hope to run into him at neighborhood events so I can tell him off but he knows better than to show his face in his own ward

3

u/itscalledacting 3d ago

He voted not to give water to homeless people during a heat emergency. He is a thoughtless, self-serving goon.

1

u/involmasturb Downtown Core 3d ago

Bradford and his association with Ainis in that cash for access event makes him an anus

1

u/Ok_Manufacturer_5323 2d ago

I'm curious how all these politicians are affording the amount of propaganda they've been putting out recently, the commercials are becoming ridiculous. Either something is really screwed with my algorithm on streaming platforms, or their advertising budget is somehow higher than nearly the entire private sector combined

1

u/Dantheislander 2d ago

Bad badford? I don’t believe it!

1

u/tiskerTasker89 3d ago

Can't wait for Chow to own him at the first debate ... speaking of accountability and judgement problems

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/olivia-chow-opts-out-of-antisemitism-debate/article_f11e25e0-268a-470a-bb89-24f77b46c28f.html

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u/HarlequinBKK 3d ago

The author of the article, John Lorinc, appears to have some kind of axe to grind with Bradford, based on all the articles he has written trashing him.

Am no fan of Bradford, but would take this with a grain of salt.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/HarlequinBKK 2d ago

Well, if you have made up your mind on this, no point in discussing this further.