What they said. What's true. What they can actually do.
City council · updated 13 Oct 2026
Ward 9 Davenport
Who is running for Toronto City Council in Ward 9 Davenport in the October 26, 2026 municipal election: how the 4 certified candidates differ, what they have committed to, and whether the City could deliver it. Information as of 13 Oct 2026.
4 candidates: Alejandra Bravo, Ashley Jansen, Marco Martins, Neil Simon. Incumbent: Alejandra Bravo.
The mayor and 25 councillors each have one vote; most decisions need a majority, so one councillor cannot change a by-law or the budget alone.
The mayor proposes the budget, can veto council's budget changes and some by-laws (two-thirds of council overrides), and can pass by-laws on provincial priorities with one-third support.
Council sets property tax, the budget, zoning and by-laws, and runs services such as roads, parks, water, shelters and libraries.
Developers can appeal planning decisions to the Ontario Land Tribunal, a provincial body council cannot overrule; since 2024 most residents cannot appeal.
The Province decides rent control and evictions, new schools, GO trains and the Ontario Line, highway tolls, bike lanes that remove a traffic lane, and election rules.
Council sets the police budget total and the TTC subsidy; the police board and Chief decide how policing works, and the TTC Board runs transit.
Where they differ
Candidates grouped by what they have said.
Should more homes be allowed on residential streets? (Housing)
Keep it steady after inflation; tie increases to results: Simon
Voted against adding $12.6M to the 2024 police budget: Bravo
No position found: Jansen
Little disagreement, or few spoke: Homelessness, Transit, Roads and cycling, City services, Flooding and infrastructure, Parks and waterfront, Environment, Small business, Community services, Governance. Taxes split on one Build Canada question. See Issue by issue.
The candidates
4 certified, in alphabetical order. Each card counts the commitments on record and how many are firm (pledged, or “will push for”), then shows the 3 they lead with. Counts reflect how much a candidate has published and how they phrase it; more is not better. Chips show how feasible each is and how firmly it was stated. Surveys and forums counted: Build Canada, TTCriders survey, TTCriders pledge, Environmental Alliance pledge, Cycle Toronto.
Alejandra Bravo
Ward 9 councillor since 2022; chairs the Economic and Community Development Committee and sits on the TTC board. Leads on affordable housing, faster and cheaper transit, and safe streets.
Top commitments
33 on record, 31 firm.
Keep on track for 65,000 rent-controlled homes (◐Possible but hard; Pledges). Sources
Says he has over 20 years leading teams in security operations, clinical research and real estate. Leads on accountable leadership, community safety and affordability.
“”Self-reported
Top commitments
30 on record, 18 firm.
Answer residents' calls and emails; hold community consultations (●Realistic; Pledges). Sources
One line per candidate, as firmly as they stated it.
Housing
Bravo: Pledges to keep Toronto on track for 65,000 rent-controlled homes; will push for more MURA funding, a maximum-temperature by-law and provincial rent control.. Sources
Martins: Supports growth on main roads near transit; pledges infrastructure and transit planning that keep pace; will push for faster approvals.. Sources
Bravo: Will push for action on drug-use hot spots with local groups under a Community Care Plan; will push to expand the crisis service on the subway.. Sources
Homelessness: Bravo will push for prevention programs such as the Rent Bank. On Build Canada, Martins and Simon chose requiring people to leave park encampments once indoor space is offered.. Sources
Transit: Bravo answered Yes to all 18 TTCriders questions and pledges a 10-ride weekly fare cap. Martins will push for more service on crowded routes.. Sources
Roads and cycling: Bravo took all six Cycle Toronto pledges and Simon four; Martins supports connected cycling routes. Martins and Simon oppose road pricing.. Sources
Taxes and budget: Martins says taxes rose 26% under the current councillor; the citywide increases Bravo voted for sum to about that. On Build Canada, Martins backed new repair revenue; Simon did not.. Sources
City services: Simon pledges his office will answer 95% of complaints within 48 hours; Martins pledges a quarterly ward service dashboard; Bravo will push to keep the City's Rat Strategy.. Sources
Parks and waterfront: Bravo will push for more park improvements and tree canopy in shade-deficient areas; Martins will push for Davenport's fair share of parks.. Sources
Small business: Bravo will push for small businesses alongside BIAs; Martins would work with BIAs and will push to cut red tape; Simon will push for help with construction and permits.. Sources
Community services: Bravo pledges more paid youth jobs through CityServeTO and yearly arts-funding increases; Simon will push for youth recreation and seniors' services.. Sources
Governance: Martins pledges a public ward issue tracker and resident priority-setting for small projects; Simon will push to make his office responsive and explain his votes.. Sources
Could the City actually do it? Each proposal is rated once, the same way in every race. A rating is about the proposal, not the candidate.
●Realistic
Constituency service promises: Martins
◐Possible but hard
A target number of new homes: Bravo. Decides: City Council, with builders and other governments.
Faster streetcars and buses (signals, priority lanes): Bravo. Decides: City Council and Transportation Services (signals, lanes); TTC (operations).
→Outside City control
More neighbourhood officers or local police units: Martins. Decides: Police Service Board and Chief of Police.
∼Vague
Safer streets (no measure named): Bravo, Simon
Value for tax dollars (no measure named): Martins
Smoother travel (no measure named): Simon
Timely road maintenance (no measure named): Simon
Safer public spaces (no measure named): Simon
Every catalogued commitment, by candidate
Alphabetical. Firm: pledged, or “will push for”. Counts reflect how much each candidate has published and how they phrase it; more commitments is not a better platform. Proposals a candidate opposes are not counted.
Bravo: 33 on record, 31 firm. Realistic 2 · Possible but hard 11 · Outside City control 4 · Already exists 6 · Vague 6 · Not rated 4
Jansen: 0 on record, 0 firm
Martins: 30 on record, 18 firm. Realistic 7 · Possible but hard 5 · Outside City control 1 · Vague 15 · Not rated 2
Simon: 29 on record, 13 firm. Realistic 2 · Possible but hard 4 · Already exists 4 · Vague 18 · Not rated 1
Numbers checked
Up to two checked figures per candidate, and every checked claim about a rival, compared with official records or dated news.
Figures candidates cite
?Unverifiable: Bravo: homelessness in Toronto fell 8.2% while rising elsewhere in Ontario. City counts show a 21% drop, 2024 to 2025; no 8.2% figure was found.. Sources
≈Mostly accurate: Martins: Davenport's property taxes rose 26% since 2022 under the current councillor. The citywide increases add up to about that; Bravo voted for each.. Sources
Method: Built from 236 sourced rows read 12 October 2026: candidates' own materials, City records, dated news and organizers' surveys. This ward uses the guide's lighter profile: each candidate's own site and common surveys, three commitments per card and at most one checked figure each. Each proposal is rated once, the same way in every race. Positions are recorded only as firmly as stated. An agent that did not draft the page checked it before publication. Labels appear only on facts that are not confirmed. The rubric defines ratings and strength words. Source dates shown without a year are in 2026.
Corrections: 13 October 2026: Cross-ward check: "I will work with" now reads Will push for (Bravo, Simon); Martins's commitments list counts as pledges; tallies leave out opposed proposals.
Researched and drafted with AI, checked against linked sources. To report an error: corrections@spinfilterto.ca.
This guide is independent and non-partisan. It does not recommend, rank or score candidates.