Here's how much 1,000 new cops would actually cost Toronto taxpayers

Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford is hoping to improve on his disastrously miscalculated 2023 mayoral campaign, where he earned a paltry 1.28 per cent of votes. 

And, in a bid to finish with less embarrassing results this time around, councillor MultiBrad has promised to hire 1,000 police officers amid declining crime rates. Not because of any hard statistical evidence, but rather, feelings.

But hiring 1,000 cops isn't exactly a bargain bin proposal considering the exceptionally high salaries of police officers these days, and if Bradford were elected and allowed to pursue this law enforcement hiring blitz, it could cost taxpayers a staggering $143.4 million.

According to an estimate from Matt Elliott in his City Hall Watcher newsletter, the  2026 Toronto Police Service budget allocates $20.5 million⁠ towards hiring just 143 new officers. Using this ratio, the ballpark estimate for 1,000 new cops soars well above the $143-million mark.

In an executive summary of the Toronto Police Board's 2026 operating budget, the police service sought a net $1.433 billion — a 7 per cent/$93.8 million increase over 2025's budget — inclusive of this $20.5 million for new uniform hires.

Campaign promises in Toronto tend to oversell and underdeliver. Few can forget the Ford family's bid to fight the gravy train — only for Doug Ford to become premier and go on a vanity project spending spree with taxpayer dollars. Many more will remember John Tory's promise of a quick turnaround SmartTrack line that never materialized.

Whether the 1,000 police officer promise is one Bradford actually plans to deliver on, it's the type of hard question locals need to consider during the upcoming Toronto Mayoral election on October 26, 2026.