New Liberal leadership candidate promotes rent freeze, free GO Transit

He faults Premier Doug Ford’s government for falling dramatically short on increasing the supply of homes, and says he would take the province full speed ahead on building affordable housing — something the New Democrats have also proposed with their Homes Ontario agency.

“The market will never provide housing at the scale we need,” Handa told the Star in an interview Thursday. “I don’t think subsidizing billionaire developers is going to get us there.”

A one-year rent freeze, and extending rent controls to units built after 2018, would give time to get affordable housing projects rolling, added Handa, a director of Maya Group, a company that oversees a portfolio of highrise residential buildings with half the units at below-market rents subsidized by others at market rates.

He previous foray into electoral politics was running for the federal Liberal nomination in Davenport in 2014, losing to Julie Dzerowicz, who was first elected MP a year later. 

Handa is proposing an increase to a $22 minimum wage with a two-year phase-in period to give employers time to adjust, and separate rates as dictated by regional costs of living, so high-cost areas like Toronto would be at $22 and other areas could be lower.

The current minimum wage is $17.60, which rises to $17.95 on Oct. 1 with an annual inflation adjustment.

Handa said free GO Trains and buses would cost about $500 million a year, save money for commuters in dozens of communities, and help get cars off the road, easing gridlock and pollution.

Barring any last-minute surprises, he will be one of six candidates in the race — two of whom have seats in the legislature.

MPP Stephanie Bowman (Don Valley West) has also filed her papers with the party after beginning to “seriously” explore a bid four weeks ago when Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec dropped out over a fundraising crunch and personal matters. Bowman was co-chair of his campaign.

“Stephanie is continuing to grow support, connect with members and travel the province,” spokesman Eric Osborne said Thursday.

An accountant and former bank executive, Bowman recently told the Star her aim is to focus on economic issues such as the high youth unemployment rate under Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. She considered running in the 2023 leadership race won by former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie but did not proceed. 

There are four other hopefuls in the leadership contest as the Liberals look to find their way back into government after eight years as the third-place party in the legislature behind the Official Opposition NDP under Marit Stiles.

As the Star reported earlier this week, former federal industry minister Navdeep Bains is ahead in fundraising, followed by MPP Lee Fairclough (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), former policy adviser Dylan Marando and financial technology engineer Eric Lombardi.

Correction – July 31, 2026

This article was updated from a previous version that incorrectly said MPP Stephanie Bowman represents Don Valley East. In fact, she represents Don Valley West.