Olivia Chow has won the Toronto mayoral byelection, becoming the first woman and the first visible minority person to lead Canada’s largest city since amalgamation.
The former downtown Toronto MP and city councillor secured 37.2% of the vote, narrowly defeating Ana Bailão, who was endorsed by former mayor John Tory.
Tory resigned in February after admitting to an affair with a staffer, triggering the byelection.
Chow ran on a platform of building a caring city where everyone belongs and promised to build a dedicated busway to replace the decommissioned Scarborough RT, which would cost about $60m (£34m).
She also pledged to invest $100m annually in a programme to purchase affordable homes and transfer them to non-profits and land trusts.
She faced criticism from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who supported former police chief Mark Saunders and said Chow would be an “unmitigated disaster” for the city.
“She makes David Miller look like a fiscal conservative, and businesses will start fleeing. God forbid Olivia Chow gets elected, your taxes are going up at an unprecedented rate,” Ford said last week.
But Ford later congratulated Chow and said he would work with anyone who shares his commitment to Toronto.
“While we’re not always going to agree on everything, what we can agree on is our shared commitment to making Toronto a place where businesses, families, and workers can thrive,” he said in a statement.
Chow is a well-known veteran of Canadian progressive politics. She served as a city councillor for 14 years before being elected to parliament in 2006.
She was married to the late federal NDP leader Jack Layton, who died in 2011.
“Olivia has always been a champion for the people of Toronto. She has fought for affordable housing, public transit, social justice, and a green economy. She will be a great mayor for this great city,” said Jagmeet Singh, the current federal NDP leader.
Chow thanked her supporters and said she was grateful for their trust.
“Together we did it. We made history tonight,” she said at her victory speech.
She also thanked Tory for his service to the city and Bailão for her endorsement.
“I’m proud of the campaign we ran and the vision we put forward for Toronto. I congratulate Olivia Chow on her victory and I wish her all the best as our next mayor,” Bailão said.
Chow will be Toronto’s first progressive mayor since David Miller, whose tenure ended in 2010.
She steps into the city’s top spot as it grapples with huge challenges on multiple fronts such as a massive budget shortfall, an affordability crisis and public safety concerns.
Relevant articles:
– Olivia Chow elected mayor of Toronto, CP24 declares, CTV News, June 26, 2023
– Olivia Chow wins crowded race for mayor of Toronto, BBC News, June 27, 2023
– Toronto Elects Olivia Chow as Mayor on Affordable Housing Pledge, Bloomberg News, June 27, 2023
– Toronto set to elect Olivia Chow as its first Chinese-Canadian mayor-CBC News projects, MSN News, June 27, 2023