Ana Bailao announces she will run for Toronto mayor

Former city councillor Ana Bailao has confirmed to Global News she will be running for mayor of Toronto this June.

Speaking to Toronto Today host Greg Brady on 640 Toronto, Bailao said she’s “extremely committed.”

“I love this city,” Bailao said in an interview Friday morning. “I felt a sense of opportunity.”

“What I heard talking to many people along these weeks is that services are not working for us and life is not affordable in this city and I’m very committed to make sure that we fix services in the city and that we make life more affordable. And that’s why I’m running,” Bailao continued.

Bailao became a city councillor serving Toronto’s Davenport riding for 12 years, being first elected in 2010. She was re-elected in 2014 and 2018 but did not run in 2022. She was also deputy mayor under John Tory’s term.

She also managed the housing portfolio for Toronto as chair of the Planning and Housing Committee.

“We need somebody with the leadership, the experience, the pragmatism, the can-do attitude, the don’t take no for an answer, and a plan, and that’s me,” Bailao said.

When asked why she was re-entering politics after leaving, Bailao said she wanted to continue work on building affordable housing and that “nobody expected us to be in a byelection four months after the last municipal election.”

The mayor’s job was vacated by John Tory — who was serving just a few months into his third term — in February after admitted to having a relationship with a former staffer that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tory said he would step down so he can “reflect on my mistakes” and “do the work of rebuilding the trust of my family.”

The byelection for Toronto mayor is set for Monday, June 26.