Voters in Toronto have elected Olivia Chow as mayor of Canada’s largest municipality.
In a race that saw a staggering 102 candidates, Global News projected Chow as the winner in Monday night’s byelection, garnering more than 268,600 votes as of 10:30 p.m.
Chow is a former NDP MP and was a city councillor for Toronto starting in the ’90s for more than a decade, with a long history in Canadian politics as a progressive left politician.
The 66-year-old beat out other top candidates like former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders, former city councillor Ana Bailao, current city councillors Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford, former Liberal provincial education minister Mitzie Hunter and right-wing columnist Anthony Furey.
In her victory speech Monday evening, Chow thanked her volunteers, and those who cast a ballot for her.
“Thank you to the people of Toronto for the trust you’ve placed in me and the mandate for change as your new mayor,” she said.
“And whether you voted for me or not, we’re united in our love for this great city,” she continued.
Chow shared her story as an immigrant to Canada, and details about her difficult upbringing.
She said she has been “knocked down,” but that she “always got back up.”
“Because the people of this city – all of you – are worth the fight,” she said.
Chow said she knows it has been tough to live in Toronto, with the skyrocketing cost of living, and lack of affordable housing.
“It’s harder to get by, and it’s harder to get around,” she said. “But Toronto is a place of hope, of second chances. I believe in Toronto’s future because we all share one thing — hope.”
Chow also reaffirmed her pledge to work with all levels of government, and her fellow mayoral candidates.
“If we come together, we can mend a crack in the sky,” she said.
“Together we will open up City Hall,” she said. “Join me in the work ahead. Join me with each other, for each other, because I need you to keep speaking out with your ideas, keep helping out, keep caring for each other, because what we’ve won today is an opportunity, it’s a starting point in our journey towards a more affordable, safe and caring city.”
Chow dominated the polls for most of the campaign in a very crowded race. An Ipsos poll done for Global News pegged Chow as the front-runner with an unassailable lead.
The byelection was triggered after former mayor John Tory made a stunning admission in February to having an “inappropriate relationship” with a former member of his staff. Tory had just entered his third term as mayor after the 2022 municipal elections were held across Ontario on Oct. 24.
Voters were then sent back to the polls on Monday to decide who would lead Toronto. Chow was chosen.
Chow moved to Canada from Hong Kong when she was 13 years old. Her family lived in an apartment in St. James Town.
She was introduced to politics after working for NDP MP Dan Heap, whom she credits as her mentor. Chow was then elected as a school board trustee for the TDSB in 1985, a position she held for six years.
She joined her late husband Jack Layton (who later became the federal NDP leader) as a city councillor for Toronto in 1991. She was then first elected to the House of Commons as an NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina in 2006.
In 2014, Chow ran against Tory and now-Premier Doug Ford in the Toronto election but came in third place.
She tried getting her seat back in Parliament in 2015 but lost and since then she had stayed out of politics until this year, when she announced her bid for mayor of Toronto, a second run for the top job.
Chow’s campaign was headlined by a pledge to get the city back into social housing development and an annual $100-million investment in a program to purchase affordable homes and transfer them to non-profits and land trusts, part of a larger pledge to crack down on so-called renovictions.
Before she was elected, she said she would also establish the Toronto Renters Action Committee to work on anti-renoviction bylaws, advocate for rent control, review policies and “hold the city accountable” if she won.
She planned to expand rent supplements to 1,000 homes and boost the number of 24-7 respite homeless shelters, promises funded by an expanded land transfer tax on homes purchased for $3 million and above.
She also promised to reverse the recent TTC service cuts and “significantly improve transit services to make sure it is fast and reliable.”
Congratulations roll in
Tory offered his “sincere congratulations” to Chow in a statement on Twitter late Monday evening.
“She brings a great deal of experience in the public life of our city and our country, and I know that will serve her well as Mayor,” he said.
“We are so fortunate to live in Toronto and I know Ms. Chow will work with Council and with the other governments to make our city even better,” he continued.
Tory said Chow “loves this city,” and said he will “do anything I can to help her in the days and months ahead.”
He said the job is “complex and challenging,” adding that “we should all be hoping for her success.”
Deputy mayor Jennifer McKelvie said she spoke with Chow after her victory and “committed to supporting an orderly transition of the Mayor’s Office in the coming days.”
“On behalf of all Toronto residents, I want to congratulate Olivia Chow on being elected our city’s next Mayor tonight,” she wrote in a statement.
She said she hopes Chow will “work with Councillors to build on the progress we have made on housing, on transit, on community safety and on affordability.”
“Thank you to all residents who cast their ballots in this by-election,” she said.
Premier Doug Ford congratulated Chow Monday evening, saying she has “proven her desire and dedication to serving the city.”
“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 posted to Twitter.
Ford said he will “work with anyone ready to work with our government to better our city and province.”
“There’s nothing we can’t achieve when we work together,” he continued. “Together, let’s focus on building a strong Toronto for generations to come.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Chow, saying he is “looking forward to working together to deliver results for Torontonians.”
In her concession speech, candidate Ana Bailão also congratulated Chow.
“Congratulations Olivia,” she said. “Our city faces many challenges, and I wish you all the best as you navigate these challenges alongside city council and working with other governments.
She said it was time for unity: “In our city’s most challenging moments, Toronto has always had a way of coming together to find solutions,” she continued. “Now, with Olivia Chow as our next mayor, it’s time to come together.”
Bailão was the shock story of election night, surging into a comfortable second place ahead of Mark Saunders, and polling significantly higher than estimates anticipated.
Saunders offered his congratulations to Chow, saying she “fought a tough fight and, at the end of the day, came out victorious” on the day.
“We have to do everything we can to make this city an amazing city, (the) incredible city that it is, but we have so much (more) to do,” he said in a concession speech Monday. “So, we have to support Olivia Chow in that position of mayor because there is a lot of work we all have to do.”
Anthony Furey, former columnist and the outsider among the race’s top candidates, conceded earlier in the night and said he was pleased with how the the race had played out, calling his team “the little campaign that could.”
— with files from The Canadian Press