(Toronto) Former NDP MP Olivia Chow will be Toronto’s next mayor. A progressive – and the first woman from a diverse background – is taking over the helm of Canada’s most populous city.
The victory of M.me Chow marks the end of a decade of Conservative rule at Toronto City Hall, as well as the start of a new chapter in his already storied political career.
After her election as a Toronto school trustee in 1985, she served as a city councilor for 13 years, then as a member of the House of Commons alongside her late husband, former NDP leader Jack Layton.
She will therefore succeed John Tory, who resigned only a few months after the start of his third term. He resigned when he announced that he had been having an affair with a member of his staff.
There were a record 102 candidates on the ballots in Toronto Monday, with about half a dozen names standing out particularly during the 12-week election campaign.
Despite the impressive number of candidates, the campaign quickly became a two-way fight between Mme Chow and former Deputy Mayor Ana Bailao. Meanwhile, former police chief Mark Saunders has been relegated to a distant third, despite the backing of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
PHOTO CHRIS YOUNG, THE CANADIAN PRESS
After her election as a Toronto school trustee in 1985, she served as a city councilor for 13 years, then as a member of the House of Commons alongside her late husband, former NDP leader Jack Layton.
Premier Ford, who once said that having Mme Chow for mayor of Toronto would be an “absolute disaster,” adopted a more conciliatory tone in a statement released Monday evening, shortly after the new mayor’s victory.
“She has proven her desire to serve the city that many of us call home. While we don’t always agree on everything, what we can agree on is our shared commitment to making Toronto a place where businesses, families and workers can thrive,” said Mr. Ford.
Despite fierce competition during the campaign, Mme Bailao admitted defeat and wished M the best.me Chow for the next few years.
“Now is the time to come together as a city to solve our greatest challenges,” said Ms.me Bailao.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Mr.me Chow for his victory. “I look forward to working with you to deliver results for Torontonians,” he wrote on Twitter.
At the town hall of the Queen City, Mme Chow will seek to unite city councilors around his platform, which featured promises to build more affordable housing and add crisis response teams across the city.
It will also inherit a municipal budget with a pandemic-related shortfall of nearly $1 billion, in part due to reduced public transit revenue and rising housing costs.
Mme Chow promised not to use the “strong mayor” powers given to some large municipalities by the Ontario government, which allow mayors to pass budgets with only one-third of council members’ support, to veto certain regulations and to unilaterally shape the higher administration of the city.