So calling the shots has a progressive – and a first woman of diversity.
Former NDP MP Olivia Chow will be Toronto’s next mayor. A progressive – and first woman from diverse backgrounds – is taking the helm of Canada’s most populous city.
Ms Chow’s victory marks the end of a decade of Conservative rule at Toronto City Hall and the start of a new chapter in her already storied political career.
After being elected Toronto School Administrator in 1985, she served as a councilor for 13 years and then a member of the House of Commons with her late husband, former NDP leader Jack Layton.
“If you’ve ever doubted what’s possible together, if you’ve ever questioned your belief in a better future and what we can do together and for each other, tonight has your answer,” Ms. said Chow, 66, said in her victory speech to a crowd of cheering supporters.
“Thank you to the people of Toronto for the trust they have placed in me and for the change they have entrusted to me as the new mayor,” she said.
Ms Chow will succeed John Tory, who resigned just months into his third term. He resigned when he announced he was having an affair with one of his employees.
A record 102 candidates took to the ballots in Toronto on Monday, with about half a dozen names standing out during the 12-week election campaign.
Despite the impressive number of candidates, the campaign quickly devolved into a one-on-one battle between Ms. Chow and former Deputy Mayor Ana Bailao. Meanwhile, former Police Commissioner Mark Saunders has been demoted to a distant third place despite support from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Prime Minister Ford, who previously said it would be an “absolute disaster” to have Ms Chow as Toronto mayor, struck a more conciliatory tone in a statement released Monday night, shortly after the new mayor’s victory.
“She has demonstrated her desire to serve the city many of us call home. While we don’t always agree on everything, we can agree on our shared commitment to making Toronto a place where businesses, families and workers can thrive,” said Mr. Ford.
Despite fierce competition during the election campaign, Ms. Bailao admitted defeat and wished Ms. Chow well in the years to come.
“Now is the time to come together as a city to solve our biggest challenges,” Ms. Bailao argued.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Ms. Chow on her victory. “I look forward to working with you to deliver results for Toronto residents,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Congratulations to the new mayor! I look forward to continuing the work and friendship between our cities! wrote the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, on the same social network.
As Queen City Mayor, Ms Chow will seek to unite councilors on her platform, which promises to build more affordable housing and set up crisis response teams across the city.
It will also inherit a municipal budget with a pandemic-related deficit of nearly $1 billion, due in part to falling public transit revenues and rising housing costs.
Ms Chow vowed the “strong mayor” powers granted by the Ontario government to some large municipalities, which allow mayors to pass budget plans with only the support of a third of council members, not veto certain regulations and unilaterally impose higher regulations to enact, not to use city administration.