Global Courant
Olivia Chow has been elected mayor of Toronto, ending nearly 13 years of right-wing rule in Toronto City Hall and becoming the first woman and first visible minority to lead Toronto post-merger.
Chow, 66, was the favorite to win the race from the moment she entered and managed to take a decisive lead in the polls, although the race ended up being a photo finish between her and Ana Bailao on election night.
CP24 called at 9 p.m., with Chow appearing to have garnered 37.2 percent of the vote with more than 96 percent of the polls. Bailao came in second place with 32.5 percent of the vote.
A packed crowd of supporters erupted in cheers as the result was announced at Chow’s campaign headquarters.
Chow came out shortly after 9:30 p.m. to talk to supporters
“Wow. Thanks, Toronto! Thanks everyone. What a night!” she said, flanked by family. “If you’ve ever doubted what’s possible together, if you’ve ever doubted your belief in a better future, what we can do together, for each other, tonight is your answer.”
She thanked the people of the city for their “mandate for change” as the city’s new mayor, vowing to dedicate herself to “working tirelessly to build a city that is more caring, affordable, safe, where everyone belongs” and also thanked its supporters and volunteers for their tireless efforts.
“I know it’s hard these days. It’s harder to make ends meet and harder to get by, but don’t give up. Toronto is a place of hope, a city of second chances,” said Chow.
She called Toronto “a city where a kid from St. Jamestown can stand in front of you as your new mayor” to loud applause and added that the city is a place “where, if we contribute a little more, we can improve the public services can improve and make the city more livable.”
She was cheered on by ecstatic supporters.
“We are getting a very different Toronto where equity and sustainability will be part of everything the city does,” former candidate Gil Penalosa told CP24 when the results came in.
He said he was glad he dropped out of the race to support her, and said if he had gotten the 100,000 votes he got the last time he ran, she might not have won.
LONG WAY TO VICTORY
On a campaign to “build a caring city where everyone belongs,” Chow often seemed to hover above the fray in a crowded field of candidates desperately trying to portray her as someone who would unnecessarily raise property taxes.
The second time proved to be the charm for Chow, who ran for mayor and lost to John Tory in 2014.
It was Tory’s surprise firing in February after admitting to having an affair with a staffer that gave Chow a second chance at a win.
He released a statement Monday congratulating Chow and saying he would help her succeed as mayor in any way he can.
Entering a race that attracted 101 other applicants, Chow’s name recognition gave her an edge.
Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is photographed after a mayoral debate in Toronto on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
She cut her teeth as a school board trustee in the 1980s before winning a Toronto council seat in 1992. She remained on the council through amalgamation until 2005, when she ran for office and won a seat as a federal member of parliament.
Chow, an immigrant who came to Toronto from Hong Kong with her parents at the age of 13, spoke of their struggles to adapt to a new country under difficult circumstances. She started sewing buttons on jeans as a teenager to help her family, while her mother cleaned the houses and her father was unable to hold a steady job due to a mental illness.
Chow is also the widow of the late NDP leader Jack Layton, who himself came to federal politics from Toronto City Council, leading their party to unprecedented opposition status in 2011 in the so-called “orange crush” before his sudden death from the same cancer. year.
Chow’s stepson Mike Layton was a city councilor before stepping down from the role last year and was involved in her efforts to get out of the vote on Monday.
Late in the race, polls showed former councilor Ana Bailao gaining ground, buoyed by a last-minute endorsement by Tory. But despite the approval — and the support of nearly half of the council — she was unable to catch up.
Chow also managed to win despite a fierce push from former police chief Mark Saunders, who ran on a law-and-order platform and framed his campaign as a mission to prevent Chow from being elected at all costs. Saunders had Prime Minister Doug Ford backing him, with Ford publicly stating that a Chow win would be a “disaster”.
Saunders finished third, with 8.6 percent of the vote.
Ford released a statement Monday night congratulating Chow on her win, saying that “while we won’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.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow. (Canadian Press/Chris Young)
He said he hopes “we continue to have a willing partner in the City of Toronto” as his administration moves forward with its plans to “build Ontario.”
Chow told supporters she spoke with Ford and Municipal Affairs and Housing Secretary Steve Clark, who called her “mercifully” to congratulate her.
“People sent a message today — they want to get things done, like building affordable housing and improving TTC,” Chow said. “Well, Mr. Prime Minister, we are ready. Let’s work together to get things done!”
While her rivals tried to portray her as a partisan who would act as an unofficial opposition to Queen’s Park, Chow said she “looks forward to finding common ground” with the province.
Her rivals worked hard to take her down, but Chow generally seemed unnerved by their attacks. While other candidates identified crime and safety as the most important issue facing the city, Chow’s message about affordability and helping those in need ultimately resonated with voters.
Early on, she said she would run a different campaign than last time, focusing more on having fun and being herself rather than sounding polished. She kept her word and it was not unusual to see her dancing at campaign announcements.
“People know who I am, people know my values,” she told CP24.com in an interview during the campaign.
Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow walks in the Toronto Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Her years of experience and continued involvement with people in the city over the years, Chow said, allowed her to speak with knowledge without worrying too much about how she’s coming off.
WHAT COMES NEXT
While Chow was a council member for many years, she will return to a council that has changed a lot. Ford used his majority in Queen’s Park in 2018 to cut the city council in half, and last year he granted Toronto strong mayoral powers.
Those new powers include a provision that allows the mayor to override a majority vote on the council, though Chow has said she would not use that power and will instead try to reach consensus with the council. She will be helped in that regard by the six left-wing councilors who supported her campaign.
While she will have more control over the city’s agenda as mayor, Chow will also inherit a city plagued by serious financial problems, namely a $1.5 billion deficit for fiscal 2022 and 2023 and the loss imposed by the county. of some development costs.
Chow has said she believes she can strike a better deal with the higher levels of government by involving the city’s residents in a transparent negotiation and budgeting process. But if it can’t, it will almost certainly have to raise taxes or cut services.
Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is photographed after a mayoral debate in Toronto on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Chow has repeatedly said she would not put an upper limit on property tax increases until she first assessed the city’s needs. Her fellow candidates hammered her on the issue during the campaign trail, but she refused to go back on the point.
Chow has also said she would save the city hundreds of millions of dollars by turning the eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway into a boulevard rather than rebuilding it. That promise could potentially open old wounds in a controversial decision made by the council seven years ago if it decides to stick to the commitment.
But Chow vowed during the campaign, acknowledging the “immense” challenges facing the city, that she would do her best to bring people together, saying “Election Day is just the beginning.”
Some of her opponents in the race already seemed to embrace that philosophy.
“Olivia and I have been political opponents, but tomorrow we will be colleagues and I suspect there will be opportunities to work together,” Coun said. Brad Bradford told CP24.
Josh Matlow will be one of those colleagues again. He too congratulated Chow and said he looks forward to working with her.
“I look forward to working constructively and collaboratively with you to make Toronto a better place and to face our city’s challenges together,” Matlow said in a tweet.
The two councilors finished eighth and fifth respectively.
While Chow managed to secure a victory, political analyst Scott Reid told CP24 that the narrow victory was not the runaway victory predicted during the campaign.
“This is not the mandate she hoped for or expected,” Reid said. “It’s a weak mandate.”
Her supporters on the council nevertheless said they believe she will be able to work with the council and other levels of government to get things done.
“She will be great at dealing with the provincial and federal governments and I know she will work with the municipality to put Toronto’s interests first,” Coun said. Alejandra Bravo, who supported Chow.
Chow’s victory continues a wave of change that brought a number of progressive councilors – including Bravo – to City Hall in October, despite Tory backing some of their opponents.
