Olivia Chow wins Toronto's mayoral race - CBC

Olivia Chow was first voted in as mayor in 2023, when she was elected in a municipal byelection after former mayor John Tory resigned. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)Social SharingOlivia Chow has won Toronto's mayoral race, beating out challenger Brad Bradford for the city's top job.

Cheers erupted at her campaign headquarters in The Great Hall on Queen Street W. Monday night, with crowds jumping and lifting up their signs in celebration, all while chanting her name.

"Tonight, the people of Toronto have spoken," she said. 

"You have given me the extraordinary honour of continuing to serve as your mayor."

Chow went on to say she was "grateful" and "humbled" by the results of the "hard-fought election," taking time to thank all the candidates who put their names forward in the race.

Her progressive administration defeated runner-up Bradford for the second time, with the two first squaring off in the city's 2023 byelection after former mayor John Tory resigned.

When she was elected in 2023, Chow became the first racialized person to serve as mayor in the city’s history and the third woman.

Her win maintains her tenure in city politics; she was first elected as a school board trustee in 1985 and served on city council for 12 years before representing Trinity-Spadina as an NDP MP. She also ran for mayor in 2014 and came in third.

Chow's campaign platform included commitments to a fare cap on the TTC, free school lunches and renter support.

During her victory speech, Chow specifically addressed Bradford, saying he brought "new energy" and "ideas that people cared about" to city hall.

"I respect that. I know we share a love for Toronto and a belief in its future. We can disagree on how we get there, or what it looks like, but I do not doubt we both want what is best for our city," she said.

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Shortly before Chow's speech, Bradford addressed his voters from his campaign headquarters at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, saying "nobody can doubt" her win.

"It's indisputable, and she has my good wishes," Bradford said, noting that his supporters want her to succeed too because "we all love this city."

The race for mayor turned out to be quite competitive, with Chow and Bradford consistently topping the polls. While Chow started the race with a significant lead, it tightened in the weeks leading up to voting day.

Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander was the only other candidate to make a dent in opinion polling, but he dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Compared to the 2023 mayoral byelection, advance voter turnout increased by nearly 72 per cent, according to the city's website.

More than 222,000 ballots were cast between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11, up from over 129,000 early votes in 2023.

With most of the city's 1,431 polls having reported results, Monday's election night is a big win for progressive candidates in the city.

Alina Snisarenko is a Toronto-based journalist. She currently works as a digital writer for CBC Toronto and has previously worked as an associate producer with CBC Radio's Metro Morning. You can reach her with story ideas or tips at alina.snisarenko@cbc.ca.