Who’s running to be Toronto’s next mayor?

Breaking down eight of the top candidates ahead of the June 26 mayoral by-election.

An image of Toronto City Council chambers — On June 26, Torontonians will elect a new head of city council. (Canmenwalker, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Living in Toronto can overwhelm you with a buffet of choice — and not just in the realms of dining spots, breweries, and sports teams to support.

With a mayoral by-election coming up on June 26, dozens of candidates (50, at last count) have thrown their hats in the ring. This group includes familiar names and some relative newcomers all hoping to steer the city for the remainder of the current term.

To get a better sense of the race, we took a look at the histories, election promises, and social media highlights of those in the running. Below is our breakdown of eight top candidates, listed in alphabetical order:

Ana Bailão

Years in Office: 12, as city councillor for Davenport

Relevant History: During her first term on council Bailão chaired both the Affordable Housing Committee and the Planning and Housing Committee, where she championed policies such as the vacant home tax, modular housing for homeless Torontonians, and provincial investment in social housing repairs. She was appointed deputy mayor in charge of housing in 2017.

People are paying more and getting less. As Mayor I will make sure services like the TTC are safe, reliable, clean, and convenient. We need to reverse transit cuts, get cell service on the subway and focus on making life better and more affordable for people. @TTChelps #TOPoli pic.twitter.com/Utgw4V5iDG
— Ana Bailão (@anabailaoTO) April 7, 2023

Between 2014 and 2022, Bailão voted with former mayor John Tory 87.5 per cent of the time, including votes for expanding gaming at Woodbine in 2015 and against defunding the Toronto Police Service amid protests in the summer of 2020.

In 2013, Bailão pled guilty to a drunk driving charge, which happened after she was drinking with a lobbyist at the Thompson Hotel.

Before announcing her candidacy for mayor, she was working with private developer Dream Unlimited.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Reverse TTC service cuts;
Introduce the Neighbourhood Program for Healthy Seniors to bring healthcare directly to seniors, at home, in the communities where they live;
Offload responsibility for the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway to the province.

Brad Bradford

Years in Office: 5, as city councillor for Beaches—East York

Relevant History: First working for the City as an urban planner, Bradford is the chair of the planning and housing committee, and also sits on the executive committee and the CreateTO board of directors.

Road repairs has been top-of-mind for Bradford: An investigation by The Local revealed he was the city’s most active councillor on the implementation of ward-specific road safety infrastructure.

Toronto’s traffic is a nightmare.

It’s time for less talk and more action to get our city moving!

Join us: https://t.co/RKFLN6ebZ9 pic.twitter.com/Scbw6md1rU
— Brad Bradford✌️ (@BradMBradford) April 10, 2023

According to a CBC Toronto report, Bradford is a preferred mayoral candidate amongst those within the Progressive Conservative and federal Conservative parties.

Early in his candidacy, Bradford was the subject of a satirical dubbed video and a fake campaign website targeting his voting record.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Four-point plan to improve TTC safety, including installing subway platform doors and bringing cellphone service to subway lines;
Improve housing affordability and reverse a “decline” in city facilities such as parks and recreation centres;
Establish dedicated Bail Compliance Units by working with the Toronto Police Service to monitor alleged criminals who’ve been released by the courts;
Appoint a Congestion Relief Commissioner focused on easing gridlock in the City.

Chloe Brown

Years in Office: 0

Relevant History: Since 2019, Brown has worked as a projector coordinator in the Inclusive Hiring program at Toronto Metropolitan University and policy analyst for the Future Skills Centre. A political newcomer relative to others on this list, she dipped her toes into the mayoral waters when she ran in 2022, coming in third on a $2,000 budget.

Toronto Star columnist Edward Keenan had high praise for her campaign: “She spoke directly and proudly in a way no other candidate did on behalf of the working class and those who increasingly feel priced out of the city. She got into the two debates that were held, and stood out from the crowd in them.”

A recipe for a new #Toronto - feel free to add: Japanese zoning and universal design, Dutch street design and care systems, Singapore's Housing and Development Board, Portugal's decriminalization and rehabilitation strategy, Germany's co-determination corporate governance model..
— Chloe Brown (@chloebrown4TO) March 28, 2023

In 2014, Brown worked in councillor Pam McConnell’s office as part of an unpaid mentorship program and on a paid research project.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Create rapid, supported housing options for those experiencing homelessness or abuse, such as sleeping pods, modular housing, and micro-homes;
Establish a Shelter Support and Housing Authority (SSHA) to develop a database of rental rates and coordinate efforts to improve housing conditions for low-income Torontonians;
Increase the presence of mobile crisis professionals at TTC stations, and improve wages for social workers and mental health specialists.

Olivia Chow

Years in Office: 21 (13 as a city councillor for wards 24 and 20, and eight as a member of parliament for Trinity-Spadina)

Relevant History: Chow has long been an advocate for co-op housing and subsidized child care. As the city’s first Child and Youth Advocate in 1998, she aimed to upgrade nutrition programs in schools.

Chow led the call in 2017 to receive a national apology for Chinese immigrants who were made to pay a discriminatoryhead tax.

We have a choice. We can give in to pessimism and do nothing. Or we can work together to mend a crack in the sky—the cracks in our city.

I've made my choice. I’m running to be your Mayor. Together, we will build a more caring, safe, affordable city where everyone belongs. pic.twitter.com/mwPS7yswqx
— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) April 17, 2023

She ran for mayor of Toronto in 2014, finishing third behind Tory and Ford.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Oppose plans for a “mega-luxury spa” at Ontario Place and the demolition of Ontario Science Centre;
Bring housing to the eastern stretch of the Gardiner Expressway;
Invest $100 million to halt renovictions by helping purchase, repair and transfer affordable rental apartment buildings to not-for-profit, community, and Indigenous housing providers;
Double the reach of Toronto’s Rent Bank and triple the reach of the Eviction Prevention in the Community program for those with complex needs;
Never use the city’s new “strong mayor” powers.

Mitzie Hunter

Years in Office: 10, as MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood

Relevant History: Hunter served as Ontario’s Minister of Education from 2016 to 2018 and Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development in 2018. She was also the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

In 2020, Hunter ran in the Ontario Liberal Leadership race, but lost to Steven Del Duca.

We must not rush decisions like relocating the Science Centre. There’s a renaissance happening in the north east of the city — the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown & Ontario Line. We need to plan great public spaces for people in the neighborhood & welcome all visitors.

A thread 🧵: pic.twitter.com/fG31eI2XQ7
— Mitzie Hunter (@MitzieHunter) April 14, 2023

Recently, she called out Ontario premier Doug Ford’s controversial wedding fundraiser for being an all-male event, saying, “It was just a bit of a weird environment, in terms of getting that exclusive access — and it was a bunch of men — to the premier.”

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Urge the province to allow Toronto to use ranked ballots in municipal elections;
Add 400 new shelter beds for unhoused individuals and double the support for street outreach workers;
Address climate change concerns by creating the position of a permanent/full-time chief resiliency officer, who understands extreme weather risks impacting Toronto;
Never use the city’s new “strong mayor” powers.

Giorgio Mammoliti

Years in Office: 28 (23 as a city councillor for wards 1, 6, and 7, and five as a member of provincial parliament)

Relevant History: Steeped in politics since he was 28, Mammoliti is best known to many Torontonians for his head-turning behaviour, such as backing a red-light district on the Toronto Islands, and stripping his shirt off in Council as a protest against the Hanlan’s Point nude beach.

When he served on Council, Mammoliti consistently lobbied for 0 per cent residential property tax rate increases, and called for the province to manage affordable housing and public transit. In his final two years as a councillor, he missed nearly half of all votes at Toronto City Council.

📢🚨My priority is to put a roof over everyone’s head, and not a lane under somebody’s bike. #myprioritiesareclear

Watch my interview with @ctvtoronto from March 27th. pic.twitter.com/cfggb3EkOk
— Giorgio Mammoliti (@Giorgiointo) April 20, 2023

After losing his seat in 2018 when Toronto shrunk from 44 wards to 25, Mammoliti moved to Wasaga Beach. This past year he campaigned to become the town’s mayor, coming in third.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Improving safety in public spaces and on the TTC;
Fire Toronto’s top doctor due to public health recommendations to decriminalize drugs;
Conduct financial audits to curb wasteful spending and reallocate funds to services such as affordable housing.

Josh Matlow

Years in Office: 13, as city councillor for Toronto—St. Paul’s

Relevant History: One of the more progressive candidates in the race, Matlow has often opposed policies handed down by Tory and premier Rob Ford, and he has urged council to redirect police funding to community anti-violence programs. He has also lobbied against the idea of keeping the east Gardiner Expressway aloft.

He’s been known to advocate for tenant rights, local parks and public space, and Toronto’s seniors. In 2018, he also called for a judicial inquiry into the $3.35-billion Scarborough subway extension project.

There is no single solution to improve community health and well-being. But investing in social connection and recreation at the local level are proven ways to build healthier, stronger and more equitable neighbourhoods.
— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) April 17, 2023

In March, he was docked 10 days of pay for critical tweets he posted about two city public servants.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Increase property taxes to levels comparable to those of other Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area municipalities;
Reconsider the Council-approved “hybrid” rehabilitation plan for the Gardiner Expressway;
Establish a Tenant Support Program to improve apartment affordability and crack down on illegal renovictions and landlord own-use evictions;
Open neighbourhood schools on evenings and weekends so they can operate as community centres.

Mark Saunders

Years in Office: 0, but he served as Toronto chief of police from 2015 to 2020

Relevant History: Toronto’s first and only Black police chief, but his time in the role was pockmarked by controversy. In 2015, he defended “lawful” carding, which was eventually banned in 2017. In 2018, he was accused of victim blaming in the case of serial killer Bruce McArthur after he insinuated that community members had not been forthcoming with information early in the investigation.

When Saunders left his role as police chief, premier Ford appointed him a special adviser on the plan to redevelop Ontario Place.

I have the experience to address Toronto's #1 issue: Public Safety.

We can't afford more of the same do nothing attitude from Toronto's city councillors. pic.twitter.com/3Fvp1SinXH
— Mark Saunders (@marksaunders_TO) April 15, 2023

Saunders ran unsuccessfully for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in Toronto’s Don Valley West riding in 2022.

Key Platform Promises (so far):

Improve public safety, with a focus on the TTC;
Redirect underutilized cleaning resources to residential areas around injection sites, and strengthen the standards and expectations of cleanliness for supervised injection sites within their funding agreements;
Create a ”highly visible” option within the 311 app where anyone can file reports of used needles.

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