Toronto held an unprecedented mayoral by-election on June 26, 2023 — the first standalone mayoral race in the city's post-amalgamation history. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of John Tory, who stepped down on February 17, 2023, after admitting to a relationship with a former staff member during the pandemic. Tory had won a third consecutive term just months earlier in October 2022 and had served as mayor since December 2014. Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie assumed certain mayoral responsibilities during the interim but did not receive the strong mayor powers granted to Toronto's mayor by the province in 2022. A record 102 candidates appeared on the ballot. Approximately 725,333 ballots were cast, representing a turnout of approximately 38% of the city's roughly 1.89 million eligible electors — a notable increase from the record-low 29% turnout in the 2022 general election.

Mayoral Race

Olivia Chow won the mayoralty with 269,372 votes, capturing 37.2% of the ballot in the crowded field. Former deputy mayor Ana Bailão finished second with 235,175 votes (32.5%), while former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders placed third with 62,167 votes (8.6%). Anthony Furey took fourth with 35,899 votes (5.0%), narrowly ahead of city councillor Josh Matlow with 35,572 votes (4.9%). Former Ontario Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter received 21,229 votes (2.9%), and Chloe Brown earned 18,831 votes (2.6%). The remaining 95 candidates combined for roughly 6% of the total. Chow's margin of victory over Bailão was approximately 34,000 votes. The result reflected a clear geographic split: Chow dominated the downtown core and won five of six Scarborough wards, while Bailão carried the inner suburbs, all three Etobicoke wards, and much of northwest Toronto. Chow's campaign emphasized advance voting, and she led in advance polls across all 25 wards — a structural advantage that proved decisive, as Bailão actually led among election-day voters.

Mayoral Candidates

Olivia Chow brought decades of political experience to the race. Born in Hong Kong, Chow immigrated to Toronto at age 13 and entered municipal politics in 1985 as a Toronto school board trustee, serving until 1991 before winning election to Metro Toronto council in 1991. She married Jack Layton, who later became federal NDP leader and Leader of the Official Opposition before his death in 2011. Chow served as NDP MP for Trinity—Spadina from 2006 to 2014, when she resigned to run for mayor, finishing third behind Tory and Doug Ford. She was most recently a distinguished visiting professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. Chow campaigned on housing affordability, pledging $100 million annually toward affordable housing and a city-led initiative to build 25,000 rent-controlled homes over eight years. She also promised to expand transit service, fund after-school recreation programs, and notably pledged not to use the strong mayor powers to override council. Her campaign received a boost when 2022 mayoral runner-up Gil Penalosa dropped out and endorsed her.

Ana Bailão represented Davenport on city council for three terms from 2010 to 2022. Born in Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, she immigrated to Toronto as a teenager and earned a degree in sociology and European studies from the University of Toronto. Appointed deputy mayor by Tory in 2017, Bailão chaired the Affordable Housing Committee and built a record focused on housing policy. She proposed uploading the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway to the province to free up approximately $200 million annually for TTC operations. Bailão attracted the broadest institutional support in the race, earning endorsements from former mayor Tory, eleven members of Parliament, six unions, and eight sitting city councillors.

Mark Saunders served as Toronto's police chief from 2015 to 2020 after a career spanning nearly four decades in policing. He centred his campaign on public safety, pledging to add 200 transit constables and 600 uniformed police officers. Saunders also proposed 24-hour access to mental health care and called for replacing supervised injection sites with treatment-focused alternatives. Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly stated he would vote for Saunders.

Anthony Furey, a former Toronto Sun columnist and executive at the True North media network, positioned himself as the conservative populist candidate. He campaigned on hiring 500 additional police officers, clearing tent encampments, phasing out supervised injection sites, and halting new cycling infrastructure on major roads.

Josh Matlow represented Toronto—St. Paul's on city council since 2010 and described his approach as pragmatically progressive. He proposed a 2% annual property tax increase to generate $78 million per year for a city works fund, along with a public development corporation to build 15,000 rent-controlled apartments.

Mitzie Hunter resigned her seat as Ontario Liberal MPP for Scarborough—Guildwood to enter the race. A former Minister of Education who had also served as CEO of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance and chief administrative officer of Toronto Community Housing, Hunter proposed pairing social workers with transit officers and making transit free for seniors.

Campaign Issues

Housing affordability dominated the campaign as Toronto's escalating rents and home prices squeezed residents across the city. Every major candidate offered a housing plan, though they differed sharply on approach — from Chow's city-as-developer model and Matlow's dedicated tax increase to Bailão's infrastructure uploading strategy and Saunders's emphasis on cutting approval timelines.

Public transit was the second defining issue. The 2023 city budget had cut TTC service by 9% from pre-pandemic levels, with service reductions affecting 39 routes. The years-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT and ongoing Ontario Line construction compounded frustrations. A string of violent incidents on the TTC also elevated transit safety as a top concern, with candidates debating the balance between additional police presence and mental health interventions.

The strong mayor powers introduced by the province in 2022 emerged as a significant campaign flashpoint. The legislation gave Toronto's mayor expanded executive authority, including the power to veto certain council decisions and pass budgets with only one-third council support. Chow's pledge not to use these override powers drew a clear contrast with candidates who were more open to exercising them.

Homelessness and the growing visibility of tent encampments in parks polarized the field, with Furey and Saunders advocating clearance and enforcement approaches while Chow and Matlow emphasized supportive housing and wraparound services.

Notable Outcomes

Chow's victory represented a significant political shift for Toronto, ending more than a decade of centrist and conservative mayoralties that began with Rob Ford's election in 2010 and continued through Tory's three terms. The result was shaped in part by the fractured centre-right field: with Bailão, Saunders, Furey, and Hunter all competing for moderate and conservative voters, Chow held a clear lane on the progressive side after Penalosa's withdrawal. The massive 102-candidate ballot — a product of Toronto's low barrier to entry for municipal candidates — underscored the unusual nature of the contest. Chow was sworn in as mayor on July 12, 2023.