Byelection for Toronto mayor to take place June 26
Posted February 23, 2023 2:11 pm.
Last Updated February 23, 2023 4:28 pm.
Torontonians will go to the polls to elect a new mayor on June 26.
Toronto’s city clerk says the date is subject to city council declaring the mayor’s office vacant and then passing a bylaw requiring a byelection at its meeting next month.
If approved, nominations for candidates will open on April 3 and advance voting will begin starting June 8.
While the city clerk would not normally announce the date for a byelection in advance of council passing a bylaw, the City says it considers this to be in the best interests of Toronto to know the date as early as possible.
“Making the dates public now also allows the city clerk to start making preparations including hiring election staff and booking voting locations,” the City said in a statement.
The estimated budget for the Mayoral by-election is approximately $13M. The actual cost for the October 24 general election was $14.5M https://t.co/YgWCeCdRlP
— Mark McAllister (@McAllister_Mark) February 23, 2023
The byelection for a new mayor was triggered after John Tory officially stepped down back on Feb. 17 after announcing he had an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who used to work on his staff.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie has assumed his duties on an interim basis and has said she will not be among the candidates running to replace him.
Gil Penalosa, the progressive urbanist who came a distant second to Tory in last October’s municipal election, is among a handful of people who have already expressed an interest in filling the vacancy at City Hall. Blake Acton, a retired police officer who finished fourth in the 2022 race, has said he will be running again while former long-time city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti told CityNews he is considering running as well. Josh Matlow, a progressive councillor and Tory critic, said last week he was “strongly considering” a run for mayor.
Two prominant former city councillors who won’t be running for mayor are Joe Cressy and Denzil Minnan-Wong. Both cited family reasons for their decision not to fill the vacancy.
“Timing is everything in politics and running for Mayor and what comes next would materially affect the time I could spend with my young family,” Minnan-Wong said in a statement on Thursday. “Children are only young once – and I don’t want to miss any more significant parts of their lives.”
