Who is running to become the next mayor of Toronto?

A byelection to choose who will replace John Tory is officially set for June 26 and some candidates have already announced their intention to run for the vacant seat.

Former Mayor John Tory  announced he would be stepping down from the role  after admitting to having an affair with a former member of his staff, all eyes have turned to the now-looming race to replace him.

Here are some of the high-profile people who have officially declared their candidacy:

Ana Bailão

Former Toronto city councillor Ana Bailão announced she was running for mayor on March 17.

The one-time deputy mayor made the announcement on Twitter, saying, “I’m in. I’m running with a plan to fix our city’s services, build housing, and make life more affordable.”

The former councillor for Ward 9 (Davenport) announced last spring she would not be seeking re-election in October’s municipal vote. She was first elected to council in 2010 and served three terms on council.

Her campaign told CityNews, if elected, she would work to reverse cuts to the TTC and pay for it by uploading the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway to the province.

Brad Bradford

Toronto Coun. Brad Bradford announced on March 29 that he will be running for mayor.

Bradford, the councillor Beaches-East York, told Breakfast Television he is no longer just considering running but will be registering to run once the nomination process opens.

He said community safety is a top priority, as well as the rising cost of living.

Bradford was elected to a second term as councillor in the 2022 municipal election. Before being elected to council, he worked as an urban planner with the City of Toronto from 2015 to 2018.

Chloe Brown

Chloe Brown first ran for Toronto mayor in 2022, collecting over six per cent of the vote and finishing.third. She is now taking another stab at it, entering the Toronto mayoral byelection.

The policy analyst grew up in the city and spent time serving with the Toronto Youth Cabinet. She said this foundation experience let to her work on the design and implementation of municipal and provincial job-training programs.

On her website, Brown said entering the race with her 3C policy, focusing on Community, Connectivity, and Commerce. These policie will focus on poverty reduction, public service standards, and government efficiency through civic engagement.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes

Former Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes officially entered the mayoral race on Apr. 2.

Caesar-Chavannes was MP for Whitby from 2015 to 2019, and later sat as an independent after resigning from the Liberal caucus in early 2019. She chose not to run for re-election in the 2019 federal election.

She resigned as a Liberal after publicly butting heads with Justin Trudeau in the wake of MP Jody Wilson-Raybould resigning after the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

Caesar-Chavannes was an outspoken advocate for gender and racial equality during her time in Ottawa.

“Toronto is at crossroads,” she said, referencing the city’s pandemic recovery, safety and the TTC. “There’s a number of big problems.”

“In talking to people about whether I should run, they talked about having bold leadership that’s going to challenge the status quo.”

Olivia Chow

Former MP Olivia Chow, a champion for the left and progressive politics, entered the mayoral race on Apr. 17.

This is Chow’s second run for mayor after coming up short almost a decade ago. She went into the 2014 campaign as the favourite against incumbent Rob Ford, who was eventually replaced by his brother Doug after his health deteriorated.

Since then, she went on to found the Insititute of Change Leaders organization which teaches and develops courses that provide participants with the tools to be involved in the democratic process.

Rob Davis

Rob Davis was the first Black councillor in York’s history when he won a seat in the 1991 election. After the amalgamation of York with Toronto, he was then elected to Toronto City Council in 1997. Davis lost his seat in 2000 when the ward boundaries were redrawn.

Since then, he’s unsuccessfully run to become an MPP in 2003 and for Toronto City Council again in 2010.

Davis officially announced his intention to run for mayor of Toronto on Feb. 28.

One of the main issues he’s highlighted as a part of his mayoral platform is stopping the renaming of city streets to “save an estimated $21 million.”

Anthony Furey

The former newspaper columnist and broadcaster is currently Vice-President of Editorial and Content at True North.

He says its time for a fresh perspective at City Hall, adding he doesn’t believe that the status quo people who got us to this point are the one’s who can get us out.

Furey says he wants to replace the lobbyists and big corporations and “fringe activists” who “call the shots” at City Hall with “the hockey moms, the guy stuck on the 401 all day and the small and medium businesses who’ve taken a beating the past few years.”

He’s promised a 90-day review of all city services and will do away with what he calls “pet projects” that have nothing to do with serving Torontonians and their families.

Furey says there would be an end to road closures, no more talk of tearing down the Gardiner Expressway, and said there would be “reasonable” discussions on bike lanes.

Mitzie Hunter

Ontario Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter confirmed she was preparing to run for mayor during a speech at a Toronto event on March 21.

The Scarborough-Guildwood MPP said she would make a formal announcement before nominations open in April.

Hunter said improving public services, increasing safety on public transit, and making the city more affordable would be her main priorities if elected.

The MPP has cited her experience as a leader and her “proven track-record” as a city builder and as CAO of Toronto Housing and head of Civic Action. Hunter was re-elected for the third time in the provincial election last year that saw Doug Ford’s Conservatives cruise to a second majority government.

Giorgio Mammoliti

Former longtime Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti confirmed on March 15 that he will run for mayor in the upcoming byelection.

Mammoliti held his North York riding for more than two decades before losing his seat in the 2018 election after the wards were reduced from 44 to 25. He then made a failed bid for mayor of Wasaga Beach.

Speaking to CityNews, Mammoliti said his campaign would focus on housing. “Housing that is affordable is the main issue in the city right now, because people can’t afford to buy or rent.”

Mammoliti said the city could ease zoning restrictions and provide subsidies to find more people housing.

Josh Matlow

Josh Matlow has become the first active city councillor to enter Toronto’s mayoral race.

Matlow, who is a councillor for Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s and was a vocal critic of former mayor John Tory, confirmed he will run in the June byelection on March 21.

The 47-year-old cited a decline in public services and a lack of affordable housing options as the biggest issues plaguing the city. He says past leadership has helped deteriorate services by keeping taxes “artificially low.”

He says his first act if elected mayor would be to launch the City Works Fund — a property tax that aims to improve community services. He says it will cost the average homeowner $67 a year.

Matlow was first elected to council in 2010 and has been a strong progressive voice at city hall for more than a decade.

Anthony Perruzza

Veteran and current city councillor Anthony Perruzza filed his nomination papers at city hall on April 12.

When announcing his campaign, the councillor for Humber River-Black Creek says he would oppose hikes to property taxes, TTC fares, and city user fees. He’s also pledging to negotiate a new deal with the upper levels of government to put Toronto on stable financial footing.

Perruzza has been a city councillor since 2006. Prior to that, he was a member of North York council and an Ontario NDP MPP in Bob Rae’s government.

Mark Saunders

Former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders confirmed he would run to become the city’s next mayor on March 1, citing a desire to make public transit safe for riders and expand affordable housing.

Saunders served as police chief from 2015 to 2020, when he retired.

Following his 2020 retirement, Saunders joined Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine task force and was later named the province’s special advisor for the Ontario Place redevelopment project. His most recent political endeavour saw Saunders run for the Ontario PC party in the 2022 June election in the Don Valley West riding.

Saunders, who placed second, lost to Liberal Stephanie Bowman, who received 44 per cent of the vote.

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Click here to see the City of Toronto’s full list of candidates.

This list will be updated as more well known people declare their candidacy.