Olivia Chow considering possible run for Toronto mayor

Supporters of the former city councillor and MP believe her progressive values would make her the ideal candidate. Political observers say it takes more than name recognition once a campaign gets underway. Mark McAllister has more.

By Mark McAllister

Once considered a champion for the left and progressive politics in Toronto, whether it be during her time at City Hall as a councillor or in Ottawa as a Member of Parliament, Olivia Chow is now considering giving another run for mayor.

She ran for mayor once before and lost to John Tory in 2014.

Since her campaign, she founded the Insititute of Change Leaders organization which teaches and develops courses that provide participants with the tools to be involved in the democratic process.

Chow hasn’t yet confirmed a run for Mayor at this point, but her supporters are encouraging her to do so.

“Olivia, first and foremost is someone who has deep values, passion for the city, who cares about people, who is a lot of fun. When you go to Olivia’s house, it’s full of activists and young people, and she’s mentoring, coaching and working with,” said Kofi Hope, cofounder of Monumental Projects.

A possible hint that Chow may run for Mayor again was a simple tweet Monday morning stating, “I love this city and I know it can be so much better — for everyone,” linked to a media article saying she’s considering a run.

Davenport Councillor Alejandra Bravo said she welcomes the idea that Chow might run based on all that she represents.

“For me, as a progressive, I’m really looking for a mayor who will make a commitment to democratic principles, making sure that all of council is directing policy and governing together,” said Bravo. “And I think that we need a mayor who’s going to really face the crises that are facing the city right now all the way from community safety to homelessness.”

With the number of people already announcing that they’re either considering or definitely entering the race for Mayor, name recognition is bound to help some candidates stand out. But some experts say it only lasts so long.

“At some point, you have to get beyond name recognition and begin to carve out a series of positions, and what you believe are the most pressing issues that the city faces, and in order to put forward as something for voters to consider when it comes time to vote,” said Wayne Petrozzi, a politics professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Chow has built strong relationships at City Hall before. Whether they ‘could’ amount to change again, in the role as mayor, is still to be determined behind the scenes.

“Ten years of organizing on the ground around contemporary issues with working class people and everyday folks in the city. I think then she brings her experience at different levels of government about how you get things done,” said Hope.

As the field for mayor gets more and more crowded, no one is actually registered to run yet. That will start on April 3 and will last through the first part of May.

You can find the full list of those who have a confirmed a run for mayor here.

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