Olivia Chow Wins Second Term as Toronto Mayor

Olivia Chow won re-election as Toronto mayor, defeating Brad Bradford after a late tightening of the race and securing a second term, early results showed. With nearly all polling stations reporting, Chow had nearly 523,000 votes to Bradford’s 297,000. The figures were preliminary, not a final certified tally. The result gives Chow her first full four-year term. She won a 2023 byelection after John Tory resigned, serving the remainder of his term. Bradford, a city councillor, had mounted the strongest challenge to her re-election bid. Chow entered the campaign as the front-runner, but the contest narrowed in its final weeks as Bradford promoted lower taxes and increased spending on public safety. He pledged a property-tax freeze, more police officers and a line-by-line audit of city finances. Chow argued that Bradford’s proposed tax cuts would require reductions to essential services. The candidates also clashed over Toronto Water. Bradford proposed turning it into a municipal services corporation, modeled on Toronto Hydro. Chow said the plan could open the door to privatization; Bradford disputed that claim and said provincial legislation prohibits private investment in...