Sitting Mayor of Toronto, running for a second term.
Olivia Chow is the Mayor of Toronto according to the City's own page, and the City's list of certified candidates shows her nomination for Mayor dated May 25, 2026. CBC News reports that she first won the job in the 2023 byelection (a special vote held to fill an empty office) that followed John Tory's resignation. Her campaign says it wants a more affordable, safe and caring city. On September 11, 2026 she proposed that riders of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) travel free after 10 paid rides in a week, and CP24 reports that she also promised a fourth year of frozen TTC fares in 2027.
Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page
The City of Toronto's page about the mayor calls Olivia Chow the 66th Mayor of Toronto. The City's list of certified candidates shows her nomination for Mayor dated May 25, 2026. CBC News reported on May 25, 2026 that she announced that day that she is running for a second term. She was first elected in the 2023 byelection, which was held after John Tory resigned as mayor. On September 10, 2026 CP24 reported that she began her campaign at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.
The City's page about her, last changed on August 24, 2023, says she was elected as a school board trustee in 1985, became a Metro Toronto councillor in 1991, and was elected Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina in 2006, serving until 2014. CBC News adds that she ran for mayor in 2014 and placed third.
Her campaign says she is running to build a more affordable, safe and caring city. Her campaign website lists school meals for children, frozen transit fares, libraries open seven days a week, more emergency service and crisis workers, and funding from other levels of government as what she has done as mayor. These are the campaign's own statements, and voche.me has not checked each one against City records.
On September 11, 2026 CP24 reported that she proposed to make the TTC free for the rest of each week after a rider pays for 10 trips, starting sometime in 2027. She said the cost would be covered by the $12.2 million already set aside in the City's budget for expanded fare capping. CP24 also reported that she promised to keep TTC fares frozen for a fourth year in 2027. The Local reported on September 25, 2026 that she now promises to keep future property tax increases near the rate of inflation, after raising them in each year of her first term. The Local gives the increases as 9.5 percent in 2024, 6.5 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026. Brad Bradford's campaign says the increases were 9.5 percent, 6.9 percent and 2.2 percent. voche.me has not checked either set of figures against the City's budget.
Three public disputes involve her. On May 25, 2026 Brad Bradford said in a statement that she had held events paid for by taxpayers before she registered as a candidate, and called this campaigning with public money. When CBC News asked her about the statement she answered, "He's wrong." voche.me found no complaint to a regulator and no finding on this. On October 1, 2026 CP24 reported that her campaign called Bradford's budget proposal "reckless" and said that "the bill will come due." Bradford answered that his plan means the City will borrow more than it does today. The Jerusalem Post reported that in a September 2026 debate Chris Alexander criticized her for missing a forum on antisemitism held by the Jewish Lawyers of Canada, and that her campaign team said she would not take part in debates before the official launch of her campaign. She answered at the debate that antisemitism is unacceptable and wrong.
Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform.
On September 11, 2026 she proposed that TTC trips be free for the rest of the week after 10 paid trips, and promised a fourth year of frozen fares in 2027.
She said the weekly cap would start sometime in 2027.
She said the cost would be covered by the $12.2 million already set aside in the City's budget for expanded fare capping. This is her own estimate.
Chris Alexander's campaign and Brad Bradford's campaign both criticized the proposal, according to CP24.
In her newsletter of July 20, 2026 she wrote that the City is investing in transit, building more affordable housing and investing in community safety. Her campaign says it is working toward a more affordable, safe and caring city.
The Mayor's Note, July 20, 2026In her newsletter of July 20, 2026 she listed hiring more paramedics, firefighters, police and mental health crisis workers, and bringing people who live outside indoors, as work done in her first three years.
The Mayor's Note, July 20, 2026The Local reported on September 25, 2026 that she promises to keep future property tax increases near the rate of inflation.
The Local · Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow: What She's Done and What She's Promising in 2026Evidence reviewed on October 4, 2026: the City of Toronto's list of certified candidates, its page about the mayor and its list of members of Council, her campaign website's home page, her newsletter post of July 20, 2026, and news reports from CP24, CBC News, The Local and The Jerusalem Post dated May 25 to October 1, 2026. Her role as Mayor comes from the City's own page. Her plans come from her campaign and from the reports that quote it, and each is written here as her campaign's statement.
Gaps. The news page of her campaign website returned an error (HTTP 429) to direct requests and to the WebFetch tool, so none of its items was read. Her Instagram, X and Facebook accounts showed only a profile line and no posts, so no post is used. The City's council minutes and recorded votes for her term, and the City's published results for the 2023 byelection, were not opened. The tax figures in the biography come from The Local and from Bradford's campaign and differ, and no City budget document was checked. The questionnaire has not been sent.
The City's page calls her the 66th Mayor of Toronto. CBC News reports that she was first elected in the 2023 byelection and registered for re-election on May 25, 2026.
City of Toronto · About Mayor Olivia ChowThe City's page says she was elected in 2006, re-elected twice, and served until 2014.
City of Toronto · About Mayor Olivia ChowThe City's page says she was elected in 1991, re-elected five times, and served for 14 years. It says she chaired the Community Services Committee and was Vice Chair of the TTC.
City of Toronto · About Mayor Olivia ChowCBC News dates her first election as a Toronto school board trustee to 1985. The City's page says she served for six years.
CBC News · Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow announces re-election bid for 2nd term, May 25, 2026Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Ask Olivia Chow directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
Facts voche.me can state about Olivia Chow's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Olivia Chow's own campaign.
Yes. Olivia Chow currently serves as Mayor of Toronto.
This profile lists 13 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Olivia Chow in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
The 2026 Toronto municipal election, including the Mayor race, is decided on October 26, 2026.
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
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