Toronto mayoral race underway as candidate nominations open for June byelection

The race to be Toronto's next mayor is officially underway as prospective candidates headed to city hall Monday to put their names on the ballot.

The nomination period for the June 26 byelection officially opened at 8:30 a.m. ET to a large field of contenders who have already said they intend to run. The nomination period closes at 2 p.m. on May 12.

Candidates can only begin fundraising for their campaigns once they have registered — a strong incentive to get into the race as early as possible.

A crowded field of potential replacements has emerged in the weeks since former mayor John Tory's shock resignation in February. Tory stepped down after admitting to an extramarital relationship with a staffer who worked in his office.

The list includes current and past city councillors, a former police chief and former provincial minister of education.

The full list of candidates who have registered so far is included at the bottom of this story.

Contenders have spent the past weeks hastily building their campaign teams, lining up possible donors and canvassing for endorsements in anticipation of registering as candidates, a step that allows them to raise and spend campaign dollars, said Zac Spicer, a political science expert at York University.

Spicer said he now expects to see a "flurry" of policy announcements as candidates look to raise their profile and distinguish themselves in a campaign that lasts half as long as a typical mayoral race.

"The clock is absolutely ticking," said Spicer, an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York.

"Things are going to move very, very quickly over the next couple of weeks."

Byelection comes at tumultuous time for city

The unexpected byelection comes at a tumultuous time for Toronto. The city faces a $1.5-billion budget hole leftover from the COVID-19 pandemic that both the provincial and federal governments recently declined to help fill. 

Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who stepped in after Tory's resignation, has warned that her successor will likely need to oversee rapid cuts to services if additional funding doesn't come from Ottawa or Queen's Park. 

Toronto's state of good repair backlog only continues to grow, while much of its critical infrastructure deteriorates. The costs of rebuilding the eastern stretch of the Gardiner Expressway, for example, have ballooned and some councillors are pushing to revisit the decision to go through with the massive project.

Meanwhile, the next mayor will need to tackle a recent spate of violence on the city's public transit system that has left many Torontonians deeply shaken. That issue is connected to what advocates have said are woefully underfunded mental health and addiction services, and a lack of supportive housing for those struggling with homelessness.

Ford publicly bemoaned 'leftie' mayor winning 

Critics of Tory argue that the budget hole, and the looming service cuts it will force, were exacerbated by the former mayor's signature policy to keep property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation until his last budget. Tax increases are likely to become a key issue on the campaign trail. 

Whoever takes the reins from McKelvie will also wield the controversial "strong mayor" powers bestowed by the province late last year. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said the additional authorities will remain in place no matter who is elected.

While he previously said he would not comment on the byelection, Ford has since publicly bemoaned the possibility of a "leftie" winning the mayor's chair and said there are only "one or two" candidates who he thinks could run the city.

Last week he also urged voters not to support anyone who wants to cut police budgets, in the wake the surge in violence on the TTC. 

October's election saw dismal 29% turnout

With so many relatively high-profile Torontonians entering the race, it will be difficult for candidates to distinguish themselves from the field. 

Myer Siemiatycki, an emeritus politics professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said at this early stage of the campaign, contenders will be looking to "frame their candidacy in a very concise kind of a way." 

"They're taking something from their record or their personality or their geographic roots in Toronto and saying, 'This is what is different about me and this is a positive about me,'" he said. 

For example, Ana Bailão was the only city councillor who arrived at City Hall on Monday flanked by a trio of councillors who have already endorsed her. Siemiatycki says this is an attempt to signal that she has a allies and a proven track record.

Meanwhile, Coun. Brad Bradford said Monday that he would use the "strong mayor" powers and any other tools at his disposal, conveying that he is a "full-steam-ahead" kind of candidate," Siemiatycki said. 

There is also the question of voter apathy. October's election saw a dismal 29 per cent turnout, the lowest in Toronto's history, and byelections often draw even fewer voters — particularly during the summer months.

Because there are already so many registered candidates, Siemiatycki says Toronto will likely elect a mayor with the lowest share of votes cast in the city's history.

"There will be anywhere from five ... to 10 credible candidates running for mayor," he said.

"And the effect of that is that someone could win the mayoralty with 20 per cent of the vote, 25 per cent of the vote — possibly less." 

The list of candidates registered so far includes: 

• Bahira Abdulsalam
• Blake Acton
• Ana Bailão
• Claudette Beals
• Brad Bradford
• Chloe Brown
• Celina Caesar-Chavannes
• Roland Chan 
• Gordon Cohen
• Sarah Climenhaga
• Frank D'Angelo
• Phillip D'Cruze
• Rob Davis
• Cory Deville
• Anthony Furey
• Isabella Gamk
• Xiao Hua Gong
• Brian Graff
• Peter Handjis
• Heather He
• Mitizie Hunter
• Syed Jaffery
• Michael Lamoureux
• Kris Langenfeld
• John Letonja
• Giorgio Mammoliti
• Josh Matlow
• Anthony Perruzza
• Walter Rubino
• Chris Saccoccia
• Lyall Saunders
• Mark Saunders
• Rupica Singh Waraich
• Knia Singh
• Erwin Sniedzins
• Sandeep Srivastava
• Meir Straus
• Weizhen Tang
• Reginald Tull
• Jeffery Tunney
• Kiri Vadivelu
• Jack Weenen
• Yuanqian Wei
• Jody Williams
• Nathalie Xian Yi Yan