Olivia Chow officially takes office as Toronto's 66th mayor

Olivia Chow officially took office as mayor of Toronto Wednesday, becoming the third woman and first racialized person to lead Canada's most populous city after defeating 101 rival candidates in a byelection last month.

"Today is a day for renewal," Chow said to cheers and applause moments after she took office at city hall.

"The message was loud and clear — people want change."

The 66-year-old Chow, a former NDP MP and past city councillor, is Toronto's first progressive mayor in over a decade.

"Lets build a Toronto that is more safe, affordable and caring, where everyone belongs. Together we can, and today we start," she said.

Chow was sworn in at city hall this morning after a ceremony that was emceed by actor Jean Yoon and featured Indigenous teachings, musical performances and a reading by the poet laureate.

In attendance at city hall Wednesday were former Toronto mayors Art Eggleton, Barbara Hall, David Crombie and John Sewell, as well as current NDP MPPs Marit Stiles, Peter Tabuns and Chris Glover.

Many sitting councillors were also there, including Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who stepped in to helm the city after John Tory resigned in February after admitting to an affair with a former staffer. In her speech, Chow thanked McKelvie for stepping up when the "residents of Toronto needed" her.

Chow campaigned on a platform to build what she called a more caring and affordable city, pledging to get local government back into the business of building social housing and to spend millions to acquire and preserve affordable units.

After almost a decade out of the political spotlight, she takes office at a time when Toronto is facing pressing issues, including a $1-billion shortfall in this year's budget, driven in large part by decreasing transit revenues and increased shelter costs.

"We can and must start by tackling the housing crisis. We can and must because the suffering is real," she said.

The new mayor has said she would call a special meeting of the Executive Committee in August to discuss pressing matters, including the city's long-term financial plan.

Since the June 26 byelection, Chow has been meeting with city administration, finalizing her team and holding transition engagements with civil service and non-profits on priority issues, including housing and community crisis response.

The city's housing crisis and the record levels of people experiencing homelessness are set to test Chow's term.

Adding to a sense of urgency, the city has been deadlocked with the federal government over a request to provide more money to help house asylum seekers, with the city recently instituting a policy of turning away those applicants from at-capacity shelters toward federal programs.