Olivia Chow says Toronto election still 'pretty far away'
Chow attends Family Day events, but appears no closer to divulging intent on mayoral bid
More than two dozen people have filled out the necessary papers to run for mayor of Toronto this fall, including Mayor Rob Ford who is seeking re-election.
But there are a few high-profile individuals who have yet to declare whether they will seek the top job at Toronto City Hall — including Olivia Chow.
On Family Day, Chow attended two skating events in Toronto, but she came no closer to divulging any specific plans to run for mayor this fall.
"You know, Oct. 27th is pretty far away," Chow said Monday.
The MP for the Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina said in January that she is "seriously considering" a mayoral run, though she has stated no further than that publicly.
On Monday, Chow said she has heard from parents in the community who say they don’t want Ford to be a role model for their children.
Some at city hall question why Chow and others have yet to put their names forward if they are going to make a run at the mayor’s job.
Deputy mayor Norm Kelly said it was hard to know why Chow and another expected candidate had yet to clarify their intentions.
"She and John Tory are playing coy right now, but what their strategy is, I don’t know," he said.
Ford is currently facing competition from two former city councillors who have registered for the mayoral race — David Soknacki and Norman Gardner — as well as 23 other declared candidates.
Coun. Karen Stintz, the chair of the TTC, has said she intends to run for mayor, but she has not yet formally registered.
Click on the video above to see a full report from the CBC’s Jamie Strashin.