'Champion for housing,' Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão leaving politics

Toronto city councillor Ana Bailão has announced she will not be seeking re-election in October.

After serving 12 years and three terms in office, the Ward 9 (Davenport) city councillor and deputy mayor, announced Thursday she will be leaving politics.

In a letter to constituents, Bailão called her service as city councillor and deputy mayor "the honour of a lifetime."

"While I have not yet decided what is next for me, I remain committed to continuing to contribute to our city."

LISTEN | Ana Bailao on her decision to leave politics:

"I'm proud of the work I've been able to do. I think we've accomplished a lot in terms of bringing affordable housing to the forefront of the city's agenda," Bailão, who is also the Chair of Toronto's planning and housing committee, told Metro Morning host Ismaila Alfa on Thursday. 

"Today you have the city of Toronto with a fully funded $2.8 billion capital plan for TCHC (Toronto Community Housing), you're using city land to build affordable housing, you're building modular supportive housing... so there's lots to do but there was a huge shift."

Bailão called the affordable housing crisis in Toronto "incredibly complex" and said it will require the cooperation of all levels of government.

"This issue will only be tackled if we have three orders of government that take this seriously and take concrete action," said Bailão. "We need to double down."

Mayor John Tory called Bailão "a champion for housing" on Twitter on Thursday. 

"I will miss her here at City Hall but I am confident she will do great things in whatever she decides to do next," said Tory. "And I hope we will one day see her again in politics — we need more people like Ana Bailão in public life."

The city's municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 24.