TORONTO — Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has announced she’ll be seeking re-election in this year’s municipal election.

Chow says she plans to continue focusing on her work as mayor right now, with “plenty of time for campaigning in the fall.”

The 69-year-old former NDP parliamentarian was elected in 2023 in a byelection after the resignation of former mayor John Tory.

Chow’s political career has spanned four decades, from her election as a Toronto school board trustee in 1985 to her eight-year tenure in the House of Commons with her late husband Jack Layton starting in 2006.

Toronto city Coun. Brad Bradford has already begun his own campaign for mayor, while Tory announced last March that he won’t be running.

The municipal election is set for Oct. 26.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2026.

The Canadian Press