Sky Dragon and Mustafa the Poet. Those are some of Mayor Olivia Chow’s favourite things in Toronto, and she’s revealing what else she loves about the city she’s leading.
Since assuming her mayoral role, Olivia Chow has become known for her hands-on community efforts and appearances at local events in Toronto. From busting a move at Salsa on St. Clair to putting on a hard hat to shovel dirt at a construction site, Chow has constantly shown her dedication to Torontonians over the last year and a half.
But what is the mayor’s life actually like?
In an exclusive interview with Now Toronto, she gets personal, and lets us in on her love life and favourite things about the city.
The mayor assures that she really likes to party, a fact evident in her pop-ups at the biggest local festivals, from Pride Toronto to Jerk Fest. The Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an event Chow looks forward to each summer, and she says she’s been attending the annual parade for over 30 years.
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“I’ve been jumping up and whining down the road for a long time,” Chow said proudly.
“Back when Caribana was on University Avenue, without the barricade! I was there, and then, it was on Lakeshore.”
@nowtoronto Mayor Olivia Chow was spotted keeping herself busy during the long weekend at multiple events across #Toronto ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Her love for Caribbean culture raises the ultimate question that continues to divide many within the diaspora: jerk chicken or oxtail?
“Oxtail,” she declared, adding that she had the dish for dinner the night before.
In addition to her palate for delicious local cuisine, Chow also notes her favourite restaurant in the city is Sky Dragon, an authentic Cantonese dim sum restaurant on Spadina Avenue.
Chow was also known for her 23-years long marriage to the late Jack Layton, who served as a former leader of the NDP before tragically passing away from cancer during his tenure in 2011.
Over a decade later, the mayor shared that she is dating someone who is “busier” than she is, but would never actually get married again.
“Jack Layton, I tell you, that guy is so special. It’s hard missing him, but I’m doing a job that he would have loved to do,” Chow said.
She adds that her current loves of her life at the moment are her work and her grandchildren.
“I love my job. I love being mayor,” Chow said.
“I have four grandkids… It’s great. I’m teaching one of them how to climb. I taught them how to ski and I’m doing boxing with them every Monday!”
Being active is nothing new to Chow, as she mentioned that she goes to the gym every morning for a quick work-out. The mayor even boasted about doing lateral pulldowns, tricep and bicep curls just hours before the interview!
Chow, an avid sports lover, says her favourite team in the city at the moment is Toronto Sceptres, the city’s first women’s professional ice hockey team that debuted in 2023. The mayor also says that she looks forward to cheering on the city’s WNBA team, Toronto Tempo in 2026.
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The mayor also listens to local music, and highlights Mustafa the Poet as one of the top Toronto artists on her playlist.
“I watched him when he was young in Regent Park,” Chow gushed, adding that she took notice of him at Daniels Spectrum, a cultural hub and event space in Regent Park.
“I watch all his videos, and he always makes me cry. And he is so talented…. Mustafa the Poet, I love him.”
