What to know
- Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says she hasn’t decided whether she’ll seek re-election in 2026.
- She tells Now Toronto she’s focused on city priorities like safety and affordability before considering another four-year term.
- Councillor Brad Bradford has already announced his intention to run, becoming the first official candidate in the race.
- Chow says the election is still far off and, for now, she’s turning her attention to the holidays and personal downtime.
With the 2026 municipal election on the horizon, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says she hasn’t yet decided whether she’ll seek another term.
The mayor tells Now Toronto in an interview on Thursday that she’s been consumed by a range of city priorities, and still has plenty to weigh before deciding whether to throw her hat back in the ring.
“I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet,” she said. “We have so much work to do.”
Chow secured the city’s top job in 2023 in a by-election, following the sudden scandal-plagued departure of former Mayor John Tory who resigned from office only months into his third term.
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While she says she enjoys the job, Chow emphasizes that her immediate focus is on safety and affordability for Torontonians — priorities she sees as more pressing right now than contemplating another term.
“I like to be mayor but it’s another four years,” she said. I need to think through — what do I want to do in the next four years? And where are things at in the City of Toronto? There’s lots of things to consider right now.”
In October, Ward 19 Beaches–East York Councillor Brad Bradford became the first to declare his intention to run in the 2026 Toronto mayoral election, announcing his bid during an exclusive interview on the Brandon Gonez Show. He previously ran in the 2023 mayoral election, finishing in eighth place.
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Chow applauded Bradford’s declaration: “Good for him. Go for it,” she said.
The mayor said the election, set for next fall, is still a long way off, and that for now she’s far more focused on the holidays and finding time for hobbies, like skiing with her grandchildren and catching up on TV shows and films, including the Toronto-made 2024 movie BOXCUTTER.
“It’s December. It’s not even Christmas yet,” she laughed.
Bradford is the first mayoral hopeful to announce his plans to run, but former mayor Tory has remained tight-lipped about whether he’d consider a return to office. Earlier this year, he left open the possibility of throwing his hat into the ring once again.
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The municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26, 2026.
