What to know
- Olivia Chow has won a second term as Toronto’s mayor, defeating Brad Bradford in the 2026 municipal election.
- Chow campaigned on promises including a TTC fare cap after 10 rides per week, advancing the Scarborough East LRT and creating 15,000 jobs for Toronto youth.
- Her first-term record included freezing TTC fares for three consecutive years, opening the Scarborough Busway and expanding the Toronto School Food Program.
- More than 222,000 people reportedly voted during the advance voting period between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11.
Olivia Chow has secured a second term as Toronto’s mayor, defeating Brad Bradford in the city’s 2026 municipal election.
Results began coming in after polls closed at 8 p.m. Monday. Chow’s re-election follows a closely watched mayoral race between the incumbent and Bradford, a former city councillor for Beaches-East York.
Several polls released in the lead-up to election day suggested a tight contest, with some showing Bradford holding a narrow lead in the final days of the campaign.
Despite the close race, Chow ultimately secured another term as mayor.
More than 50 candidates registered to run for Toronto’s mayoral seat, including former MP Chris Alexander, who withdrew from the race shortly before advance voting began.
Throughout her campaign, Chow made several key promises, including capping TTC fares after 10 rides per week, advancing plans for the Scarborough East LRT and establishing a Bad Landlords Task Force to address problem rental buildings.
She also pledged to create 15,000 new jobs for Toronto youth and expand the city’s school nutrition program to provide lunch to students by 2030.
Chow also highlighted her first-term record, which included introducing a TTC fare cap after 47 rides, opening the Scarborough Busway, freezing TTC fares for three consecutive years, making all Toronto Public Library branches open on Sundays, and expanding the Toronto School Food Program to all public schools.
Chow was first elected mayor in a 2023 by-election following the resignation of former mayor John Tory.
The election also follows a reported increase in advance voting, with more than 222,000 people casting ballots between Oct. 6 and Oct. 11, according to the City of Toronto.
