Olivia Chow

Early life and career

Olivia Chow was born in British Hong Kong, to Ho Sze, a schoolteacher, and Wilson Wai Sun Chow, a school superintendent. She was raised in a middle-class family in Happy Valley, a residential area in Hong Kong. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 1970 at the age of 13, settling in Toronto, where they first lived on the third floor of a rooming house in the Annex, before moving to a high-rise unit in St. James Town. Her father worked odd jobs, such as delivering Chinese food and driving taxis to support the family. Her mother became a seamstress and a maid, and worked in a hotel laundry. Her father suffered from mental illness and was physically abusive towards her half-brother, Andre, and her mother, but "nurturing and loving" towards Olivia.

Chow was raised in a Chinese Baptist household. As a young girl she was a slow learner and had to repeat grade 3. However, she soon started to excel academically and she later skipped grade 8. She attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute and studied fine arts at the Ontario College of Art, and philosophy and religion at Victoria College in the University of Toronto. In 1979, she graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in fine art from the University of Guelph.

After graduation, she worked as an artist. She owned a sculpture studio and created art pieces for clients. She still paints occasionally. She later taught at George Brown College's Assaulted Women and Children Counselling and Advocacy Program for five years.

Early political career

School board

Chow first became active in politics working in the riding office of local NDP MP Dan Heap in the early 1980s.

With Heap's support, Chow ran for school board trustee, and won in November 1985. Beginning in 1986, Chow sought for programming to protect students on the basis of sexuality, spurred by incidents of harassment she was shown, and by the murder of Kenneth Zeller, a school librarian. This led to the introduction of what was believed to be Ontario's first sexuality school program, approved in May 1988 with support of director of education Ned McKeown. She served as head of the school board's race relations committee.

Metro and City Council

Popular on the school board, she was handily elected to Metropolitan Toronto Council in the 1991 election for the Metro Toronto ward of Downtown (this ward was abolished in the 1997 amalgamation). The area had long been home to a diverse group of communities in the core of Canada's largest urban centre. Chow was re-elected several times to city council by wide margins. As councillor, Chow was an advocate for the homeless, public transit, and many other urban issues that promote sustainable development. She was also a vociferous opponent of the proposed Toronto Island Airport expansion, a controversial plan by the Toronto Port Authority.

Following the amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto, she and her husband Jack Layton were prominent members of the city council. While sometimes critical of pro-development Mayor Mel Lastman and other suburban councillors, they worked with councillors across political lines to achieve practical progressive measures. Layton left his seat on council to become federal leader of the NDP. Both were supporters of David Miller's successful 2003 campaign to become mayor of Toronto.

Chow was forced to resign her position on the Toronto Police Services Board because, at a riot in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, she informally attempted to persuade police to change their tactics. Some argued, however, that she was ousted for her outspoken attitude towards alleged police misconduct.

Chow, a cycling advocate, was renowned for her trademark bicycle, decorated with flowers and bright colours, which she rode every day to Toronto City Hall.

Federal politics

In 1997, Chow ran as an NDP candidate for the House of Commons in Trinity—Spadina. Liberal incumbent Tony Ianno won by 1,802 votes, receiving 45% of the total votes.

In 2004, Chow again received the Trinity—Spadina NDP nomination for the summer federal election. With support from Jack Layton, a new urban focus of the NDP, and higher party popularity nationwide, she was widely expected to win despite some criticism from voters who elected her to a municipal seat just six months prior. She managed another strong second-place showing, but failed to unseat Ianno by only 805 votes, 1.5% of the total.

Tactical voting was blamed partially for Chow's defeat, as Liberal attack ads on Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper attempted to make the election a choice between the Liberals and Conservatives, with the effect of attracting NDP-leaning voters to support the Liberals and stave off a potential Harper government. Chow also did not resign her council seat to run federally, with some suggesting that her constituents felt comfortable voting Liberal while still having Chow around to represent them at a different level of government.

When the Liberal federal government was defeated on a motion of non-confidence, Chow resigned her city council seat of fourteen years on November 28, 2005, to make a third run at seat in the House of Commons. She was succeeded on city council on an interim basis by Martin Silva. As Silva was not allowed to run for re-election, Chow's constituency assistant Helen Kennedy ran but lost to Adam Vaughan.

On January 23, 2006, she won the Trinity—Spadina seat for the NDP in the federal election. She defeated Ianno by 3,667 votes, almost 6%. Along with Jack Layton she was part of only the second husband-and-wife team in Canadian parliamentary history to serve jointly. (Gurmant Grewal and Nina Grewal were the first, winning their seats in the 2004 Canadian federal election.)

In 2007, Chow sponsored a motion calling for Japan to apologize for forcing some 200,000 women to serve as wartime sex slaves. The motion was passed unanimously by Canada's parliament in November 2007. Chow said, "For me, this isn't crimes against 200,000 women. It's crimes against humanity and all of the world's citizens have a responsibility to speak out against it."

2015 attempted return

Chow announced on July 28, 2015, that she was seeking the federal NDP nomination in Spadina—Fort York for the 2015 federal election. The new riding comprises much of the former Trinity—Spadina riding. She faced Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, who was elected MP for Trinity—Spadina in 2014 in a by-election that was held following Chow's resignation to run for mayor. Chow lost to Vaughan by a wide margin amid a Liberal sweep of Toronto ridings.

Toronto mayoral campaigns

2014 mayoral election

Chow entered the 2014 Toronto mayoral campaign in an attempt to unseat incumbent Rob Ford after most polls taken over the previous year suggested she was best placed to win either a head-to-head vote against Ford or a multi-candidate contest. Ford's mayoralty had been at the centre of several controversies during his tenure, most significantly over accusations and ultimately Ford's own admission that he had used crack cocaine as well as allegations that he has associated with criminals. Chow was the only prominent centre-left candidate running against Ford. Her other major rivals in the election, former provincial Opposition leader John Tory, councillor Karen Stintz and former budget chief David Soknacki as well as Ford himself, were all centre-right candidates.

Chow's campaign manager was John Laschinger, who previously managed David Miller's mayoral campaigns as well as federal and provincial Conservative campaigns. Former federal and provincial Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella also worked on her campaign. Other senior staff included former MuchMusic VJ Jennifer Hollett, former NDP national director Nathan Rotman, and Brian Topp, a former NDP leadership candidate. Supporters included former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman (who was the runner-up to Ford in the 2010 mayoral election) and filmmaker Deepa Mehta.

Chow's three priority areas were transit, children and jobs. She came out against subway expansion in favour of more buses, and building LRTs lines on Toronto's roads. She also released policies about expanding after-school recreation programs for children aged 6–11, as well as creating 5,000 jobs and training opportunities for young people through community benefits agreements.

Over the course of the election, Chow went from the polling favourite at the beginning of the campaign to eventually placing third in the election. Polls suggested she failed to capitalize on her early popularity and fell victim to strategic voting.

2023 mayoral by-election

Chow was elected as mayor of Toronto on June 26, 2023, becoming the first person of colour to be elected to a city-wide post since William Peyton Hubbard in 1904.

On April 17, 2023, Chow announced she would run for mayor of Toronto in the upcoming by-election.

Chow criticized the provincial government's controversial plan to redevelop Ontario Place into a spa and waterpark, as well as to move the Ontario Science Centre from its original site. She proposed stalling the province's plans by withholding a portion of city-owned land on the site.

Chow's housing policies include building 25,000 rent-controlled homes on city-owned land, with the city acting as a developer. She proposed increasing the vacant property tax to 3 per cent, directing funds to support affordable housing initiatives such as rent supplements, as well as increasing the land transfer tax on luxury homes, using funds to support people who are homeless. Chow also committed to opening 24/7 respite spaces and creating 1000 rent supplements. Her housing platform also includes policies aimed at supporting tenants, including combatting renovictions, doubling Toronto's rent bank, establishing a $100 million fund to purchase rental properties from private landlords and transferring them to not-for-profits, and expanding RentSafeTO, the city's building standards enforcement program.

On transit, Chow proposed converting the Line 3 Scarborough corridor into a busway, once it has been decommissioned, estimated to cost $60 million with funding coming from savings realized by cancelling the Gardiner Expressway rebuild east of Cherry Street. She would reverse cuts made to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in the 2023 budget and expand cell phone service on the subway system to all networks.

Chow promised to create a team to reduce 9-1-1 wait times and expand the Toronto Community Crisis Service city-wide. She supports the plan endorsed by Toronto Public Health, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Toronto police chief Myron Demkiw to request a personal drug possession exemption from the federal government.

2026 mayoral election

On May 25, 2026, Chow formally declared her candidacy for re-election. She is being challenged by Toronto City Councillor Brad Bradford and former federal Conservative Cabinet minister Chris Alexander in the October 26 mayoral election. Bradford previously ran against Chow in the 2023 by-election, placing eighth. She endorsed candidates in the concurrent city council elections, including former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith in Ward 19 Beaches—East York.

Mayor of Toronto (2023–present)

Following a transition period of two weeks, Chow was sworn in as the 66th mayor of Toronto on July 12, 2023.

Appointments

As mayor, Chow can appoint or dismiss the deputy mayor, heads of city divisions, the chairs and vice-chairs of council committees, as well as form the striking committee, which determines the composition of other council committees.

Just over a month into her term on August 10, 2023, Chow made a number of changes to key mayoral appointments. Ausma Malik became the statutory deputy mayor of Toronto, taking over from Jennifer McKelvie, who would continue to hold the title in an honorary capacity along with Michael Colle and Amber Morley. Chow also appointed Shelley Carroll to chair the budget committee, Gord Perks as chair of planning and housing, Jamaal Myers as chair of the TTC, and Alejandra Bravo as chair of the economic and community development committee. The Local notes that the councillors in lead roles come from progressive backgrounds, and the many progressives and centrist councillors appointed to committees have resulted in a wider political range than under the previous administration. Overall, the committee structure experienced a "leftward" shift. On December 16, 2024, she dismissed Brad Bradford from his role as vice-chair of the city's Planning and Housing Committee and replaced him with Frances Nunziata. Paul Ainslie was appointed deputy mayor for Scarborough following McKelvie's resignation from council in May 2025.

On June 5, 2025, Chow announced that former New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority executive Mandeep Lali was appointed as CEO of the TTC, succeeding Rick Leary, who resigned in August 2024. In December 2025, Chow appointed Andrew Posluns as the city's first chief congestion officer.

Budgets and city finances

During the 2023 by-election, the city's budget shortfall was a major topic of discussion as Toronto's 2023 operating budget faced a shortfall of $1.5 billion. Absent financial assistance from other levels of government, the city would be forced use its reserve fund in order to avoid running a deficit. Due to a decline in revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Toronto relied on transfer payments from other levels of government to sustain its operating budget. In her first speech as mayor, Chow called on the provincial and federal governments to commit to a "new deal" for funding the city, criticizing them for withholding a bailout as the city continued to struggle from the financial impact of COVID-19.

Following her first official meeting with Premier Doug Ford on September 18, 2023, Chow and Ford announced that the city and province would form a working group of senior officials to discuss long-term sustainability and stability in Toronto's finances. Chow noted that the city was carrying $1.1 billion in services on behalf of the provincial and federal governments, while Ford committed to avoiding new taxes. On October 30, ahead of their second meeting, Chow and Ford wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling on the federal government to join the working group. The following day, Chow confirmed that the federal government would participate in the working group.

On November 27, 2023, Chow and Ford held a joint press conference where they announced that the city and province had come to an agreement regarding a "new deal". In the deal, the province would take over responsibility for the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway by 2027, as well as a $300 million transfer for transit operations and safety. Contingent on federal funding, Ford also committed $758 million to procure new subway trains for Line 2 Bloor–Danforth and $600 million across three years to address homelessness. The province would also provide up $342 million over 2024, 2025 and 2026, conditional on Toronto exceeding its annual housing targets by 125 per cent each year. In total, the deal includes $1.2 billion over three years in operating funding and $7.6 billion in capital relief. Construction work on the expressway would be finished 18 months ahead of schedule, opening in late 2025. As part of the agreement, the City of Toronto also conceded that it does not have the ability to stop the province's controversial plans to redevelop Ontario Place into a private spa and water park, undoing a promise Chow made during her campaign.

Public safety and police

Chow has faced criticism from some councillors, who have characterized crime in Toronto as either rampant or increasing. In October 2025, polling suggested that crime surpassed housing as the top issue, with a Liaison study indicating that 32 per cent of respondents identify it as the city's most pressing issue.

In December 2025, analysis of data from the police department's Public Safety Data Portal indicate downward year-over-year trend across most major crime indicators. Notably, the city's 39 recorded homicides as of December 18 is less than half of the 81 in 2024, a 50-year low. Over the same period, other major crime indicators have also decreased, such as shootings declining 53.7 per cent (from 42 to 19) and stabbings declined 45.5 per cent (from 22 to 12). In a statement made to Global News, police stated, “while it’s difficult to attribute the progress to one factor, several efforts are clearly contributing”, indicating that "[f]rontline staffing, investment in community officer programs, and strong collaboration with other partners have helped in changing the trends".

In contrast, hate crimes have generally increased each year since 2019. Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for a plurality (40 per cent) of reported hate crimes in 2024, followed by anti-2SLGBTQI+ incidents.

Following her election in 2023, Chow appointed councillors Amber Morley and Jon Burnside, a former police officer, to the Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB).

During the 2024 budget process, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) requested a budget increase of $20 million, bringing the operating budget to $1.186 billion. Chow initially proposed a smaller increase of $12 million, which TPS management described as an "unacceptable risk" during a budget committee meeting. Chow originally indicated that additional tax increases or service cuts would be required to fully fund TPS' requested budget. However, the day before the finalized budget was to be presented to city council, Chow confirmed that TPS would receive its requested increase in full. Recently announced programs from other governments, such as federal funds to combat auto theft allowed for a further increase to the budget.

In April 2024, due to new provincial legislation disqualifying former police officers from sitting on police boards, Chow nominated Budget Chair Shelley Carroll to replace Burnside as a TPSB member. Later in June, city council moved to replace Nadine Spencer as the city's citizen member of the TPSB with Chris Brillinger.

Housing

In January 2025, Chow announced that the federal, provincial, and municipal governments would provide $975 million to build 14,000 new homes near the Toronto waterfront. Previously, she announced that the city would build 7000 new rental homes and build Toronto's first affordable housing project delivered through the Public Developer Delivery model. In March 2025, the federal government announced that Toronto would receive $2.25 billion in low-cost loans to help build 4,831 rental homes, with more than 1,000 affordable units. It comes after Toronto city council passed a package of financial incentives for rental builders that includes relief from development charges and a reduction in property taxes, so long as 20 per cent of new units are rented at discounted prices. In December 2025, council approved a land transfer tax on luxury homes.

In 2024, the city introduced a new homeless encampment response strategy, described as shifting from enforcement, towards "outreach, assistance, and information", and a "human-rights-based approach". Chow endorsed the plan as it was presented to the Economic and Community Development Committee. Under the new approach, the city prioritizes outreach and securing access to housing over enforcement. The new protocol continues to allow for the clearing of encampments, such as cases where there is a health and safety risk, and has faced criticism from activists, who note that the new protocol also allows for clearing uncooperative encampment residents.

Data from the city shows that the number of known encampments to be 70 per cent lower in 2026 compared to the previous year.

In June 2025, council considered a motion to amend the zoning by-law to allow sixplex housing city-wide. The motion expands on a 2023 change to the zoning by-law to legalize building fourplexes without special approvals. The initial motion sought to upzone the entire city, which faced criticism from some suburban councillors. Councillor Jon Burnside argued that sixplexes worked better downtown than in his North York ward, and Councillor Parthi Kandavel from Scarborough described the motion as "drastic", raising concerns about accommodating parking and increasing property values. An amended motion was passed instead, only allowing sixplexes in Old Toronto, East York and Ward 23 Scarborough North. Following the decision, council passed a motion introduced by Chow in July to waive development charges (taxes paid by builders to fund infrastructure upgrades to support new developments) from sixplexes.

Renaming civic assets

Following her 2023 election, Chow indicated her support for the city's plan to rename Dundas Street and related civic assets. In 2020, a petition which received over 14,000 signatures calling for the renaming of the street and related civic assets prompted then-Mayor John Tory to direct city staff to begin a review of the renaming, which was subsequently adopted by city council in 2021 at a cost of $6 million. By 2023, the projected cost had risen to $13 million. Henry Dundas was a Scottish politician who is controversially known for his role in delaying the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In December 2023, Chow supported a motion introduced by Councillor Chris Moise, which would adopt the recommendation of an advisory committee to rename Yonge–Dundas Square to Sankofa Square, a Ghanaian word describing the concept of reflecting on teachings from the past. Council also voted to rename Dundas Station after Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Dundas West Station and the Jane/Dundas Library. The plan would see the cost of renaming the square funded by developers through community benefit charges and the cost of renaming Dundas Station funded by TMU. The renaming of the street was deferred indefinitely due to budget pressures.

According to a poll, the name "Sankofa Square" was met unfavourably by the majority of Torontonians; in the poll, conducted in January 2024, 71 percent of respondents disapproved of the new name. Right-leaning Toronto Sun commentator Brian Lilley praised the cost savings of Chow's decision to cancel the renaming of the street, describing it as a "compromising between what she wanted and what was possible".

Chow supported a motion introduced by Councillor Paul Ainslie in December 2023 to rename Centennial Park Stadium in Etobicoke after former mayor Rob Ford, who died in 2016. The motion faced opposition owing from Ford's controversial tenure as mayor, however, Chow defended her support, stating that she understood "the pain of losing a loved one" and "what that meant for the Ford family". The stadium was officially renamed Rob Ford Stadium on May 28, 2024. Chow attended the renaming ceremony along with former mayor Ford's family including his brother, Premier Doug Ford.

Other activities

In November 2025, she described the Gaza war as a genocide.

On December 16, 2025, council passed a motion to give signal priority to Line 6 Finch West and other lines, including Line 5 Eglinton.

She apologized after several outdoor swimming pools were closed by the Toronto Parks and Recreation Division amid high temperatures, which pointed to provincial requirements around staff health and safety. Chow also faced criticism for delayed snow plowing during severe weather events, which she blamed on contracts signed during the previous administration. In March 2026, council supported her motion to pay Toronto residents to shovel snow during extreme snow storms, inspired by the policies of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Chow also opposed the provincial government's removal of speed cameras and bike lane infrastructure, with her council approving more bike lanes in December 2025.

In late 2025, Chow supported a motion that ended restrictions on small businesses in detached properties on residential streets in some neighbourhoods of Toronto.

Ahead of FIFA World Cup matches in Toronto, Chow put forward a motion at council to ban United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from being present in the city. She previously criticized the FIFA hosting contract signed by her predecessor, John Tory.

Chow also supported Councillor Anthony Perruzza's measure to create a city-run grocery store pilot program. In March 2026, it was announced that the municipal, provincial, and federal governments would fund the Waterfront East LRT project. Chow opposes the provincial government's plan to introduce jets at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

In May 2026, Chow was dubbed "Crolivia Chow" by Toronto-based hip-hop musician Drake, who also referred to her as his crodi, following the release of his Iceman album, which included a music video set in Toronto City Hall. Chow praised Drake for his work promoting the city.

Approval rating

Weeks after taking office, Chow had an approval rating of 73% according to Liaison Strategies. Following the release of the 2024 budget, her approval rating decreased to 55%, which was attributed to a property tax hike within the budget. In a poll taken a year after she took office, Chow had a similar approval rating of 59% among Torontonians. A Léger research poll conducted in May 2025 showed Chow with a 48% approval rating among Torontonians, with 42% disapproving of her first two years as mayor.

Outside politics

Following her loss in the 2014 municipal election, Chow was appointed to a three-year term, beginning March 1, 2015, as distinguished visiting professor in the Faculty of Arts at Toronto Metropolitan University, with a focus on community engagement and democratic participation. On July 28, 2015, the university released a statement that it had agreed to grant Chow's request for a leave of absence from the university so that she could run for MP.

Chow's personal memoir, titled My Journey, was published January 21, 2014.

In 2016, Chow founded the Institute for Change Leaders, an organization affiliated with Toronto Metropolitan University which teaches political campaign and organizing skills.

Personal life

Chow was married to Jack Layton from 1988 until his death in August 2011. On August 20, 2012, she unveiled a statue dedicated to Layton; tributes to him were written in English, Chinese and French. The statue is located in Harbour Square Park at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.

Chow is stepmother to Layton's two children from his previous marriage to Sally Halford, one of whom, Mike Layton, was a Toronto city councillor from 2010 to 2022. Chow's half-brother, Andre, lives in Seattle and is an American citizen.

In 2005, she revealed that she had undergone surgery for thyroid cancer in 2004. She decided to speak out to raise awareness of the disease. In 2013, she was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome type II.

Chow speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

She was portrayed by Sook-Yin Lee in the 2013 CBC Television film Jack. Lee won a Canadian Screen Award for her performance. In 2024, she appeared as herself, in a cameo role, on Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.

Chow is a Star Trek fan, as was her husband.

Awards and honours

Chow was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

In May 2012, Chow was named one of the top 25 Canadian immigrants in Canada by the Canadian Immigrant magazine.

Chow was voted "Best City Councillor" on numerous occasions by Toronto's alternative weeklies Now Magazine and Eye Weekly.

The Ontario Federation of Labour named an award after her, the "Olivia Chow Childcare Champion Award".

Electoral record