Torontonians; the Canadians that love to vote

There’s still some time but soon Canada will see it’s largest by-election: vote for mayor of Toronto. John Tory won the mayor’s vote in October 2022; mid-February 2023 he returned the keys and the keyholder. Officially he said it was because he slept with a City worker during lockdown but many gossip and suggest other reasons; some suggest he’s going on a trip to Uranus. The question for Torontonians now: how many by-elections are going to be held in the city this year?

On April 3 2023 the city began accepting nominations; candidates can add their names Monday to Friday until May 12 if they meet regulations by the City of Toronto. On Friday 14 April there were 46 candidates vying to become mayor; no one had withdrawn. And there’s still time if any one wants to join the marathon!

A range of candidates are listed including PhD (Bahira Abdulsalam), MD, former police officers (Acton Blake, Mark Saunders), former assistant mayors, some City Councillors, mayoral candidates from October 2022, past MPs (Celina Caesar-Chavannes, MP until 2019), businessmen, entrepreneurs, former City Councillors, 2022 candidates for City Councillors, columnists and broadcasters, activists, realtors, MPPs (Mitzie Hunter, present MPP), lawyers, engineers, and architects.

What many don’t realise: before the end of 2023 Toronto will see 1 or more by-election, not including the one for Mayor. To run for Mayor you can’t be an MP, MPP, or Senator. Celina Caesar-Chavannes was an MP but isn’t one today; nothing holding her back. On the other side is Mitzie Hunter, MPP for Ontario. To be on the Mayor Ballot Mitzie needs to resign her seat at Queen’s Park and show proof before May 12. Today Mitzie Hunter holds the seat for Scarborough-Guildwood, a riding in Toronto. Whether or not Mitzie wins, she has to resign the seat; if she stays in the Mayor’s race there’s a guaranteed by-election there. Scarborough-Guildwood might have to vote twice this summer.

City of Toronto employees and City Councillors don’t have to resign their seat, just take an unpaid leave. If one of the City Councillors who chose to sign up gets promoted to mayor, the Councillor seat has to be resigned bringing a by-election. Anyone who works in the private sector just needs the boss’s approval. Another election if current City Councillor wins.

Toronto is guaranteed one by-election (Mayor) this year; depending on who decides to stay in the race for Mayor and who wins, parts of the city might see another by-election. Clearly Toronto appears to be a city that loves to vote, one that might love the vote more than potholes.