Toronto elects HK-born Olivia Chow as mayor
Leftist candidate Olivia Chow was elected on Monday as mayor of Canada’s largest city, ending more than a decade of conservative rule. She drew on her record as a former member of parliament in Ottawa and as a Toronto city councillor and leaned on historic relationships established by her late husband, former New Democratic Party and federal opposition leader Jack Layton. There were a record 102 candidates on the ballot, with roughly a half-dozen high-profile names rising to the top of the field over the 12-week campaign. Chow received 37 percent support, topping Ana Bailao with 33 percent. “It’s a city where a immigrant kid from St James Town can be standing in front of you as your new mayor,” Chow said, in reference to a high-rise immigrant community downtown. Chow, 66, is the first woman to serve as mayor since Barbara Hall in 1997. She previously ran for mayor in 2014, when she came in third. Born in Hong Kong, Chow emigrated to Canada at the age of 13, and she graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in fine art. She takes over as mayor after the resignation of John Tory, who won his third election last October. The married Tory left office in February after acknowledging he had had an affair with a staff member. Tory was known as a straight-laced, button down moderate conservative – almost the polar opposite of previous Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, whose term was plagued by scandals involving public drinking and illegal drug use.  Chow spent 13 years on Toronto’s city council and represented a downtown district of Toronto at the federal level for eight years.  She has promised to purchase more affordable housing. (AFP/AP)