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2023 Toronto Mayoral by-election

Who gets your vote for Mayor of Toronto?

  • Ana Bailao

    Votes: 18 16.4%
  • Brad Bradford

    Votes: 3 2.7%
  • Olivia Chow

    Votes: 58 52.7%
  • Mitzie Hunter

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • Josh Matlow

    Votes: 20 18.2%
  • Mark Saunders

    Votes: 4 3.6%
  • Other

    Votes: 5 4.5%

  • Total voters
    110
  • Poll closed .
Your FB friend’s frustration aide, has 2022 mayoral candidate Chow made a campaign promise to close the airport? When I Google such I find news from back in 2015 that Chow wanted to limit expansion of the airport for jets.

At this point I’m assuming the winner will be Chow. In the latest poll, Chow’s got a ~35% lead over everyone else, nearly as much as the next three candidates combined.
I couldn’t find documentation. It was during a press event down near there. Bailao noted she supported keeping the airport open. Chow said she didn’t. So neither one may have it as a platform but we’re responding to questions.
 
My prediction is that the polls remain relatively static and that Chow is mayor on June 26.

People seem really tuned out this by-election, even among people I know who are fairly worldly and follow politics. I'm sure it will be similar on election day. People will be thinking about vacations, getting their kids to summer camp, and enjoying a cold one in the backyard or patio. The voter turnout will be dismal.
 
I'm on the fence about whether or not we see candidates drop out, especially since we're past the point where names can be taken off the ballot. When Pantalone was far behind the polls in 2010, he didn't drop out.
But Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson did, and their names remained on the ballot. (As did Susan Fish in 1991.)
 
Your FB friend’s frustration aide, has June 2023 mayoral candidate Chow made a campaign promise to close the airport? When I Google such I find news from back in 2015 that Chow wanted to limit expansion of the airport for jets. I‘m a big fan of flying from Billy Bishop, but I think the omission of jets is reasonable.

At this point I’m assuming the winner will be Chow. In the latest poll, Chow’s got a ~35% lead over everyone else, nearly as much as the next three candidates Bailao, Saunders and Furey combined. Unless Chow does something dumb she’s got this locked. And with the power of incumbency she’ll be our mayor until she no longer wants it - unless she does a Tory and plucks a youngster from the staff room.
Seems to be entirely on the basis on name recognition. Her campaign has been very underwhelming.
 
My prediction is that the polls remain relatively static and that Chow is mayor on June 26.

People seem really tuned out this by-election, even among people I know who are fairly worldly and follow politics. I'm sure it will be similar on election day. People will be thinking about vacations, getting their kids to summer camp, and enjoying a cold one in the backyard or patio. The voter turnout will be dismal.
As much as I want to see Ana Bailao win this race, I have come to accept that Olivia Chow is going to be the likely winner. What bothers me is if Chow wins this race, it was not based on a singular, popular issue or campaign promise or a series of issues; she will become mayor of one of the biggest cities in North America based on her name and how much she tells everyone she loves her city. Her campaign overall has been nothing special or inspiring. It’s just sort of… there. Good on the NDP for coming together to back one candidate despite the candidate being rather weak.

And while I have accepted that she’ll probably become mayor, my gut feeling tells me she’ll be in office until 2030 but her time as mayor will go from high popularity to problematic to residents begging for a change in leadership. She seems like a very nice woman with a heart of gold and that’s great. Heck, I would vote for her if this was an election on niceness. However, I have a tough time seeing Toronto truly thriving long-term with her in charge. She has only sat in opposition, and she has supported some pretty hard left leaning political solutions to problems and issues. I will be optimistic that Toronto will succeed under Mayor Olivia Chow but I have my doubts. We will see.

I do wish Mitzie Hunter and Brad Bradford had backed Ana Bailao a few weeks ago. One paper, Bailao is the ideal candidate to become the next mayor of Toronto with a great amount of cash fundraised and a good team of advisors and volunteers, yet her campaign hasn’t grown the way they wanted. It’s too bad she didn’t have something to focus on… something that would be popular with voters. Unless something big happens within the next two weeks, I think Ana Bailao will come in second to Olivia Chow.
 
I'm just wondering why people haven't started referring to Brad Bradford as "Brad Brad."

You know, like John John. Or Bam Bam. (Or Dum Dum.)
 
Your FB friend’s frustration aide, has June 2023 mayoral candidate Chow made a campaign promise to close the airport? When I Google such I find news from back in 2015 that Chow wanted to limit expansion of the airport for jets. I‘m a big fan of flying from Billy Bishop, but I think the omission of jets is reasonable.

At this point I’m assuming the winner will be Chow. In the latest poll, Chow’s got a ~35% lead over everyone else, nearly as much as the next three candidates Bailao, Saunders and Furey combined. Unless Chow does something dumb she’s got this locked. And with the power of incumbency she’ll be our mayor until she no longer wants it - unless she does a Tory and plucks a youngster from the staff room.
This is a good question that I tried to find an answer to also. I cannot find online where Chow had pledged to shut-down Billy Bishop airport. When I did a search online I, like you, only found her opposition to expansion of the airport and the introduction of "jets" from back in 2015. Not a good position to hold IMO but a far cry from wanting to shut-down the airport.

From what I have read in response to your post, Chow made the comment at a recent press conference. It would be good to know when and where she said this. Video of this press conference must exist. If indeed she said that she wanted to shut down Billy Bishop this could be a major wedge-issue for some of the better candidates to use.

A lot of people who oppose expansion of the airport and introduction of "jets" (like you) are nevertheless happy with the airport as it exists today and enjoy the incredible convenience (if you live downtown) of being able to fly out of the Island instead of making the long and expensive trek to Pearson. Learning that Olivia Chow wants to shut down the airport (if true) could "tank" her campaign.
 
This is a good question that I tried to find an answer to also. I cannot find online where Chow had pledged to shut-down Billy Bishop airport. When I did a search online I, like you, only found her opposition to expansion of the airport and the introduction of "jets" from back in 2015. Not a good position to hold IMO but a far cry from wanting to shut-down the airport.

From what I have read in response to your post, Chow made the comment at a recent press conference. It would be good to know when and where she said this. Video of this press conference must exist. If indeed she said that she wanted to shut down Billy Bishop this could be a major wedge-issue for some of the better candidates to use.

A lot of people who oppose expansion of the airport and introduction of "jets" (like you) are nevertheless happy with the airport as it exists today and enjoy the incredible convenience (if you live downtown) of being able to fly out of the Island instead of making the long and expensive trek to Pearson. Learning that Olivia Chow wants to shut down the airport (if true) could "tank" her campaign.
My guess is this never happened. Otherwise it would be all over the media I would think?
 
I don’t think as mayor Chow would have the power to close down the airport - not without cooperation of the Premier.

Toronto has a tri-partate agreement with the province and the feds that allows the airport to operate on City land.

That lease expires in 2033.

The airport is clear to operate until then.

Obviously the province can legislate anything it wants, and the federal government has sweeping powers to over-ride a city (or province) as well; though they generally don't use them.

The only position for the City to take is 'we will negotiate to renew the lease' or 'we will not'.

No one running for Mayor today is likely to be mayor in 2033; however, decisions will have to be taken sooner rather than later.

But again, let's not debate the virtues or lack thereof of Billy Bishop in this thread, we have a dedicated thread for that; its only place in this thread ought to be is this an issue on which the campaign will turn; thus far, that seems quite unlikely, but there are ~ 4 weeks to go.
 
My guess is this never happened. Otherwise it would be all over the media I would think?
I think it was a one off comment. It’s not a hot topic these days so not worth pursuing. I didn’t see the whole clip myself, but I did see Bailao’s response.
 
Chow may have said something like that in the past, remember there was a lot of contention about the airport, she would not do it now tho. That's what gets me about Chow, she is a puppet, decision-by-committee. I wish I could see what others see in Chow, reminds me so much of Donald Trump - decent, normal people said "he's a truth teller"!
 
Chow may have said something like that in the past, remember there was a lot of contention about the airport, she would not do it now tho.

This does not comport w/the posts above.

That's what gets me about Chow, she is a puppet, decision-by-committee.

I'm not a Chow partisan by any means; I prefer Matlow; his grandstanding notwithstanding...... but where do you get this idea about Chow from?

I wish I could see what others see in Chow, reminds me so much of Donald Trump - decent, normal people said "he's a truth teller"!

Hold on now, Chow is like Trump? Really?
 
What bothers me is if Chow wins this race, it was not based on a singular, popular issue or campaign promise or a series of issues; she will become mayor of one of the biggest cities in North America based on her name and how much she tells everyone she loves her city. Her campaign overall has been nothing special or inspiring. It’s just sort of… there.

my gut feeling tells me she’ll be in office until 2030 but her time as mayor will go from high popularity to problematic to residents begging for a change in leadership.

These two quotes are contradictory. Name recognition is everything in city elections, absent something really outrageous, which, I don't see happening to Chow, or someone with even better name recognition running. This is not an election for one term for mayor. This is an election for a one decade mayor. While I'm OK with Chow, I would much prefer Matlow, since he does seem to be somewhat interested in the minutiae of running the city.
 

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