Overview
- Chow defeated challenger Brad Bradford in Monday’s municipal vote and Bradford conceded on election night, leaving Chow to begin a second four‑year term.
- Projections and unofficial counts show Chow won by a clear margin and several progressive‑aligned candidates also prevailed, giving her a city council more likely to back her agenda.
- A late campaign fight over Bradford’s plan to spin off Toronto Water into a stand‑alone public utility became a focal issue after Chow’s campaign warned it could open the door to privatization and used that message to sharpen voter choice.
- Advance voting jumped sharply this year with more than 222,000 early ballots cast, roughly a 72 percent increase from the 2023 mayoral byelection, which parties on both sides said affected turnout dynamics.
- Chow enters the new term with recent fiscal context in hand: her first term closed a roughly $1.8‑billion gap through two large property tax increases and a multibillion‑dollar deal with Ontario that included $1.2‑billion in operating support and the transfer of major road assets to the province, issues that will shape how she funds new promises and whether she uses strong‑mayor powers.