Olivia Chow Elected As First Mayor Of Toronto Descendants Of Chinese-Canada

Mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow. (Twitter/@oliviachow)

JAKARTA - Olivia Chow promised to support house renters, fight for social goals, and reduce too much power in her office, at that time she became the first Chinese-Canadian citizen to be elected Mayor of Toronto, Canada, on Monday.

"I will dedicate myself to working tirelessly in building a city that cares more, is affordable and safe, where everyone can live," Chow told his supporters in his winning speech.

Chow got 37.2 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results, ahead of his closest rival Ana Bailao, the former deputy mayor.

"Thank you, Toronto!" he tweeted.

Chow (66) will be the first woman to serve as mayor since Barbara Hall in 1997. She previously ran for mayor in 2014, but at that time she was only in third place.

Since the start of the campaign, Chow has been far ahead of his competitors in a poll. Tory has supported his former deputy, Bailao, while Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford supports former Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders.

Thank you, Toronto! pic.twitter.com/kQFNkWaOO6

— Olivia Chow (@oliviachow) June 27, 2023

Thank you, Toronto! pic.twitter.com/kQFNkWAOO6

Ford congratulated Chow, saying he was willing to cooperate with anyone ready to "work closely with our government to improve our cities and provinces."

Having a prominent voice in progressive politics, Chow's campaign capitalizes on his record as a former lawmaker at Ottawa and a member of the Toronto City Council, as well as relies on the historic relationship built by her late husband, former leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) as well as federal opposition leader Jack Layton.

Chow will lead the Canadian financial capital as housing costs increase and violent attacks on public transport have led to calls for more action by police.

Chow has pledged to build 25,000 government-controlled houses over eight years to tackle rising rental prices.

Born in Hong Kong, Chow migrated to Canada when he was 13 years old. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a master's degree in fines.

Chow will replace John Tory, who resigned after winning his third election in October.

Tory left his post in February, after admitting he had an affair with a member of his staff, while he himself was married.