The campaign to elect Toronto’s next mayor is set to begin in earnest today as nominations officially open for prospective candidates.
City council formally declared the mayor’s office vacant on Wednesday, roughly six weeks after former mayor John Tory abruptly resigned after admitting to an affair with a member of his staff.
A crowded field of potential replacements has already taken shape since his departure, with several high-profile politicians announcing plans to seek the city’s top job.
Those include former provincial education minister and sitting Liberal legislature member Mitzie Hunter, current city councillors Brad Bradford and Josh Matlow, former city councillor Ana Bailão and ex-city police chief Mark Saunders.
Current Deputy mayor Jennifer McKelvie has said the next mayor will have to oversee cuts to services if other levels of government don’t help cover the city’s nearly $1 billion budget shortfall.
Nominations for the mayoral race will close on May 12, advance polls will be available from June 8-13, and the byelection itself is set for June 26.
